In life is a verb (which I mentioned yesterday that I am working through with my longest friend, Linda….shortly we've known each other and been friends for 59 years!), author Patty Digh asks:  What is your touchstone, talisman, small wonder that you carry with you into the world?"

She writes of her youngest daughter's careful tending to a grape and to a plastic bag with motel soaps.  She asks "What's you grape?  What creates wonder in you?"

This is my "grape."  It is, believe it or not, a bead.  For a while it was a nice round bead on it's way to being a very nice round bead and the then white glass rod broke.  I fixed the 1st one, getting it melted into the original bead and tried again.   This particular white is very touchy.  It broke again into my bead – enough that it pulled the bead all mishapen.  And I knew I was on to something.  So I put it in the heat blanket to anneal and now I have this "bead" which isn't a bead (yes, it has a hole in it so I can make it a focal rather than string it). 

This bead represents to me my new fascination with making glass beads – a new true passion.  I almost never stick with anything I don't do well at once.  Obviously I am not doing beads well at once but I am pulled back again and again to learn to work with glass.  It so reminds me of clay.  One must honor it and the individual properties of the different colors: how they melt or break.  I actually LOVE this bead.  It is different.  By many standards not beautiful.  But for me it speaks of endless possibilities and new discoveries (everyone remember, discovery is my word for the year).  So I will carry this bead with me in this box I had that fits it perfectly.  I will take it out and look at it and let it remind me that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, that being fascinated and excited about learning is life, that no matter how old I am when passion comes into my life I am once again very very young.

thought for the day:  People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle.  But I think the real miracle is to walk on earth.  Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize:  a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black cfuious eyes of a child – our own two eyes.  All.. a miracle.  Thich Nhat Hanh quoted in life is a verb

bonus thought for the day:  Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr's birthday.  To know his history, which is so entertwined with our Country's history, is to stand in awe of true courage.