It is time for ten. Ten what you might wonder. Well those of you who have been visiting my blog for a while, know that I enjoy participating in the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop hosted by Kristi of Thankful Me. As you look back through my posts you will find that this is the blog hop that I have participated in the longest, and that is because I feel that it is so important to remember to be thankful. Click here to see some of the benefits. Click this link to get access to the posts others are sharing on this subject this week and also to find out how you can take part in this blog hop.
Purple striped crocus emerging through a a layer of dead maple leaves
1 - Being able to get another load of wood pellets, just in case, even though we are getting some warmer days now when starting the stove isn’t necessary
2 - Thanks to my husband that the 50 bags of pellets are all stored and readily available
3 - Being able to schedule a tour of an alpaca farm for this coming week after weeks of waiting for perfect timing (weather and health improvement)
4 - My husband's discovery of some crocuses in bloom and calling me to bring my camera outside with me
Yellow crocus reaching toward the sky amidst bark dust and mature maple tree seeds
5 - Finishing my mom’s tax preparation packet for her accountant, because I have power of attorney and that is one of the things I take care of for her
6 - The name I was given at birth (I did some reflecting this week on why my father chose my name and why specifically he chose that name.) What do you know about your naming?
7 - A friend offering to pick me up to attend a Women’s Conference that we both were planning to attend this morning
Purple crocus growing against a young sapling
8 - Group texting with our daughters and our son when we were all free to text at the same time
9 - Some of my old journals that I was able to peruse today (I was looking for some specific information, which I didn't find, but it was fun being reminded of so many other things that have taken place in my life.) When was the last time you read something that you wrote about some aspect of your life, say 10 years or longer ago? Were there things you read that you had totally forgotten?
10 - Old newspaper ads that remind us how little things used to cost, but because wages were drastically lower then, it was still a struggle to pay the bills
Are you looking for a short writing challenge? Every week Denise of Girlie on the Edge's Blog offers us just that in the way of a blog hop. There is a new prompt word as well to get our creative juices flowing. This week it is Six Sentence Stories - Flash. By clicking the link you will be able to see how many stories are on the slate for this new prompt.
To some he was considered a friend and not to be feared if he and others of his kind came around. There were a few who went out of their way to make sure he had a comfortable place to hang but not everyone was as obliging.
He couldn’t understand why when he was quietly zipping along doing his job, a few girls would scream if they caught sight of him.
Was he really that different? Perhaps if he wasn’t always in such a hurry .. . or got a day job . . . , it would be different. The last time he tried to follow a crazy flash of insight like that, someone found him acting more than just a little batty.
As always there is much be thankful for, and I am grateful for this weekly opportunity to share a few of those things that have come into my mind. Kristi of Thankful Me hosts the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop and opens the link at 1:00 a.m. Friday MT and closes the link the following Tuesday at 11:55 p.m. MT. To find the links to other bloggers at Ten Things of Thankful just click the link above. It is always interesting to read the variety of things that have made people feel thankful each week. You no doubt are mulling over your own list in your head. There is no limit on how many bloggers can join this blog hop. The more, the merrier. Consider yourself invited to participate.
Daylight savings time
Although, I don’t relish seemingly losing an hour of sleep when we set our clocks ahead, I do like having more daylight hours when I am awake. (I wasn’t so fond of it when our children were young and we were ready to call it a day, but they didn’t want to come inside when they could still be playing with the neighbor kids during the remaining daylight hours.)
Family similarities
Long before my parents met, their parents celebrated a birthday on March 5. My dad’s dad was born on March 5 and my mom’s mom was born on March 5 a few years later.
I bought a little Precious Thoughts Birthday Book, Copyright 1929 many years ago, probably at a garage sale. For every day of the year, there is a quotation and opposite the quotation are four spaces to write the names of friends who celebrated their birthday on that day.
“The eyes are of little use if the mind be blind.”Arabic
(The quotation from the book by March 5)
One of our relatives and one of our neighbors were released from the hospitals they were in this past week after fairly short stays, and both are on the road to recovery.
Covered parking structures are especially appreciated when the weather isn’t pleasant.
Serendipitous occurrences
This week I read a talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, one of the 12 apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The talk is titled The Ministry of Reconciliation. What was amazing to me was what happened that evening when I decided to watch a TED talk. It was an interesting talk, but it was the TED talk that came on after the first one that had a similar theme as Elder Holland’s message. I had not selected this second TED talk, meaning I did not purposely press the button on the remote control. The talk, Say your truths and seek them in others, by Elizabeth Lesser, had a message about reconciliation which came about in her own life in an unusual way.
The things we can learn, or seek to understand , or wonder about when we read a book, article or verse multiple times
The many ways one can visit the past and gain understanding of not only the past but how those things may have in some way impacted the present time
An unexpected phone call from a friend
Photos of children which seem to capture the utter joy that shines from their eyes
A friend posted a photo of her little girl this week that captured exactly what I am saying here. Smiles are contagious. Sharing a smile can be a gift to someone.Sometimes we are the giver and sometimes the receiver.
All people smile in the same language. (Anon.)
