Don’t forget to call the portrait studio and that woman who said she’d talk to me about coping with kids who have food allergies. Must get to a couple of different grocery stores. Pediatrician appointment in an hour. Don’t forget to wash the diapers. Is my outfit clean for Sunday’s dance? There are so many things I need to remember on a daily basis. Sometimes I feel as though there isn’t a thought in my head that isn’t attached to a to-do list. At the end of the day I find myself mentally (if not physically) checking off all of the things I’ve accomplished and reviewing those that must wait for another day. There are never enough physical to-do lists so I make mental ones to remind me to create hard copy versions. But I realize all the things that don’t make it on to my to-do list. Did I show my husband I love him today, not just tell him? Did I take a moment to savor that fast fading baby smell of my little boy as he passes his first birthday? Did I give my daughter my undivided attention to let her know that she still matters, even in the whirl wind of our busyness? These things should be at the top of my list. Did I take a few minutes to be thankful, to remember the blessings I have, even in the difficulties? I need to make a daily mental gratitude list and remember to both show my love and tell them. If only it would become so second nature that I couldn’t possibly forget.