Have you ever thought, really thought, about all the little things we take for granted?  I seem to do that more these days.

I awoke at 4:00 a.m. this morning tossing and turning, wishing I could get just a couple more hours of sleep before heading out into the day.  Straightening the covers, turning my pillow, counting sheep (in my case, counting all I needed to do…)…nothing seemed to help.  I gave in hesitantly, crawled out of the warm bed, and decided it was too early to make coffee but made it anyway.

My new book, Devotions from the Kitchen Table,  and my “Always be Grateful” box had been calling my name for a day or two, so I sat down at the small, round table to read and write, still wishing for a few more hours of shut-eye.  The wonderful aroma of the coffee filled the quiet, peaceful kitchen, and I began to settle in to the idea that I was awake and needed to take advantage of this extra bonus of time.

I read two pages, then another two, and two more until I had accomplished quiet a bit of reading for these tired eyes.  I then began to write my gratitude list and found I had so much more to say than I thought.  The coffee was ready, so I grabbed a Christmas mug and decided I wanted milk in my coffee though I usually drink it black.  As I opened the refrigerator, there in front of me sat a container of eggnog that I hadn’t opened because, according to the label, it has 190 calories per 1/2 cup!  Who wants to ruin a diet before 5:00 a.m.!  I decided to open it.

I poured a little of this  thick, warm-yellow lusciousness  into my cup and brought it to my lips wanting to savor every little drop.   Then it hit me. I wanted eggnog in my coffee!  I added a little more eggnog, poured in the piping hot coffee, stirred the mixture slowly, and sipped.  I sipped again…and again…

Before I knew it, I opened my gratitude box and added “Eggnog in my coffee”  to my morning list and decided maybe I woke up for just this small, but significant,  joy that I would’ve missed in the usual rush of the morning.