A Year of Gratitude – January 18, 2024

I have a lot of jobs here at the farmhouse. One of today’s jobs was cleaning out the wood pellet stove. This time of year, our stoves run nonstop to keep the farmhouse warm. Every so often, I need to cool them down and clean them out so that they can run more efficiently.

The process takes a few hours, makes a big mess, and leaves me covered in soot even when I try to be neat about it. Yes, I wear a mask and gloves, but I still somehow end up with soot in places that I’m not sure how it got there.

I was tired today and didn’t want to go through the process. I could feel myself bargaining, trying to give myself a reason not to do this job today. Then I took a deep breath and did it anyway.

I can’t say that I enjoyed the process, but I was glad when it was finished. Penny Lane had been sitting on the couch nearby through the whole ordeal, keeping me company in spite of the loud noise from the ash vacuum.

As I was cleaning up, the stove came alive with the bright clean fire of a freshly cleaned stove. Penny sighed and snuggled in to take a nap. My gratitude came in this moment when she looked at me, got comfortable, and settled in for a nap knowing that the job was done and that she could just enjoy the warmth of the fire.

Tonight, I find myself grateful for the warm fire, for a job completed and off my to do list for the week, and to settling in with Penny Lane now that the day’s chores are finished to enjoy the warmth with my knitting and a cup of tea.

I hope that you found your gratitude today and that the day was kind to you.

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.