My Cup Runneth Over

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When we saw this trailer overflowing with bicycles galore, I thought, Holy cow, that’s a lot of bicycles! I don’t know who owns them or why they have so many, but clearly their “cup runneth over.”

For the rest of the walk I wondered, what do I have a lot of? Certainly nothing tangible in that quantity. But I have a heckofa lot of intangibles to be grateful for: peace, joy, and whole health—body, mind, and spirit. In fact, my cup runneth over!

Does your cup runneth over?

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours.

© lauriebuchanan.com

57 thoughts on “My Cup Runneth Over”

  1. I would like to think that perhaps those bicycles are being collected for people who need them.

    I am grateful for those same intangibles, Laurie, as well as love of family and friends–and my two little boy cats who make me smile. One is on my lap now. 🙂

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  2. My cup runneth over with love, friendship, family, writing, blogging, and teaching. With grandkids and grown-up kids who I adore, with a chilly November morning, and earlier, a hot humid August afternoon. With vacations and slow weekends at home in front of the fireplace with my guy. With reading and learning about all the amazing individuals out there who truly believe that the light we bring out to the world, makes our world brighter, filled with peace.
    Happy, happy Thanksgiving to you, Laurie, who brings so much light to this world. xo

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  3. My cup runneth over with love for family as I prepare for two carloads to arrive tonight. One from Pittsburgh and one from New Jersey. To be joined with ones from Indiana and Maryland as parts of our extended family converge. Five children under seven years and twelve adults will gather around three groaning tables. The children will make drawings of their favorite things. And we will likely sing “Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow.”

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  6. My cup runneth over with gratitude for finally feeling settled in Austin, the home I never knew I had; that moving here and finding new friends no longer means leaving old ones behind — they still live in my computer and phone; for finally being able to be an involved grandma, with two of my three young granddaughters nearby; for new lifestory writing groups that are sprouting up around Austin in collaboration with Austin Public Libraries; for remembering how much I love teaching; for health and modest wealth, and whatever freedom we still have; for the Internet that connects people around the world, mostly for better; and so much more.

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  8. What an unusual sight, a cart spilling over with bicycles! I hope Merildsmith (above) is correct that these bicycles are collected there for repair for people that need them.
    I am thankful first to be alive and well. Thankful too for my family. I am especially celebrating the good news received by one of my brother-in-laws just this week. He just learned that due to a new and arduous treatment protocol, his late stage large cancer cells are shrinking! Thanksgiving will be a smaller family gathering as many are with in-laws or unable to travel. Cell phones will be buzzing though during the holiday!
    I’m grateful for friends who become families of choice. I’m thankful for my new, kind, and generous community of writers both online and offline. What an unexpected joy and source of support! Laurie, we were blessed with a couple of prior connection (work & Holessence) as well I’m thankful to be with you through writing now and initially through you to be introduced to so many writers.
    My list continues and overflows, despite dark clouds over our country, it is good to recall all my/our collective blessings.

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    • Audrey — You have so, So, SO much to be grateful for, thank you for sharing a portion of your list here. I especially love when you wrote, “I’m grateful for friends who become families of choice.” Yes, indeed! And thought I didn’t get to see you for very long, I’M grateful that you came physically—in person—to the launch of Note to Self. It was sooo good to know that you were in the audience holding good thoughts for me. I’m grateful, too, for the happy news that one of your brothers-in-law has. That’s excellent! Blessings to you and yours! 🙂

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      • Thank you. I totally enjoyed your book launch.,There was sooo much love in the room and good spirited people as well. I enjoyed your warm greeting hugs too! Hoping our paths cross again in person again soon and perhaps we can carve out time for a visit then (Writers Institute, January 2017, Madison, Wisconsin … just saying ☺). 💛💛

  10. A wise woman I know pointed out that abundance and prosperity are not the same thing. I agree, yet you and I appear to have both. How blessed we are!

    I am thankful for a new home and the sale of our former one, and for feeling lighter because we have off-loaded lots of baggage, thanks to your prodding in this space and in your book, Laurie.

    My gratitude extends to my friends who gather here weekly and to family who will gather around our groaning board, not all related by birth. Like Shirley, our meal will begin with three generations belting out “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow”!

    There will be empty spaces around the table for some this year. My thoughts go out to bereft families like the Kennedys (and a nation) who lost their leader on this day 53 years ago.

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  11. Lots of gratitude found here. Forgot socks on my Thanksgiving trip. So have added three new pair-definitely now have an abundance of socks too
    Happy Thanksgiving

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  12. I hope those bicycles aren’t headed for the dump, but as the first comment said – I hopeto people who need them.

    My cup runneth over with too many problems.That’s the way it’s been the past few months, unfortunately. On the positive side, I do have my son who helps me where and when he can.

