Random Act of Gratitude #99: Melissa, Queen of Holiday Treats

Melissa, with whom I work, is the Queen of Holiday Treats. That's right. She is.

Every holiday, we arrive at work to find on our desks little packets of chocolates and assorted treats made and wrapped up by Melissa. As someone who is terrible at even remembering the holiday is coming, let alone remembering to do anything about it, it's astounding that someone can consistently be so well-prepared. I'm convinced it's a gene I have missing.

Thanks, once again, Melissa for your thoughtful wee reminders and gifts. It always makes me smile!

Random Act of Gratitude #71: Cross it off the 'To Do' List

I finally finished the program for the spring show. Why I agreed to do it given the timing (overlapping with report writing) is beyond me.

Is it my finest work ever? No. Is it going to 'wow' anyone with its brilliance? No. Is it decent? Sure. Is it done? Yep.

Cross it off the list. Sigh in relief.

(I also returned to "regular work" today to find another bag of delicious potato chips waiting for me, complete with kidnapper-styled cut-out letters spelling my name on the bag. To the mysterious giver of the gift, I offer my thanks! Consider that #71b.)

Random Act of Gratitude #57: A Surprise in the Mailbox

Seriously. I will catch up.

I came home from work today (which had its distinct ups and downs) to find that a bag of those oft-referenced Rosemary and Basil chips had magically appeared in my mailbox! Unless my letter carrier (who is great, might I add) reads this page, I doubt it came from him.

I have NO IDEA who dropped off this unexpected surprise, but how great and toughtful is that? Who knows how many people are scouring the shelves of the region for delicious chips because I've voiced my love of them? Who knew that speaking about delicious things would bring such acts of generosity?

For the record, I also love hybrid vehicles and cash.

Thanks, mystery giver!

Random Act of Gratitude #53: The Snack Lady Gives a Gift

Still catching up. Thanks for your patience. If you're not really that patient, then thanks for keeping your snide remarks to yourself.

At the board building where I work once a week, they used to have this delicious fruit tea from the London Fruit and Herb Company. I asked the woman in charge of food, drinks, snacks, and whatnot for the building's meetings and whatnot where she got it and was told (unsurprisingly) that she got it at Costco.

And thus began a year or more of disappointment in the tea aisle at Costco. As always happens when I like something (you hear me, delicious Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Pitas from Pita Break?), they stop stocking it.

In any case, I happened to comment a few weeks back when I saw Snack Lady (whose name is Patti, by the way) that I guess I would just have to move on.

She smiled and said, "You know, I still have almost a full box. I'll bring it for you."

AND SHE DID!

For the record, the Blackcurrent Bracer makes the room smell like wine gums when you brew it. Mmmmmm.

Thanks, Patti! You're the best Snack Lady EVER!

Random Act of Gratitude #48: Rosemary & Basil (Redux)

That Melissa with whom I work really is the Queen of Thoughtful Wee Gifts. She was in a store and saw a single, solitary, lonely bag of those delicious (but increasingly rare) Rosemary and Basil chips with which I have a mild love affair and picked them up (presumably paying for them on the way out) and left them for me on my desk at work.

Seriously. Those other coworkers of mine had better step up to the plate or Melissa's going to pull pretty majorly into the lead here. Haha!

Random Act of Gratitude #26: The Moyses

Waaaaaaay back in the day, when I was a young poppet living in Kingston, there was an elderly couple who attended our church. I believe their names were Harold and Ina Moyse. They were kind, sweet, gentle seniors who always had a smile and, more often than not, a candy or two in their pocket or purse for anyone under the age of 12.

Since my only living grandparents were overseas in England, they sort of unofficially took my brothers and I as make-believe grandchildren. I remember going over to their place, now and then, with my family for dinner or tea -- I seem to associate them with pie -- and at the holidays they would have little gifts for us. Nothing big, mind you, but those little FunPad activity pads and the like. There was just a simple, endearing sense of them looking out for us in their small way.

I'm quite sure that both of them have long since passed on, but I still remember them with great fondness. I would have liked them to have known that their small kindnesses hadn't been forgotten over the years.

Random Act of Gratitude #17: Art and an Artist

Today, was I thankful for many things: a night off work; winter weather that was tolerable (almost pleasant); and the chance to get some reading in.

But the focus of today's entry is the arrival on my front doorstep of Keltie and Andrew for a visit. We went out for lunch and then sat around on my ugly couch chatting. Keltie's one of my longest-standing friends and we don't see each other nearly enough, and I see Andrew even less frequently. It was smashingly good to visit, catch up, and hang out for a few hours.

On top of that, Keltie brought a completely unexpected gift. That's right. Keltie brought me one of her works of art, this mask that she made as part of the 365 Masks project. I finally own one of Keltie's original mask creations! Woohoo!

Thanks for visitng, you two, and thanks for the smashingly wonderful mask!

Random Act of Gratitude #9: An Unexpected Gift

It's no secret that I have some rather distinct scar tissue on my hands. One characteristic of this tissue is that it needs more moisturizing than normal since it cannot create enough natural moisture of its own. This being a Canadian winter, it's particularly important that I keep on top of it.

(Boy, isn't that a thrilling start to this entry? Nothing like discussing natural secretions of the epidermis.)

Anyway, this came up briefly and in passing at work the other day while I dutifully applied some lovely moisturizer.

Well, completely unexpectedly, Melissa, with whom I work, arrived with a gift of Cucina Hand Butter. Apparently she has experience with the aforementioned butter and thought of me when she was shopping.

And let me tell you, this stuff is pretty darned smashing!

And let me tell you, so is Melissa -- even without unexpected gifts! Thanks for thinking of me!