Saturday, May 13, 2017

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.


14 comments:

  1. Happy Mother's Day Pat. I'm a huge lover of plants and flowers - the video was amazing. Tropical flowers are just lovely. We are still using our original refrigerator we bought new when we built the house in 1990. Twenty-seven years and it still works. I understand the newer ones have a much shorter life expectancy. Your dishwasher had a good run. I love to "do lunch" with the girls. Have a good week.

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the video of the Hawaiian plants. Your refrigerator and ours are about the same age. I know what you mean about the newer appliances not having the same kind of life span. It is so unfortunate that it is difficult to find the parts needed to fix the newer ones that go on the fritz, or to repair them it is almost as expensive as buying a new one. I hate seeing so many things end up in landfills.

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  2. Your dishwasher did so well to last 17 years! I hope your new model lasts just as long. I'm sorry to hear about your niece, but it's nice to hear she has so many positive people around her.

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    1. I hope the new dishwasher lasts a long time. The good thing about this newer model is that there are a lot more options for loading the dishes. Our niece is improving, and that is good, but until she improves some more the doctors can't even start to address the return of the leukemia again.

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  3. You have had a busy week! I add my prayers to the many for your niece. <3

    Your old dishwasher certainly has earned retirement, and although it's not fun to spend money for new appliances, it sounds like you got a great deal on your new one, and an added bonus with resolution of an old problem when the installer came. Win-win!

    Lunch with friends is always uplifting and re-energizing. Friends are our greatest gift!
    Your genealogy experience is an awesome way to be able to help people, and it's a fun and interesting challenge too!

    I am thankful that you are continuing to experience healing, although I know those exercises aren't much fun. When you can see progress it is a little easier. You will get there!

    Having a vacation to look forward to is always fun, even if the planning can be a little stressful at times. I know you will have a wonderful time together! It is always so good to escape from the routine chores and worries for awhile and just enjoy each other and a new place to explore.

    I do not envy you the shrew problem. I am not at all fond of critters in the house, other than the furkids of course. ;-) We have had a couple rounds with mice and they are not fun surprises. I am glad the sticky paper is working to catch them and I hope you are soon rid of them altogether. The same goes for whatever is making noises in the roof, that would certainly interrupt my sleep too!

    Tropical Hawaiian flowers are truly amazing, so large and colorful compared to the ones we are more familiar with. What a lovely way to brighten the nursing home for everyone, a thoughtful gift from that family member!

    I hope that both you and your husband are able to stay well this week so you can enjoy the beautiful weather of late Spring. He is a sweetheart for making you chicken soup!

    I loved your final thankful. There are so many ways to exhibit mothering talents and caring, and I join you in celebrating everyone who mothers someone or something else (dog and cat moms too! :-) Thank you for sharing this lovely TToT, have a great week coming up! XOXO

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    1. Thanks for your prayers for our niece.
      The new dishwasher is a lot quieter than our old one, and I thought it was quiet. There are a lot more options for how to load the dishes too.
      Today as I was putting dishes on the shelf, I reached up to a higher shelf, and realized, "Hey, I used my bad arm to reach there, and it didn't hurt!"
      So far, so good, not more shrews appearing.
      My husband and I are still trying to get over "this bug." I'm sure we both have the same thing, but my bout with it has manifested itself slightly differently than his has. I find that interesting.
      Thank you for attentiveness to this blog hop. I always look forward to your replies.

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  4. Happy Mother's Day Pat.

    Sorry to hear of all the illness and healing to be done for you and those you love. Cancer is never a welcome visitor and soup does wonders for colds and things.

    I love the thought of Hawaiian flowers, but I'd like to see them in their native habitat someday.

    All the interactions you're having with critters and creatures, oh boy. Hope the scratching doesn't keep you up again.

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    1. I think being able to see the Hawaiian flowers in their own habitat would be wonderful too.
      Thankful the scratching noise is gone. Yeah!
      My husband is a retired science teacher. Some of our dates before getting married, when we were in college, was going on some of his college class field trips where we were looking for different creatures, etc. I grew up on a farm, so I've had my share of experiences with "critters and creatures." :-)

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  5. I had to get a dishwasher a couple of years ago. The one I had was about 18 years old. I was amazed at how quiet the new one is. Sad to hear about your niece but what joy to have such wonderful prayer warriors surrounding her. Don't know what a shrew is but I did have a bat hanging out on my balcony a few years ago. Kinda creepy and drove the cats crazy. One of my favorite things is lunch with friends!

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    1. Yes, our new dishwasher is so quiet, one hardly can hear it.
      Our niece continues to have many prayers being said for her. She is making improvements, and hopefully she can get well enough that the doctors can begin trying to address the leukemia again.
      We do have bats outside. Did you know that they come to hummingbird feeders at night? I only recently learned about that particular habit.

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  6. I don't even want to think about spiders that are large enough to require (or demand) that they be eliminated like mice by trapping on a glue board! lol (total arachnophobe)... but we're seeing some strange shifts in wildlife appearances here in the Northeast. Talking to a veterinarian yesterday and she mentioned seeing a bobcat on her property (they were thought to no longer be found in the state) and a bear report from one of her clients in the same community. Strangely enough I found that heartening and slightly alarming at the same time. (for the fact that maybe the wildlife will make a comeback/concern for Una (not that shes ever out of our sight).
    Good sounding news on the therapy and the getting rid of colds and such.
    Look forward to your vacation photos/posts

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    1. Chestnuts are supposed to deter spiders too. I'm sure there is a scientific reason for this, but I haven't done the research.
      Yes, having a bobcat around might be a concern of a pet owner. I saw on the news today that there is a bear 60' up in a tree by an elementary school in the Seattle area. The kids had to exit on the opposite of the school at the end of the day. This is not a school in an outlying area either, so this bear is a little lost. Maybe it climbed the tree to get a better view of where it needed to be. :-)

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  7. Loved your post , Pat . I send my prayers for your niece . May God give her and all around her more strength . I am happy for the happy moments with your friends . It was so thoughtful of you to share your knowledge with someone that needed your help . Helping gives so much contentment . I am happy to hear about the progress with your massage treatment and about your vacation plans . Vacations are such a welcome break from the routine . I wish you a lovely one. I am happy to hear that your husband is feeling better now . It's lovely to see glimpses of your loving relationships here .
    The very best wishes to you .
    Moon .
    https://aslifehappens60.wordpress.com

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    1. Thanks for stopping by to read my post and thanks for your prayers for our niece. I too think that blogs are a great way to see glimpses of the lives of people and their perspective and to learn from one another. We all come from different backgrounds and perspectives and we can learn from one another in so many ways.

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