Ten Things of Thankful

What a week it has been! With the Ten Things of Thankful post I will hopefully remember the highlights and dwell on the blessings.  I'm linking my post to Josie Two Shoes, Ten Things of Thankful site, so you can check out the post of others who link up. Striving to concentrate on the positive when challenges come has a way of keeping one focused on what really matters.

1. We have niece who is fighting leukemia again for the third time. It has been heart wrenching to read of her challenges this time around. Her story has been shared by family members on Facebook, and seeing how many have added her name and the names of her family and the healthcare workers to their private prayers and prayer circles, etc. has been so uplifting. To see her be able to make it to this point has been very inspiring and faith promoting.

2. Before we left on our recent vacation, our 17-year-old dishwasher went on the fritz. We had to wait until we got back to have a repairman come. Once he did, we were told trying to fix it would cost quite a bit, so we decided to get a new one. We were able to get a floor model that was last year's model and was on sale, plus we got an additional $40 off. I learned that the average life for a dishwasher is about seven to twelve years, so getting 17 years of use from our last one was excellent. In addition to what I've shared already, the repairman was able to take care of an existing problem with installing the new dishwasher.  That was a plus!

3. I enjoyed having lunch with a few friends one day this week. Even though we see each other at church frequently, that is a time to worship or teach classes, so getting together at other times where we can just spend some time sharing bits of wisdom and such brings a sense of commonality and builds upon our friendships.

4. One afternoon I had an opportunity to try to help someone with her genealogy challenge. Although I don't know that I helped her a lot, because she is trying to find out who her Mom's birth Mom was, I was able to teach her a few things about using Ancestry. Her Mother was adopted. Some states have made it easier to find out that information than others. The good news is while I was with her, she received a call from someone who is an expert in the field of finding adoption records. I'm thankful for moments to share knowledge that may be of help to others.

5. The neuromuscular massage treatment went well for me this week, and he added another exercise for me to do at home to try to maintain the range of motion I'm gaining in the treatments. This truly is a case of no pain no gain, but it will be worth it. It is a slow process, but I am making progress.

6. My husband and I have spent some dedicated time this week to planning and purchasing some of the tickets for an upcoming vacation later this year. At times I think our patience was tested a bit, but we met the test. :-)

7. A few weeks back I mentioned in one of my blog posts about an encounter with a shrew. I'm beginning to think there may have been a nest of them, because we have caught three more now. They were caught using a strong type of glue board made for the purpose of catching mice and spiders. This is crazy! These are the pygmy shrews, so they are really little and almost cute, but I'd prefer they hadn't sneaked in. I'm thankful for traps.

8. There were several large vases of gorgeous Hawaiian flowers at the nursing home where Mom is. A family member of one of the residents had sent them. I was amazed at the size and variety of flowers. They are nothing like ones we see here in our area. I'm thankful for the beautiful creations on this earth.

9. If it weren't for having good hearing, I wouldn't have known about an animal that seemed to have made its way under a shingle outside our bedroom. Waking up to scratching noises in the middle of the night is a little disconcerting. When it finally quieted down, I assumed it had made its way out, but I heard the sound again around daybreak another day. No, I doubt this is a shrew, but maybe a bat. Bats love to wedge themselves under wooden shingles. 

10. I'm thankful my husband is feeling somewhat better. He has been fighting some "bug" for over a week that seems to begin as a cold and then settles in the chest. Today I awoke with a sore throat. I feel better tonight, so maybe my body won't allow it to hang around. He made me a pot of delicious chicken vegetable noodle soup this morning for me. 

11. And lastly, I'm thankful for my mother, my daughters, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter who are mothers. I also honor other family members and others who are not mothers, but exhibit mother-like traits to others whether it be to children or those who need to feel loved and cared for no matter the age.