Gratefulness

I was grateful this morning when I woke up that my daughter's boyfriend's family is as gracious, warm and kind as they are. I am grateful that I can call Kasey's grandfather Granpa, that I can show up at a family function with a cover dish and plop myself down in a lawn chair without feeling ill at ease, grateful that Karen, Kasey's mom, takes as many pictures as I do (so that we can both be equally snap-happy when it comes to capturing events on camera). Grateful that Harleigh is loved by a boy who in his own right is about as good as God makes 'em, but put him in the context of his family, and she's scored one heck of a package deal.

While on 4th of July we enjoyed ribs, Labor Day on the Brown property is all about the chicken. Barbecued in a giant grilling basket the size of a twin bed, and including a string of gizzards that disappeared within minutes of coming off the heat, the chicken was served up with every side dish you can imagine. Family members then brought out their instruments, and while kids swam and others napped on porch swings, we enjoyed bluegrass about as homegrown and soothing as you can get.