Ten Things of Thankful

These are my Ten Things of Thankful for this past week.  Feel free to click the link to see what others have shared for their thankful posts.

1.  For several days the weather has been in the triple digits again, so we drove over to the coast one day to escape.  The brisk breezes right off the ocean felt so good.  Although our home stays relatively comfortable compared to some homes during the heat spells, several days of 100-degrees-plus weather finally seeps inside.  I'm thankful there is some place to go where it is cooler.

2.  We were fortunate to be able to see whales spouting just off the shore at the beach!  As we were driving along the highway, we saw several boats in the water pretty close to the beach and a lot of cars parked along the road.  We thought there might be a pretty good chance that there was some whale activity, so we stopped and sure enough!

3.  Somewhere in our travels during the week, we saw a doe and her spotted twin fawns.  I never tire of seeing fawns.

4.  Thanks to my husbands keen observation, he was able to swerve and avoid being hit by a deer as it jumped from some trees and brush along the road.  If there had been a car in the oncoming lane, the deer would have run right into the passenger side of the car, the side where I was sitting!

5.  My doctor ordered an X-ray of my right knee this week, and I'm thankful for her being able call me with the results a few hours later.  The knee looked perfect!  Now on to the next step which is physical therapy.  Unfortunately, an opening for physical therapy isn't available until this coming Thursday.  I'm thankful I didn't have to wait several days for the results and have to wait even longer to get started with the physical therapy.

6.  My husband and I went to see a great movie!  It was release two years ago in Europe, but is just now being released to be shown in the USA.  The movie is called The Young and Prodigious T. S. Spivet.

7.  When we were over at the coast, we ate for the second time at a restaurant a relative had suggested.  The restaurant is the Kam Meng Chinese Restaurant near Agate Beach and Yaquina Head.    We both thought the food was delicious, although the decor is simple.  Of the two, the food was more important to us.  I find it so interesting to read online reviews of restaurants, or anything for that matter.  We as a people have such varying ideas and expectations.  This really shows up in the reviews of this restaurant.

8.  It was amazing to hear some of the life experiences of Huiya Chen.  Huiya and her husband own the above mentioned restaurant.  You must take time to read her wonderful story posted on the restaurant's website.  She played the piano while we were eating.  I thought there was a CD being played until I heard some people clapping when she finished.  (She was out of our view when she was playing.)   I ending up purchasing one of her CDs.  She has never taken any piano lessons.  She just plays the music she hears in her head and feels in her heart.  As we were leaving, she shared a little bit of her story, just enough, that I knew I would return home and learn more about her.  I'm thankful we got to meet her.

9.  I am thankful for those humorous incidents that are a part of life, like what ever happened to our other light blue terry cloth potholder, the one that we use so much?  We have looked everywhere, even places that one wouldn't expect to find a potholder.  My husband thinks it eloped with one of his socks! Do you ever have something that simply disappears into thin air, only to be discovered much later in the most unlikeliest spot?

10.  What would we ever do without being able to learn from the wisdom and experiences of others?  Being able to read, listen to, or watch a talk or presentation that is uplifting and just what I need to hear always touches my heart, as is evident from my #8.  I actually heard this talk back in 1991, but as I reread it, I found it to be ever bit as applicable to our lives in 2015.  Whatever the source, I enjoy uplifting messages.  This message just happened to be given by a leader (now deceased) in my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It is titled Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds, by Neal A. Maxwell.  Do you find that you return to read again something that inspires you?