If it were a clear day, I might be able to see forever, but a little more snow is still being forecast, so I'll see if I can use the word clear in this blog hop post to Six Sentence Story - Clear hosted by Denise of Girlie on the Edge's Blog. If you want to see a couple of samplings of a SSS, read this one recently written by D. Avery, or this one by Paul. Click here to see those being shared this week, and if you want, write one of your own on your blog and link up so we can read your story too.
She wasn’t sure why her attendance was needed, but there was sure to be refreshments, so she joined a group of other girls in one of the dorm rooms for some kind of meeting.
She knew few of the girls fairly well, but others only casually. The RA stood up and thanked the girls for coming, and it soon became clear why it was pertinent that she be there; she was a topic on the agenda.
Something she had shared with one girl, that another girl said, concerning a mutual friend, had made its way back to the ears of the girl that had made the initial remark.
There was what looked like a somewhat smug denial by the initiator to all there that she had never said that. When the accused knew there was no way to prove that what had been said really had been said, she wished that she could just disappear from sight, but instead she just looked at them and said she was sorry for repeating what she thought the girl had said.
There is so much to consider when it comes to the subject of gratitude. I do know that I doing this is a must for me. I see that last week I somehow managed to do something weird when I linked up to the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, and people who might have wished to read my post and perhaps make a comment were not routed to my most recent post. Sorry about that folks. I'll try to do it correctly this week. Click the link above and you will be routed to the link up where you should be able to click on the photos at the bottom and read the thoughts of others on the subject of being thankful. Thanks, Kristi of Thankful Me and the host of the Ten Thing of Thankful blog hop for helping me try to figure out why I seemed to be missing in action last week.
Uneventful travel on I-5 Wednesday
Coming back from the temple Wednesday afternoon in the earlier, rather than the later time of day, was a huge blessing. We missed the slippery graupel that fell later on the roads and we also missed the bad accident involving two semi trucks on I-5 that closed all north and south bound lanes for almost five hours. That was the day I also learned that what I thought was very strangely acting hail wasn't hail.
Being able to listen to this station on Pandora as I worked on tax preparation put me at ease and allowed me to focus.
My right shoulder seems to be getting more flexible with some of the stretching exercises I have been doing
Although these exercises have been for a different purpose, one of the blessings has been to have a greater range of motion, at last! It could be that the PT I have been receiving in one area has loosened things up in my shoulder too.
Being able to easily make copies at home of important papersrather than going to a printing business to get copies made
Earlier in our married life, that would have been an errand that would have been needed. Back then the copy machines were big, really big, as can be seen in this 1964 commercial of the Xerox 914 Copier. Thanks to YouTube it can be seen again.
The importance that knowledge plays in dispelling fear and overcoming biases and prejudices
The question one must ask is what is the source and is it true based on one’s own experiences, education, and answers you may have received as you prayed for understanding. The last part of the previous sentence of course only applies if you embrace that as being something you feel is important in your life.
Time
I am thankful for the amount of time I have been allowed to spend on earth. The challenge that I face in regards to the use of my time is the same as what each person who has entered this sphere has been given. How that time is used will be vary from individual to individual, but the challenges will be the same. What should I do? When shall I do it? Why should I do it? How should I do it? What purpose(s) will it serve?
Hope
To live without hope, even for a short while, can be depressing and devastating. I am thankful for those who, through their actions and words, are able to help individuals who at times lack hope in overcoming their challenges. Those who volunteer on crisis lines, professional counselors, as well as alert friends, co-workers and students can all be lifesavers.
Names
Can you imagine what it would be like if none of us had a name and how confusing that would make our communications? Even when people are identified by a phrase that describes something about them, it is still a name and perhaps even an easier one for others to remember. In learning about some of my ancestors, I found that one line who settled in Virginia, the part that later became West Virginia, were known by what might be considered humorous or even unflattering descriptions by today’s standards. Then again, considering that settlers often had large families and often named their children after relatives who named their sons and daughters after the previous generation, one can appreciate how it would be easier to keep all the Jacobs straight by using some other frame of reference. These are a sampling of some first names that are on an 1850 census from that area: Barberry, Tatto, Little B, Friend, Farmer, Aliverete, and Spicy. Now I imagine coming forward over a hundred years those people would laugh at some of the names people gave their children in the 1970's.
