Ten Things of Thankful

This post is being linked to Ten Things of Thankful, a weekly blog hop.  One really can be happier by taking time to be grateful.  Even when life may seem dreary at different times, there is always a bright side.  One just has to look.  Here is my "look" for the week. 

Some couples find it difficult to let their spouses have some time to themselves  to develop talents or do things that are not so enjoyable to the other.  My husband will do somethings with me that are not a hot item for him, but I would never ask him to spend an afternoon going into antique shops or clothes shopping, because I know he would not enjoy that.  Likewise he doesn't expect me to watch football games on TV with him.  He is not hurt if I choose to do something else during game times.  That doesn't mean that I never watch any football.  He often plays back some of the funny plays or outstanding plays for me to see, and I do enjoy that sharing he does with me.  I'm thankful for the relationship we have.

This week I got to help with a project that the women at my local church are doing.  Because of these personal hygiene kits that we and many other organizations around the world are making, girls in Africa and elsewhere are able to continue attending school.  By being able to continue their schooling, they will have a large impact on their communities and standard of living.  To learn more about this worthwhile project, click here.  I'm thankful that all through my life, I was able to attend school, and didn't have to drop out of school because I didn't have a way to tend to my physical needs when my body began changing.

A few years ago I was walking down our lane about 5:30 a.m. to get the newspaper.  As I headed down the hill, much to my surprise I saw a cougar at the end of the lane, fortunately heading away from me.  A cougar had been spotted by a few other people in the area during the weeks before and after my spotting.  I learned that cougars have a large range, and most likely doesn't hang around long in any one area.  This week when I returned from visiting with my Mom, the sun and already set.  As I drove up in front of our house, the beam of my headlights caught the eyes of any animal down by our garden fence.  We are used to seeing deer in our yard, but I could tell right away that the size of the eyes and the spacing of the eyes was not that of a deer.  The height of the animal didn't fit that of a deer either.  When the animal stood up, and started to move, it and slinked off through the bamboo.  I was able then to see that it was a cougar.  I was able to call our neighbors and let them know that one was in the area, since they have sheep which are lambing.  I have now studied again what to do if one encounters a cougar.  To learn what to do, click here.  I'm glad I didn't have a very close encounter. Cougars are generally fairly solitary animals.

I enjoyed a lunch date with a friend one day during the past week.  It was good to catch up on each other's lives.

My husband had a couple of doctor appointments.  Since no news usually means good news, we think there is nothing to worry about on one thing.  He has to go see another doctor to pursue things a bit on something else, so we just have to wait and see.  Hopefully, things will get better for that too, like it did a few years ago.  I'm thankful for those who can check things out.

I made time for a little more family history research.  I'm enjoying the hunt!

It has been a time for healthy eating, EXCEPT when I indulged in eating a box of Valentine chocolates.  It surely was good!

Much to my surprise, I slept 10 hours straight one night.  I didn't dream, didn't wake up during the night, nor did I even turn over!   I found that to be highly unusual, but I'm thankful for the sleep.  I apparently needed it.

Pinterest can be a time gobbler, but today I was glad that I have an animal board.  I took my iPad with me when I went to see my Mom. She really enjoys seeing the animals, since the most common animals she sees at the nursing home are a few therapy dogs once in a while, an occasional therapy rabbit, and quite often squirrels and birds that frequent the patio near where she eats.  Variety is the spice of life at all stages of life.

I'm thankful for the examples of kindness I see in others, for people who hold the door open for the approaching person, for the young people who go to visit and help the elderly and the sick, for those who offer a ride to give someone unable to drive, for those who let someone go ahead of them in line at the grocery store, or reach for an item on a high shelf that the person in the wheel chair cannot reach, and the list goes on.  I love you all.