February 5

I went out in the backyard this afternoon to survey the damage from the weekend's wind and rain storm.

And fortunately, there wasn't much, aside from a lot (lot) of debris in the pool and overturned patio furniture, which I righted. 

Even better, I was relieved to find that although I'd initially thought our little apple tree had succumbed to the elements based on a hurried early-morning peep out the window, it was still firmly rooted in the hillside. 

Just as I was heading back inside, I looked over beside the grill area and noticed that my garden boxes were all filled with vibrant, beautiful, lush... grass.

Grass? I thought as I ran my hand along the tippy-tops of the willowy blades. Where did you come from? And why is there so much of you? I stopped and thought back to last spring when I added fresh soil to the beds so I could use them (which, incidentally, never happened). I didn't use grass seed, did I? No, we don't even have grass seed. 

Yep, somehow, my garden beds are full of beautiful grass (that rather ironically looks better and healthier than its streetside counterpart). And that made me think: sometimes, blessings show up in unexpected --and sometimes even strange-- places. I didn't plant this grass, but it sure does look lovely out there in my garden boxes. So lovely, in fact, that I think I'll keep it. So I challenge you to look for the unexpected, unplanned, unusual blessings in your own life. They're there, waiting for you to see and experience them in all of their glory.