Languages
To have a language by which to communicate opens the door to greater understanding among people living now as well as of people throughout the ages, and all that is in and of this world.
Love
To be able to feel love for people and to know that you are loved by others is one of the highest blessings in life.
Perhaps posting 10 things one is thankful for each week may seem like much ado about nothing to some folks. After all, some items may seem to be minuscule to the eyes of some readers, but I assure you that what is shared on the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop each week is very personal to each writer. The whole idea of pondering one's experiences each week and how these things have impacted one's life can be a healing balm, or even bring a response of laughter in retrospect. Of course, being able to share these thoughts with others has a compounding effect for good! Kristi of Thankful Me hosts the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop each week and does a splendid job of getting the link open each Friday morning at 1:00 am Mountain Time with the closing time being Tuesday at 11:55 pm Mountain Time. Click the link above and see what others are sharing. If you have a blog and feel so inclined, write your own list of 10, more or less, and link up. Hope to see you there.
"Date afternoon" with my husband to see the movie, Mary Poppins Returns
Let me explain. The most common expression is "date night," but we like going in the afternoon when the theaters are not as packed. We are also able to return home when it isn't too dark.
One of the reasons I really wanted to see Mary Poppins Returns is because of THIS song that is sung in it, plus the film has received some Academy Award nominations. Just so you know, if you get leaky eyes when you hear some songs, take some extra tissues.
Lunch out - Steak, Jasmine rice, green beans
It has been nice to find at least one restaurant that serves food I am able to eat based on the diet the doctor has me following for a few months. This was the first part of our date afternoon.
Treadmill
I'm thankful that my body actually allowed me to use the treadmill one day this week. I'd prefer to walk outside, but I do not like walking in blustery rain. I'm kind of a wimp that way.
The nursing center has mom using a geri chair instead of a wheelchair now and it seems to provide her with more comfort. That makes me happy.
Reflecting on the past (What fascinated me as a child?)
My writing assignment for this past week for StoryWorth was "What fascinated me as a child?" It is interesting to me to discover so many things about myself as I respond to these weekly writing ventures.
Old movies
Johnny Belinda, a 1948 film based on a 1940 play was being shown on one of the channels this past week. Because it had Jane Wyman in it, I decided to watch it, even though I'd be staying up later than normal. The play was based on an actual incident, and Jane Wyman received an academy award for Best Actress for her role as the deaf woman in the film.
The flowers that were delivered to mom this week
New glasses
Although I have had the new prescription for almost six months, I hadn't gone to the optical office to order my new glasses until two weeks ago. It has been a while since I've had new glasses, and I had forgotten about that initial reaction to depth perception those first few steps. I wear progressive trifocals. I was glad that it didn't take me long to adjust to how much closer the ground seemed.
My family
This week I finished reading It’s All Relative by A.. J. Jacobs. The author wrote about his adventures of organizing the Global Family Reunion, held June 6, 2015. It was an interesting and humorous read. Tom Chapin was one of the many people who entertained at the reunion. I love his song, Family Tree.
This thread of thought came when I read what the new prompt word was for the weekly Six Sentence Stories blog hop hosted by Denise of Girlie on the Edge's Blog. (Sometimes a thread doesn't come, so instead of writing, I just read what others have written that week. That is okay too.) There are no rules regarding the length of the sentences in the stories. The link to the blog hop stays open for several days, which allows one plenty of time to create a story. The link is at Six Sentence Stories - Milestone.
The trip was long, flat, and boring, unless you wanted to count tumble weeds or fence poles. According to dad, who was driving, they wouldn’t be there for another couple of hours.
The humming of the tires over the pavement lulled her into a sound sleep with her head slumped against the window. After who knows how long, she opened her eyes in time to see a small sign off in the distance. She knew if there was one, there would be five more.
Although her dad was the only one who shaved, the entire family enjoyed reading these witty, rhyming road-side signs that had become a milestone in breaking boredom for weary travelers.
It is time for me to step up to the plate before this Ten Things of Thankful inning is over. It began on Friday and here it is toward the end of the day on Monday! Technically there is still another day to write our posts for this blog hop, so I'll take a deep breath and begin my post. Thanks to Kristi, our host, we have a place to link up. Click Ten Things of Thankful to see what other bloggers shared for their ten.
