Saturday, August 1, 2015

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?

18 comments:

  1. I just read Huiya Chen's story and listened to her play. How does someone just walk up to an instrument and know what to do to repeat the music they hear in their head? That is amazing.Im glad she found perspective on her music and that there will always be those who wont appreciate something or worry needlessly. I am off to hit another of your links! Thanks...lovely list!

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    1. I really like listening to her music. It is so calming. I'm not sure she realizes how much of a gift she has in being able to compose music. It isn't a case of hearing music and then playing what she hears. She hears music in her head and then plays it. Simply amazing.

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  2. "...how can you and I really expect to glide naively through life, as if to say, “Lord, give me experience, but not grief, not sorrow, not..." I think you may have helped me step off a plateau with your next link... thanks! like daughter , like mother.... hahahhaa... kristi has been invaluable to me!

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    1. I'm glad that link is helpful in some way. I know that I've never listened to any of his talks that didn't inspire me in some way.

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  3. I am glad most of your encounters with wildlife this week were positive. Also, the potholder eloping with a sock makes perfect sense!!

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    1. There are just too many socks that disappear in too many households. Would be interesting to know where they all gather. LOL

      Yes, positive wildlife encounters are the best.

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  4. I've always wanted to see a whale. Last summer, several breached off the Jersey coast, but I never was able to see the spectacular sight. Good luck with the physical therapy and I'm glad the xray revealed a perfect knee!

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    1. We've seen whales a lot closer to the shore than the ones we saw this time. We didn't get photos this time, but my husband took some great photos of the ones we saw on another trip.
      Thanks for the well wishes on the therapy.

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  5. I have seen dolphins swimming off the coast a few times, and I was so excited about it. I cannot even imagine a WHALE being seen from shore!
    Good news about your knee! Physical therapy hurts, but it is worth it.
    One thing I have enjoyed about the internet is the wisdom I've been able to acquire thanks to people way wiser than me.

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    1. That would be so great seeing a dolphin swimming off the coast. That is something I haven't witnessed here.
      I've spent a good deal of time in physical therapy over the years, I know that it can be painful, but I'm just hoping to get past whatever I'm dealing with---meaning less pain.
      I love being able to continue learning new things. It keeps the brain active, and that is so important as one gets older. My mother took a computer class at a community college when she was in her 70's. It was a regular course, not just a all day, or all morning class. Trying to follow in her footsteps is a hard act to follow.

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  6. That movie is playing here now; we'll have to go see it.
    Glad you avoided the deer, and had good news on the x-ray. I'll come back tomorrow to follow the links; right now, I really ought to get to sleep! :-)

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    1. Yes, getting some sleep is something I should be about doing.

      I hope you enjoy the movie too.

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  7. There are times it might feel like triple digits here with the humidity, but thankfully we never actually hit triple digits. I honestly can't imagine dealing with that. When it's that hot where you are do the nights at least cool off?

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    1. Usually, it does cool down a little in the evenings, but we had a few days when the cooling down was about 70 degrees which is still pretty warm following a very hot day. We don't usually have super high humidity here, nothing like other areas of the country. For that I am grateful.

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  8. WOW! You got to see WHALES! I'm incredibly envious - that must be a breathtaking sight, and not one I've ever seen before, but one I would dearly love to see.

    Hope you find your potholder soon - it's baffling where these things get to.

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    1. Whales are fascinating to observe.

      As of today, the potholder is still missing. If and when it shows up, I will have to do a post about the prodigal potholder. LOL

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  9. Triple digits are a big yuck for me, but WHALES??? Awesome!
    Love the potholder thing. I don't know the answer to your question, but I know there are socks and other such things in this house that have disappeared, never to be found again. It's illogical. Really, where do they go??? :D

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    1. I'm happy to report that our weather now is much more comfortable. Yeah!

      Still no sign of the potholder. A real mystery.

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