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    • Lucinda — I picture you, your family, and extended family gathered around a large table with a from-scratch feast prepared by loving hands on Thanksgiving Day. Blessings to you and yours! 🙂

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      • The loving hands will be mostly my mom’s. She is a cook in a thousand. And yes we will be gathered around a large table. 🙂 You got it right. Blessings to you and yours as well.

  15. Hi Laurie,

    My cup runneth over with projects (and possibly computers, but one can’t really have too many computers can one – not really). (3 laptops and a desktop currently running in the lounge with Ailsa and I, 4 more laptops in this room currently switched off, plus 2 raspberry Pis, and a parallela turned off; and downstairs in the office 2 desktops are running, one is awaiting time for me to configure it and get it going, and three others are awaiting new projects)

    Right now, with the earthquake and all the new things happening, I have a lot of projects on that don’t involve computers.
    I am sound man for the daily community meetings – providing the power, amp, speakers, mics and then operating them (setup, operate, breakdown).

    Also involved in the port recovery – planning how to restore operating ability to our 3 club ramps, and the two council operated facilities, working with local and regional authorities.

    Plus I’m keep an eye on a few properties for absentee owners, doing basic repairs to at least make the building secure and water tight.

    And I have collected plenty of stuff to allow this to all happen.

    So yeah – life is full. I am satisfied with my cup.

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    • Ted — Holy Cannoli! It sounds like you have a pregnant ta-dah list with babies ready to burst at the seams any moment. But I know you, and you’re loving every single solitary moment of it. I imagine that the two areas most loved by you are the techno and the survival. I’m so glad you and Ailsa came through that quake relatively unscathed 🙂

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  16. There was a popular song in the late ’60s, sung by Ed Ames (more famous as Daniel Boone’s sidekick on TV than as one of the Ames Brothers) called My Cup Runneth Over with Love. I recall pining away to that song over a lost love in college. But today, as your post reminds me, it still holds true. And my loves are no longer lost. How nice. Thanks so much. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving, Laurie.

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  17. My cup is full of joy that I am getting from reading your delightful book . You said you wanted to be a magician or a scientist when you were younger, well I think you’ ve achieved both my sweetheart .
    Pens my cup runneth over with pens . I love them , have been known to nick em especially from my son when we lived together ,tee hee 😁😁😁😁he had to hide them or they’d be gone . I just can’t resist them .
    Happy thanksgiving to you and your lovely family Laurie ❤️❤️😀
    Cherryx

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  19. Last evening and today we have a wind warning Laurie. I also volunteered at our local Flu shot clinic yesterday where the Community Centre Board and coordinator offer tea, coffee and cookies during this clinic. It is as much a social event for many of those who come out to be poked by the skilled, charming and engaging public health nurses as anything else. So, this morning I have been thinking about how cozy our home is during a storm and how grateful I am for our warm and friendly community. Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your U.S. Friends who stop by here!

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    • Terrill — I love the word picture you painted; a brief glimpse of community life on Mayne Island. A place that’s on my bucket-list to visit one day.

      At 3pm we’re heading out to a Thanksgiving feast at one of our friend’s homes where 10 of us will gather round the table and enjoy the warmth of friendship.

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  20. Laurie, I think quite often how your cup runneth over these days with your book-baby birthing in the world. So much to be grateful for! My cup runneth over with the flow of life. With connecting with peace and joy so much more. With not needing people or places or things as much, but simply adoring and enjoying them when Life presents them. Here’s to the possibility of that heart opening!

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  21. Nice newsletter, Laurie! Very crisp and clean! Ever since I went to your launch, I’ve been using the phrase, “Whatever you’re not changing, you’re choosing” on my family ever since. It’s powerful! Thanks!

    *Michelle Cox* *Author of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series * *Web:* Michellecoxwrite (dot) com | *Tweet:* @michellecox33 |* FB: *Michelle Cox Writes

    On Tue, Nov 22, 2016 at 3:01 AM, Tuesdays with Laurie wrote:

    > Laurie Buchanan posted: “When we saw this trailer overflowing with > bicycles galore, I thought, Holy cow, that’s a lot of bicycles! I don’t > know who owns them or why they have so many, but clearly their “cup runneth > over.” For the rest of the walk I wondered, what do I have” >

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    • Michelle — I’m glad you’re getting some mileage out of my signature phrase. If you’d like some stickers to that effect, send me an email (laurie buchanan at me dot com) with your mailing address and I’ll get them to you 🙂

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  23. Laurie, my cup runneth over in so many ways, I began to list a few, realized I wouldn’t have room to write them all down, deleted, and just wrote these words…I am blessed…God is good!

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  24. Aye Laurie, there certainly is much to be grateful on my end as well, though there are always daily challenges and setbacks. having a beautiful family just about negates anything else at the end of the day.

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