The movie, Miracles from Heaven
I stayed up later than I had intended this past week just to watch this 2016 movie based on the true experience of a little girl who had an incurable disorder. Her body was unable to digest food. It was such a reminder of how important it is for parents or others to be advocates for children, and a reminder too that miracles do happen sometimes in quite unexpected ways.
Online site that filled in the information that had momentarily slipped from my mind
I was working on a writing assignment for storyworth about candy I liked as a child.
Being able to fill out necessary paperwork online
Whenever one is referred to another doctor or clinic, it means filling out pages of forms. Being able to key in the information online to a secure site instead of trying to write with a pen in tiny spaces is a huge thankful. Being able to print a completed copy of the forms to keep for your own records is a plus.
Apples still hanging from the trees in the winter
They provide nourishment for some birds who enjoy the pulp or who eat the insects that might be inside the apples.
A Northern flicker on a snow-covered branch enjoying a Criterion apple still hanging from the tree
Rocking chairs
I have fond memories of sitting on my paternal grandmother's lap when I was young as she rocked in her favorite rocking chair. My grandparents had five rocking chairs. Two were on their screened-in front porch where they sat in the late afternoons to watch whatever was going on outside. Three rockers were in the room with the big dining table, the large floor-model radio, the gas heater, and the sewing machine. That room was the main living space. The sound of the rockers' movement on the wooden floors was a comforting sound to my ears. My husband and I only have one rocker in our home now. I find that it is comfortable and comforting as it has a way of relaxing me and distracting me from flare-ups of pain I occasionally get.
Me at age 17 sitting in the rocker my grandmother rocked me in when I was little
Art that makes me laugh, that stirs my soul because of its subject matter or beauty, or makes children's books come alive
My mother’s few seconds of clarity that made it possible for the nurse to know what might be a better way care for her
The sunshine that arrived on the morning that snow had been forecast and on another day the beautiful snow that covered the ground in the morning, but which melted by afternoon allowing me to travel and see a bluebird fly across the road in the afternoon
The sense of joy that comes from being able to organize what must be organized (papers that need to be taken to the accountant) and also the contentment of realizing that sometimes one must put some tasks aside in order to do the better thing
The new insights that come from reading a book repeatedly
For some that might be reading a favorite book of poetry, a notable recounting of a historical event or events, or a book from which you receive inspiration, or one that strengthens your faith. Do you have a certain book, or volumes, that are always close at hand that you read often?
Lastly, I am thankful for my husband who allows me the time and the space to gather my thoughts to share here each week and for each of you who come read my post.
This has been a week of fluctuating feelings of gratitude, meaning that somedays I felt so thankful and on other days it was difficult to pull my mind away from the pain in my body that just wouldn't leave me alone. I know that I am not alone in these challenges, and I also know that those of you who participate in this blog hop called Ten Things of Thankful know the value of writing about the things for which you are thankful. Others probably stop by from time to time to see what we have to say, and are cheered up a bit just by recognizing how often it is that the very simplest of things that can help a person feel gratitude. Our host is Kristi of Thankful Me who puts a link up each week so that we can have a landing pad for our posts. Click the link and see what others have to share this week.
The predicted weather changed for the better
After days of thick fog, the fog lifted and the sun shone all day when people would be traveling to a memorial service
Visiting with old friends after we had gathered to remember the life and example of our friend who passed away
Last year’s calendar that shows all my doctor appointments
Discovery that all the homes or apartments where I have ever lived are still there with the exception of one farm home which was not in very good shape when I lived there as a young child
A friend who thought of me when she decided to part with a lined woolen skirt because it no longer fit her
My mother who noted dates and places on the backs of photos or on pages in photo albums years ago
Drives through the countryside
Overlooking the green farmlands of the Willamette Valley in Oregon
Seeing two beautiful, mature bald eagles on the ground feasting on their prey while several immature bald eagles were waiting their turn (Unfortunately there was no place to pull over to take a photo.)
A friend who joined me on a walk at a wildlife refuge one sunny day Last and first of all, my husband who brings laughter and joy daily to my life