The color orange
Many years ago my mother-in-law told me that her favorite color was orange, and at that time one could see a lot of that color in the clothes being worn and in household decor. (Guess what decade that might have been.) I must admit, orange wasn’t a color that I appreciated that much then. I have grown to appreciate the color more now as I see it displayed so boldly in nature, not only in the fall, but in the springtime too.
Things really are just things, and when it comes right down to it, the majority of tangible things can be replaced in some manner or another. If one reads the posts to the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop very frequently, it will become apparent that this blog hop often includes a combination of things that one can hold in one’s hands, but just as often there is mention of those things that one holds in one’s heart and mind. As usual, I am linking my TToT post to Ten Things of Thankful hosted by Kristi of Thankful Me.
Warmth
We had a colder than usual February in our state. We were fortunate not to lose power, so our pellet stove was able to function normally. We also had pellets on hand to burn. Afghans and fleece throw blankets were always nearby when we needed them. Having some wool and fleece clothing to retain body heat when it was necessary to be outside made February bearable.
The color white
We had a lot of snowstorms this past week. Watching the white flakes descend was beautiful and mesmerizing. So many of the other colors one could normally see, like the red soil (usually mud this time of year) and the green grass and shrubs, were painted over in illustrious white.
Trees and shrubs encased in snow
Stillness
For me, stillness energizes me. It is in quiet settings that ideas come to me, when I am able to concentrate and focus. It was much quieter outside than usual this past week because of the muffling affect of the snowfall.
Lawn and shrubs covered by snow
Online access to old newspapers
I love stepping back in time reading about people and places. It does have a way of bringing it to my attention how many years I have lived on this earth and the many things that have transpired during those decades.
Those who rescue
With the heavier than usual snowfall throughout many of the areas of our state this past week, many were and some still are, trapped in their homes awaiting those who can fix power lines, replace power poles, and saw through trees which have fallen on vehicles, homes and across roadways. Utility companies are working as hard and as fast as they can, but it has been a slow and arduous process. In some cases, there were people who made it to safety and then returned to take food and water to those who were still awaiting rescue from their vehicles backed up for miles on uninhabitable roads.
Lessons that I learned from my parents
This week I pondered the things that I learned from my parents and wrote about some of those lessons. It was the subject of my weekly StoryWorth assignment.
Inspirational movies
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a beautiful production well worth watching, imo.
Waking up to sunshine streaming through the windows in the first days of March and seeing the sunset at the end of the days
Sunset above forested area
Repetition and knowing what is worth repeating
It seems like much of my life has been about learning from experiences. Some experiences have needed refining or repetition in a slightly different setting for me to get the full picture, or to get it right. Other times a lesson is quickly learned, almost in an instant, and no recurrences is needed either for me or any onlooker.
Chauffeurs
One day this week when my pain was intense and I didn’t think I could drive, my husband drove me to a PT appointment. There are many who freely drop whatever they are doing to take those who are unable to get to needed destinations. I am thankful for these angels here on earth.
Click here to read more Ten Things of Thankful posts written by other bloggers.
If it were a clear day, I might be able to see forever, but a little more snow is still being forecast, so I'll see if I can use the word clear in this blog hop post to Six Sentence Story - Clear hosted by Denise of Girlie on the Edge's Blog. If you want to see a couple of samplings of a SSS, read this one recently written by D. Avery, or this one by Paul. Click here to see those being shared this week, and if you want, write one of your own on your blog and link up so we can read your story too.
She wasn’t sure why her attendance was needed, but there was sure to be refreshments, so she joined a group of other girls in one of the dorm rooms for some kind of meeting.
She knew few of the girls fairly well, but others only casually. The RA stood up and thanked the girls for coming, and it soon became clear why it was pertinent that she be there; she was a topic on the agenda.
Something she had shared with one girl, that another girl said, concerning a mutual friend, had made its way back to the ears of the girl that had made the initial remark.
There was what looked like a somewhat smug denial by the initiator to all there that she had never said that. When the accused knew there was no way to prove that what had been said really had been said, she wished that she could just disappear from sight, but instead she just looked at them and said she was sorry for repeating what she thought the girl had said.
There is so much to consider when it comes to the subject of gratitude. I do know that I doing this is a must for me. I see that last week I somehow managed to do something weird when I linked up to the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, and people who might have wished to read my post and perhaps make a comment were not routed to my most recent post. Sorry about that folks. I'll try to do it correctly this week. Click the link above and you will be routed to the link up where you should be able to click on the photos at the bottom and read the thoughts of others on the subject of being thankful. Thanks, Kristi of Thankful Me and the host of the Ten Thing of Thankful blog hop for helping me try to figure out why I seemed to be missing in action last week.
Uneventful travel on I-5 Wednesday
Coming back from the temple Wednesday afternoon in the earlier, rather than the later time of day, was a huge blessing. We missed the slippery graupel that fell later on the roads and we also missed the bad accident involving two semi trucks on I-5 that closed all north and south bound lanes for almost five hours. That was the day I also learned that what I thought was very strangely acting hail wasn't hail.
Being able to listen to this station on Pandora as I worked on tax preparation put me at ease and allowed me to focus.
