My word for 2018 is 
focus, which requires paying attention to the moment – the now. So, this year, I’ll be taking note of experiences I may have missed, without focus. Many may seem to be BGO’s ( blinding glimpses of the obvious), but hey, I might have missed them.
Here’s this week of NOWS:
sharing in sacred rituals;
trusting a friend with honesty;
remembering how generous asking for help can be;
spotting a speck of hope on a wall of fear;
the healing power of my really-ugly-cry, while deleting Mom’s number from my iPhone favorites list;
answering “YES!” when a child asked if my ‘fancy stick‘ had magic powers;
spotting a purple wildflower on the way to a friend’s burial;
getting to hug two of my GodChil’ren;
sharing coconut cake with friends (even if it wasn’t The Best) was great;
lingering with the questions ” what do the words Engage and Politics mean to you?”;
moments of genuine connection, in the midst of a crowd;
saying YES to a frightening invitation from dear St Francis by the Sea friends;
foody-talk with long time pals;
poetry at a Diocesan Convention;
realizing I can’t help a beloved heal faster, while wishing I could; and
how seeing Tom DElighted leaves me DElighted, tenfold.
What NOWS did you experience this week?
Lisa’s Cheap Therapy blog 
finishing a gnarly project three weeks before the deadline
program confetti raining down on Met Opera stars Matthew Polenzani and Pretty Yende after a glorious performance
balancing work against worry, and then having my fearful prayers answered beyond my wildest dreams
who knew a black-capped sparrow was such a pretty bird?
Japanese sweet potatoes – who knew they were so delicious!
with friends making travel reservations – the sewing tour of 2018 takes shape
purple finch in the bird bath, cardinal in the trees
not saying anything and letting it all play out and hope the lesson is learned
Having a lady who does your mammogram giggle while she is doing it and it doesn’t feel so bad
Sitting in traffic long enough to say prayers of healing for friends and family
Calling Dad to say I love you cause he is still my hero
Having a healthy discussion regarding the flag and what it means to all sitting around the table and still being ok with the conflict I feel inside but AMAZED at the wonderful discussion among all ages
Making plans to go to a place I haven’t been in 30 years no matter what happens I am going to El’s for a shrimp burger
Penny, as always, i LOVE your bird NOWS. and yay you for met deadlines, answered prayers and yummy potatoes
Marina, i SO understand your NOW about letting it all play out. whew! your NOWS made me smile – especially about your dad and the ‘healthy discussion’. i’m hoping for more discussions like that, myself. and hey, enjoy that (those) shrimp burgers.