Saturday, December 14, 2019

Ten Things of Thankful

From your experience what have you found to be most beneficial in taking time to intentionally identify people, things or experiences that cause you to feel thankful? Has the practice of doing so changed you for the better? Does knowing that you are going to write in a journal, or on a blog post, about what you are thankful for cause you to view the world around you differently? Since life sometimes throws a curve ball or two, we all know that there are times when it is easy to get caught off base.  What then? 

Not everyone deals with challenges in the same way, and in reality there are times when a person has to, or needs to take a break from what has been his or her routine, so for anyone who has followed the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop for any length of time, it should not be surprising to see bloggers participate for a while, stop posting for a while but maybe still continue to read what others are posting. As one can determine from the side bar on my blog page, I have been participating in The Ten Things of Thankful blog hop since 2015, but there have been some gaps in my participation such as when sitting at a computer wasn't feasible, etc. As I said sometimes life throws a curve ball.


 

1. Kristi of Thankful Me has been our faithful host for The Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, welcoming new participants, encouraging and commiserating as the case may be. The position of hosts and co-hosts (Clark, Dyanne, Lisa, and myself) changes from time to time perhaps because of some the things mentioned above, but that is to be expected. I am thankful for each of these individuals who have blessed my life to one degree or another. It is wonderful to have some blogging friends.

2. A Night of Reflection and a Holiday Service of Remembrance to remember loved ones who have passed away were held this week, and I am thankful I was able to attend both events. One was held by a hospice service and the other by a funeral home.


Hospice center's Memory Garden where stones
inscribed with the names of loved ones lay

Candles lit in honor of those have passed

3. In wading through photos that my mother had realized that although I knew the majority of the people, it would be a good idea to write the names of the relatives friends on the backs of the photos so those who look at these photos in the future won't be left in the dark. I am thankful that I have a pen that is perfect for this kind of task. It has pigment ink, is acid free, is archival quality, light fast, waterproof and non-bleeding.

4. Knowledge comes in a variety of ways. I am grateful for those times I attempt to help someone, even when I am not exactly sure of the answers or even if I can help, that more times than not I expand my own knowledge in the process.

5. Hidden gems sometimes lay in cardboard boxes. Oh, these are not of the type found in jewelry, but the kind tucked away in files in stored boxes. The hidden gems of which I speak are homemade Father's Day cards telling of the things our young children loved about their dad. Another gem was a poem I'd written to be read at a ceremony to announce our engagement when we were in college. Others were letters written by our parents, all of whom are now deceased. I'll take more of these jewels any day!

6. THIS! Being able to backtrack the choices one makes, the thoughts and impressions one has, and the actions or lack of action one takes and realizing that one small thing may have been what mattered most at that very moment and had you not been there, each would have missed a very special moment in time which became indelibly imprinted on our hearts

7. Classical music
I found that quite a few times this past week, I was turning to the classical music station while driving in the car. It has always amazed me that composers are able to write music for an entire orchestra. It is beyond my comprehension how this is done, but I am so thankful for those composers. Their music has enriched my life. I am also glad I was introduced to some of the classics when I took piano lessons as a child, even though I really wanted to learn to play some of the more popular songs during my lessons.

8. Meeting for lunch with friends
Good food and good conversation is a win win.

9. Time to rest

10. Vic and our family
They are mentioned last, but they first in my heart and mind.



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7 comments:

  1. oh man! Just read Number 7!
    (no, seriously, I thought of you after I decided I needed to enjoy some PDQ Bach.)
    Suspect you are familiar with his work, lol

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    1. I think I first learned about PDQ Bach through some post you shared. HaHa I know. . . HOW could she have not known about him!

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  2. Very smart, writing the names on the photos.

    What a blessing, to have a night of remembrance for our lost loved ones. This time of year can be so difficult, i am sure that helps many.

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    1. At estate, garage sales, second hand stores one often will see old photographs (if they don't get thrown away) and most of them have no identification on them. Families just don't know what to do with them, since the individuals pictured have no meaning to them.

      Yes, a night of remembrance can be like a healing balm.

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  3. Mom was so great about writing names and dates on photos. I was the kid who was most fascinated with them. I created a photobucket account and shared them with siblings. I recently went in to look for some and found I need to update it. Thinking of changing to another platform but not sure what.

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    1. Lisa, jumping in here to comment, but familysearch.org is another place you could share the photos.

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  4. It is fun to see past TToTers join in again, isn't it? As Lizzi often stressed, this is a no-guilt blog hop, so participants jump in and out of linking up as their lives allow.
    I have so much work to do with photo organization. Each year I think, "This is the year." On the bright side, I did make progress this year. It's just not anywhere near done yet.

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