Ten Things of Thankful

When I reflect on all that I have learned and experienced since my oldest daughter suggested that I should create a blog and try writing a post each week on this Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, I am almost speechless, but not yet. 

It is time to link up again. Every week I do a bit of soul searching just to consider what is making me feel thankful. That is a such a good feeling, whether it is just a smidgen or a humongous feeling of indebtedness. To take time to acknowledge those feelings makes a difference in one's life, and maybe, just maybe, will make a difference in some small way in the life of one who reads your post. 

I'm going to link this post to the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop hosted by Kristi of Thankful Me. Click the link to discover the other thankful items being shared by those participating in this blog hop.

 

1. Fields of yellow flowers that reminded me of my grandmother

This week I saw a field of yellow flowers in bloom. It brought back memories of my folks taking my paternal grandmother on drives to see the beautiful bright yellow flowers growing in the fields at the base of the purple hillsides. Seeing the mustard in bloom always brought her so much joy. I thought the yellow flowers I saw this week must be mustard, but I found out that this field was actually planted with purple top turnips being grown for the seed. (Are there any flowers that always remind you of a certain person, or an experience that you have had?) 

A field of purple top turnips in bloom,
the yellow flowers creating a dividing
 line between the gray clouds above
and the gray pavement in the foreground. 

2. Anna's hummingbirds

These beautiful little hummingbirds are a delight to behold and from the looks of this interaction they might feel a little beholding to one another as they completely ignore the downpour of rain.

Male (facing the viewer) and female
 Anna's hummingbirds above
a feeder

3. A lizard soaking up some sunshine

My plan had been to sneak out and try taking some photos of the hummingbirds, but I decided to do that at another time since there was a lizard right there on the side of the house looking very surprised to see me. The lighting was too bright to really get the kind of photo I wanted, but I just couldn't pass up such a willing subject.

A lizard on warm cedar shakes

4. Sand bags and those who rescue

There has been a lot of rain descending from the skies above the western part of our state this week, so much so that many areas have experienced flooding from rising rivers and streams causing roads to be closed and damage to businesses, homes and vehicles. There have been many who have put in long hours trying to keep people safe and to rescue others. Although we have been safe in our residence and have been able to travel where we needed to go, that has not been the case for others.

5. Vision and perspective
This past weekend I was able to watch all the sessions of the General Conference that was broadcast worldwide. I always look forward to listening to the messages that are shared. Two speakers spoke a little about eyes in the same session of conference. (The talks that the speakers give are not discussed with one another ahead of time.)

When I was in the fifth grade, a man who was blind brought his seeing-eye dog with him to our little two-room school and talked about what it was like to be blind and what he was able to accomplish in spite of what some thought was a handicap. Somewhere around that same time, my paternal grandmother had to have one of her eyes removed. I do not know the exact reason, but I think she may have had a tumor. For many years there was a school for the blind in our city, and some of our children were involved in helping there. I have always felt that having eyes and my sight is a  wonderful blessing.

This talk given by Elder Mathias Held, a member of the Quorum of the 70 spoke about how having two eyes gives us another perspective producing a three-dimensional image of our surroundings. He then compared that to how we have been given two sources of information through our physical and spiritual capacities and what happens when these two perspectives are combined in our souls. Very thought provoking. Click here to watch or read his talk.

6. A beautiful sunny afternoon to drive to the temple

One of the spires on the
Portland Oregon Temple

7. Tulips in bloom

I have been waiting for this soggy part of the country to dry out a bit before I venture out to trod the paths in the lovely tulips gardens north of here. In the meantime I snapped a photo of some that were blooming by the temple.

Red tulips surrounded by
a ground cover of small white
blossoms

8. Words of consolation

Sometimes words of consolation may come from the mouth of a friend or even a stranger. Other times it may stand out as a message just for you as you are reading lines in a book you are currently reading. There are occasions when a line from a song will seemingly speak to you. Yesterday I was reading a few passages from the Old Testament. I just picked up the book and flipped it open. It happened to open to Psalms. I just started reading and when I came to Psalms 138:8 I knew why I'd been guided to this page. (What words have jumped right off the page and into your heart in such a way that you knew it was a message just for you?)

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me:"

9. A delay not of my choosing

Have you ever had something happen that made you just shake your head trying to make sense of it all? After leaving the temple yesterday, my car was acting strangely. For some reason the dashboard lights didn't come on, but the car was running. After about a block I pulled into a parking lot, turned off the car, waited a bit, then turned the car back on. There still weren't any lights displayed on the dashboard. Again I turned off the car, but this time resorted to what I always do when I don't know what to do. . .pray. I turned on the car. The lighting on the dashboard was back to normal. I proceeded on my way, and just a few miles down the freeway I came upon a wreck. There was  a police car there, but no tow truck yet. I am thankful for that delay which was not of my choosing. 

10. Those who are brave
One of our granddaughters has lived with mental illness and took a brave step this week. She wanted her mother to write her story in hopes it might help someone else. The mother is the host this blog hop and shared the story on her blog, Thankful Me.

A woman in a parking lot today who was visibly struggling to walk into a store refused any offers of help, such as grabbing my arm, or taking a cart someone brought to her. She seemed to be reaffirming to herself and others how physically strong she was and how she needed to do this by herself. She appreciated the offers of help, but wanted to walk just that far without any kind of assistance

There isn't a day goes by but which I see men and women braving the elements because they have no place which they can call their home, nor a job to earn the money they need to sustain themselves.

There are those who have bravely walked away from habits that could have completely destroyed them and their families. It is difficult to break habits and it sometimes takes a long time, but it is worth the effort it takes to create a happy family. 

What might be relatively easy for one person can take an impressive amount of courage and resolve for another to accomplish.  

An extra thankful for my husband who makes life so enjoyable!