My right shoulder seems to be getting more flexible with some of the stretching exercises I have been doing
Although these exercises have been for a different purpose, one of the blessings has been to have a greater range of motion, at last! It could be that the PT I have been receiving in one area has loosened things up in my shoulder too.
Being able to easily make copies at home of important papersrather than going to a printing business to get copies made
Earlier in our married life, that would have been an errand that would have been needed. Back then the copy machines were big, really big, as can be seen in this 1964 commercial of the Xerox 914 Copier. Thanks to YouTube it can be seen again.
The importance that knowledge plays in dispelling fear and overcoming biases and prejudices
The question one must ask is what is the source and is it true based on one’s own experiences, education, and answers you may have received as you prayed for understanding. The last part of the previous sentence of course only applies if you embrace that as being something you feel is important in your life.
Time
I am thankful for the amount of time I have been allowed to spend on earth. The challenge that I face in regards to the use of my time is the same as what each person who has entered this sphere has been given. How that time is used will be vary from individual to individual, but the challenges will be the same. What should I do? When shall I do it? Why should I do it? How should I do it? What purpose(s) will it serve?
Hope
To live without hope, even for a short while, can be depressing and devastating. I am thankful for those who, through their actions and words, are able to help individuals who at times lack hope in overcoming their challenges. Those who volunteer on crisis lines, professional counselors, as well as alert friends, co-workers and students can all be lifesavers.
Names
Can you imagine what it would be like if none of us had a name and how confusing that would make our communications? Even when people are identified by a phrase that describes something about them, it is still a name and perhaps even an easier one for others to remember. In learning about some of my ancestors, I found that one line who settled in Virginia, the part that later became West Virginia, were known by what might be considered humorous or even unflattering descriptions by today’s standards. Then again, considering that settlers often had large families and often named their children after relatives who named their sons and daughters after the previous generation, one can appreciate how it would be easier to keep all the Jacobs straight by using some other frame of reference. These are a sampling of some first names that are on an 1850 census from that area: Barberry, Tatto, Little B, Friend, Farmer, Aliverete, and Spicy. Now I imagine coming forward over a hundred years those people would laugh at some of the names people gave their children in the 1970's.
Languages
To have a language by which to communicate opens the door to greater understanding among people living now as well as of people throughout the ages, and all that is in and of this world.
Love
To be able to feel love for people and to know that you are loved by others is one of the highest blessings in life.
Perhaps posting 10 things one is thankful for each week may seem like much ado about nothing to some folks. After all, some items may seem to be minuscule to the eyes of some readers, but I assure you that what is shared on the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop each week is very personal to each writer. The whole idea of pondering one's experiences each week and how these things have impacted one's life can be a healing balm, or even bring a response of laughter in retrospect. Of course, being able to share these thoughts with others has a compounding effect for good! Kristi of Thankful Me hosts the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop each week and does a splendid job of getting the link open each Friday morning at 1:00 am Mountain Time with the closing time being Tuesday at 11:55 pm Mountain Time. Click the link above and see what others are sharing. If you have a blog and feel so inclined, write your own list of 10, more or less, and link up. Hope to see you there.
"Date afternoon" with my husband to see the movie, Mary Poppins Returns
Let me explain. The most common expression is "date night," but we like going in the afternoon when the theaters are not as packed. We are also able to return home when it isn't too dark.
One of the reasons I really wanted to see Mary Poppins Returns is because of THIS song that is sung in it, plus the film has received some Academy Award nominations. Just so you know, if you get leaky eyes when you hear some songs, take some extra tissues.
Lunch out - Steak, Jasmine rice, green beans
It has been nice to find at least one restaurant that serves food I am able to eat based on the diet the doctor has me following for a few months. This was the first part of our date afternoon.
Treadmill
I'm thankful that my body actually allowed me to use the treadmill one day this week. I'd prefer to walk outside, but I do not like walking in blustery rain. I'm kind of a wimp that way.
The nursing center has mom using a geri chair instead of a wheelchair now and it seems to provide her with more comfort. That makes me happy.
Reflecting on the past (What fascinated me as a child?)
My writing assignment for this past week for StoryWorth was "What fascinated me as a child?" It is interesting to me to discover so many things about myself as I respond to these weekly writing ventures.
Old movies
Johnny Belinda, a 1948 film based on a 1940 play was being shown on one of the channels this past week. Because it had Jane Wyman in it, I decided to watch it, even though I'd be staying up later than normal. The play was based on an actual incident, and Jane Wyman received an academy award for Best Actress for her role as the deaf woman in the film.
The flowers that were delivered to mom this week
New glasses
Although I have had the new prescription for almost six months, I hadn't gone to the optical office to order my new glasses until two weeks ago. It has been a while since I've had new glasses, and I had forgotten about that initial reaction to depth perception those first few steps. I wear progressive trifocals. I was glad that it didn't take me long to adjust to how much closer the ground seemed.
My family
This week I finished reading It’s All Relative by A.. J. Jacobs. The author wrote about his adventures of organizing the Global Family Reunion, held June 6, 2015. It was an interesting and humorous read. Tom Chapin was one of the many people who entertained at the reunion. I love his song, Family Tree.
