Ten Things of Thankful

The past week was a very full week. Are there weeks that feel that way to you? Sometimes weeks can be worrisome either for oneself, or for others, or both. Other times the week can be so busy with things one just has to do that there is hardly a minute to rest. The good thing is the week does come to an end and if one takes a minute to review what has transpired, it really is possible to find reasons to be thankful, perhaps for little things or for humungous things. Often what we are most thankful for aren't even things, but feelings.

Kristi Brierley of Thankful Me is host of the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop. Each Friday the link is available and stays open until the following Tuesday. The formats vary among the participants as to whether they share a list or more of a prose expression of gratitude. Even the exact number may not be ten. What is most important about this blog hop, is just taking time out to ponder if you are grateful and for what. Sharing those things can be contagious, in a good way. Much has been written about the health benefits, physical and emotional, of being thankful. 

1. Communication. Visits with friends and family via phone calls, texts, social media, and emails.

2. Feeling needed. This can come through a variety of ways, all the way from doing a somewhat simple task to doing something that requires greater skill and effort. It may be something you are able to do for someone you don't know in the grocery store, or working together with a group of people to accomplish a goal that possibly could even be considered somewhat dangerous. It may be a situation where someone just needs someone to be with them for a while when they are going through something very difficult. Sometimes people know at the very time of helping someone, that they were an answer to prayer, and other times one never knows. It doesn't matter whether you know. What matters is that you did what was needed.

3. Example. I attended a funeral this week for a man who died way to soon. Those who attended the service had the opportunity to learn more about this man and why he was so beloved. He had the ability to make friends easily wherever he went and was willing to help wherever he was needed. He was a very humble man, but also a great leader.

4. Being able to feel impressions and act upon those thoughts. Have you ever called someone or dropped by to see someone, just because, not even knowing why you were going, only to realize the importance of you being there, once you arrived. Those kind of experiences are teaching moments for both individuals and can be quite remarkable at time as well as faith promoting.

5. Being able to share information that one has gained through experience and study, when asked, that may be helpful to someone.

6. Meeting someone new to the neighborhood. When I stopped at a garage sale, I was able to meet someone who had recently moved to be nearer a family member.

7. Seeing rainbows. Even part of one is beautiful and was a nice scene at the end of a Sunday afternoon.

Sun dog or sun spoke

8. Fruit that ripens in the fall and flowers that spring forth.

Criterion apples

Grapes

Crocus

9. Accomplishments. A granddaughter received notice that she had passed the bar exam this past week. We are proud of her efforts to reach this goal.

10. Relationships. That of my husband and myself, those of our children and grandchildren and their spouses/partners. The love on which those relationships are built.