Forget About It

Today I thought about calling my Dad to discuss Penn State's football season.  And then I remembered that he died almost three years ago.  I don't know what was more disturbing to me.  That my Dad is gone or that I didn't remember that my Dad is gone.  There should be a name for pre-Alzheimers.  The years between the death of your parent from Alzhiemers and the onset of the disease in your own brain.  The time when you can't remember your co-workers first name (or their last name), when you can't find your keys, when you don't know what you wore to church last Sunday.  And you don't know if it is just everyday forgetfulness or something more dreadful.  Peri-alzheimers.  Like perimenopause.  A nebulous set of miserable symptoms that precede the real miserable condition.  So today  I will be thankful for memories.
Thankful for the chance to talk and laugh with my daughter today.  Remembering the Mother-Daughter class we attended together when she was a preteen and her own discomfort at sharing the facts of life with her daughter. 
Thankful that I organized my recipes last fall.  Thankful that I could easily find the recipe for Pumpkin Sandwich Cake.  Thankful that the cake is in the fridge ready for fellowship dinner tomorrow. 
Thankful that there are turkey hat memories, even if the photos are elusive.
Thankful for an extra hour today.  I used it to clean the fronts of my kitchen cabinets.  They are so nice and clean that I just want to touch them.  But that is how they got covered in greasy fingerprints in the first place so I refrain.
Thankful that the porch swing and the porch bats are put away.  The end of two seasons in one blustery cold day.  Thankful for the promise of holiday seasons to come. 
Thankful to touch base with the Goob this evening.  He sounds good.  He talks about classes, professors, meals. He was a little noncommital about graduation, but I am hopeful.
Did I see God's favor today?  Yes, yes I did.  I saw it in ongoing relationships with my adult children.  I saw it in a warm kitchen full of good smells.  I saw it in the gift of time.  I saw it in good memories.  Thankful I remembered to notice it.