Ten Things of Thankful

There are many things for which I am thankful and I know from past experience that when I give thanks for things, making those thanks specific, that I seem to be doubly blessed. However, I am behind with sharing those thankful things on my post each week to Josie's Ten Things of Thankful blog hop. If you click the link you will be able to read what others are sharing this week and may find that you also feel grateful for some of the same things.

The other day when I was visiting my mother at the nursing center, one of the residents had spilled one of her pureed foods or a drink, or both on the floor. When one of the workers came to clean up the mess, I saw that she was using some paper towels to sop up as much of the liquid as she could. She was using a method that I use quite frequently where I step on a towel use my foot to do as much as I can to clean up the mess before using a mop or getting down on the floor to do the final touches. That saves me needing to be in an uncomfortable position for very long. When the worker looked at me, I said, "Aren't you glad we have feet!" It brought a smile to her face and made her laugh. Laughs and smiles brighten those around us.

1. Last week I was ready to begin writing a post for this blog when my computer was acting up. That rotating round ball had appeared just one too many times. I hadn't been able to update to the newest operating system for some time and had been trying to live without it. Upon realizing that my computer was 10 years old, my husband boxed it up. We got another one for me this week. I am thankful that I can now log on so quickly, etc. It is so much less frustrating.

2. Among my friends there have been quite a few who have had surgeries and illnesses recently, and I am very thankful that they are  recovering.

3. I am thankful that I am making progress in learning (and relearning) Spanish using an app. It seems to be the perfect app for me at this stage.

4. Thanks to another app, I've been able to pay more attention to the  foods I eat each day, and to the calories I intake. I love being able to track my cardio and strength exercises on the same app. I'm thankful to actually see some small improvements on the all-telling scales.

5. Since I am no longer in PT, I am continuing with the suggested exercises at home and know that my balance and strength is getting much better. It is kind of a slow process, but it is progress. I will soon be going to the fitness center so I can use a couple of pieces of equipment there so I don't lose the strength I've obtained.

6. Have you ever been frustrated because you've stained an item of clothing and the stain didn't come out even with the product that was supposed to do the job? Recently I went into one of those pharmacies that sells a menagerie of items, and discovered a display at the checkout counter. When the clerk noticed that I was looking at them, she shared how some people raved that the product was a great stain remover. Since it was a very small bottle and the price was right, I decided to buy one. This week I used it to remove chocolate stains from a white shirt. The shirt has  been laundered many times, but no stain remover had taken out the stains, until using this new product. I had the same result removing some old blood stains on a pillow case and getting out an old cooking oil stain on a shirt. I sound like an info commercial, but I am so thankful to be able to get rid of these stains.

7. At a gathering at the church this week, I had a bowl of West African Peanut Soup. It was my first time to have this soup and I thought it was delicious. There are several variations of the recipe on Pinterest. I'm thankful for the many different flavors from combining foods and seasonings. Have you tried a new recipe this week?

8. I am still learning things about my iPad, such as how to make a video. That only came about because I wanted to see if the built-in mike worked. I had been having problems being able use the mike for my Spanish class, and one thing that was suggested online was to make a video using the iPad camera to see if the mike worked. Since it worked, my next step was to go buy some earbuds with a mike.

9. Today is Veteran's Day, and I appreciate all the sacrifices of our veterans and their families. I know that those sacrifices are very real.

10. To know that some of the hopes of our family are being realized is such a blessing. Things take time, hope, work and prayers.