“Be the change that you want to see in the world.” -Mohandos Gandhi

I have gratitude today for...
* getting a lot of odds and ends on my To Do list finished this morning
* my trip at the courthouse in Stone Harbor. I went to fight a $55 parking ticket (which in the end was only cut to $40) but I tried to find something to take away from the experience. A grown woman was there with her husband that had been charged with stealing a $25 chair from a local store; that decision will cost her $500-$1,000 and her dignity. Several Mexican-American men were there fighting various traffic violations and it made me realize how difficult it must be to speak limited English. I do believe that when people move to the US, they are obligated to learn English. However, I appreciate how difficult it must be to try to learn a new language as an adult. To handle something as simple as a traffic violation when you understand very little about the laws (and speak poor English) must be frustrating. 
* my time at the beach this afternoon. I read some more of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and closed my eyes for a few minutes while I listened to the ocean and enjoyed the late afternoon sunshine. 
* drinks and appetizers with Jeff & Stacy, their boys, and Mrs. Roth. We had a nice time talking and spending some time together before their vacation ends this weekend. 
* the yummy Nemo's pizza we got for dinner. 
* watching the movie "Love Happens". I actually thought it was a pretty decent movie and I'm glad I gave it a chance. 
* having the courage to write an email to the two other bridesmaids in the bridal party with me, of one of my best friends, about some things that have been bothering me.