Ten Things of Thankful

In many ways it has been an exciting, beautiful week which makes up for so much other stuff. For that I am grateful. 

I am linking up to the blog hop Ten Things of Thankful hosted by Kristi of Thankful Me. If by chance you accidentally landed here at my site, not having any idea that there is such a thing as a blog hop, I hope you will considered taking part in this weekly exercise of remembering those things for which you are truly thankful. Details as to how to join are at the bottom of the page.

My main focus today has to do with mothers since tomorrow is Mother's Day in my country, but I just have to share a few things that happened here in my sphere this week.

It has been a week of discoveries as I have done family history research. Many of those discoveries were found in old newspapers. Those discoveries can be found by you too, because there are online sites that allow you to search old newspapers and one does not need to subscribe to the site. One site is called Chronicling America.

Finding out that a short article I submitted to a church magazine is scheduled to be printed this coming year was exciting news and made me feel especially grateful to one of my daughters for  suggesting that I share the experience I had last year with others via writing about it and submitting it to the magazine.

Receiving a message from a grand daughter of a person whose photo I had shared on my FamilySearch family tree brought a bit a  joy too, especially when I learned she is the daughter of a couple my husband and I met when they were visiting my mother years ago. I had lost touch with the couple and now know where they are at and that they are okay.

Just sitting and meditating last night about the lives of special mothers in my life brought back so many memories and some tears too, just because of how this very act of meditating caused me to feel especially close to each one and thankful for how they have shaped me into the person I have become and am still becoming. Many of these lessons I have learned and am still learning actually sometimes have been demonstrated by more than one mother. (I am including mothers in this case as my grandmothers, mothers [my own and my MIL], daughters and daughter-in-law.)

The number of English daisies represent the number of mothers mentioned above (one daisy appears to be hiding)

Seeing the beauty in something someone else might discard

Being respectful 

Realizing that combatting anger with anger often just makes matters worse

Being prepared with a Plan B, such as asking oneself what talents would you need to develop should you not be able to go on to college and had to support yourself or perhaps needed to work to help support your family at some point in your life

Setting goals and sticking to them brings rewards.

Discovering there is almost a tangible feeling that comes from being quiet while observing others who are in a similitude of prayer

Taking time to smell the flowers (Lilacs are the first flower I remember smelling. My paternal grandmother introduced me to them when I was very young.)

Appreciating that although some things are difficult in life one doesn’t need to look very far to see that someone else has a much more difficult cross to bear

Finding joy in laughter (and discovering that even one's grandmother can giggle)

Understanding what it means to be loved as a child and what it means to love a child unconditionally

There is even a mothering side to my husband. For instance a few years back he planted some native plants on our property. He purposely planted the rose checker-mallow which tends to attract bumble bees and honey bees. I am thankful for his nurturing ways, not only to our  children, but to the bees.

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