Ten Things of Thankful

We exited the year 2017 in a very quiet way this year. I'm ready to reflect and share a few things that have made me smile and be grateful. I'm linking this post to Josie Two Shoes blog hop Ten Things of Thankful.

1. Spending time with my Mom on Christmas Day. She wasn't wearing her glasses when we arrived and we were told they were missing. When we took Mom into her room, my husband found her glasses on top of her night stand. They had been partially obscured by the some holiday items which had been  placed there.

2. Good intentions. It is difficult to find the perfect gift for someone. Sometimes it comes from not knowing what a person already has, what book they have already read, what sizes they wear and brands they prefer, things they are capable of doing or understanding, games they already have, or foods that they are unable to eat, etc. In the end, it is the thought that counts and knowing that someone cares and loves for you.

3. Feeling well, for the most part. While many have suffered from the flu or some version of it during many of the weeks in December in our state, my husband and I only had a very mild version for about a day and a half at the very end of December. I'm so thankful for that.

4. Spending time with our son and his family for a few days at the end of December. We were thankful they were able to travel down to see us. We played a game of Scrabble and another game my grandson brought with him (that was beyond my ability to learn quickly). Due to the light flu some of us had, we stayed home. All the grandkids had brought books to read, so they were content with that.

5. Safety in travels. The northwest corner of Washington was hit with a severe ice storm while our son and his family were here. There was quite a bit of concern about being able to return to their home on Saturday due to icy roads, fallen trees and power lines, and power outages. We were glad to get their call saying they had made it home safely.

6. Tiny things. One of my friends gave me some cute little Christmas tree ornaments made from buttons. She knows that we usually just decorate a small Norfolk pine that we have as a house plant.

I love these miniature trees made from buttons of varying sizes and hues. There is a yellow tree, a red tree, a green tree and a white tree. Each tree is topped by a button in the shape of a star and an wire with a little button on it so the ornament can be hung.

7. Humorous happenings. The last couple of months I've been trying to keep my weight under control. One of the ways that I thought I could manage that was to avoid doing a lot of baking around the holidays. Instead I bought a few jars of Lemon Curd to give to a few people on our hill. The humorous part of this story was discovering that one of those family's was giving the same gift, only a homemade version. We had a good laugh about that coincidence. Many years ago I bought a dress to give to one of my daughters for Christmas. My mother bought the same dress for me for Christmas that year. 

A 1/2-pint jar of lemon curd given to be by a dear neighbor.

8. Goals. I've been all over the map with this idea of making and working toward goals during my lifetime. A few short years ago when life seemed to be demanding more of my time and effort, I kind of let some of my goals coast as I needed to turn my focus elsewhere. During this last quarter of the year, I decided to "just try" reaching some goals in the remaining few months. I now have the feeling of accomplishment and renewed energy to go forward in 2018.

9. Words of encouragement via memes. I love seeing inspiring photos with encouraging words. There seem to be a lot of those at the beginning of this new year.

10. Home. There really is no place like home when it is a place of love and of refuge. I appreciate my husband so much for his love and support.

Wishing you all the best in this new year!