From the depths of my cold and a low INR, I rise to say this — and only this:

My friends bless me every day with their lives.  I won’t embarrass them by naming them.  However, I ask myself:  How can I express any complaint, when I can just as easily name a dozen folks who reach their hands out to catch me every time I stumble in life?

That is the joy which I set out to find on this journey.  I might not always remember the wonder of the kind word, the soft smile, the quiet repose of a listening ear, and the comfort of a shoulder on which to rest my head.

However,  I am thinking of them now.  Gratitude flows through me.  You know who you are.  Each of you.    Thank you.

It’s the tenth day of the thirty-eighth month of My Year Without Complaining.  My body craves rest; my heart flutters and sends the monitor racing; I cough and sneeze.  Every inch of me cries for sleep.

But I’m not complaining.