Six Sentence Stories - Handle

There have been a few lapses in my participation at this blog hop lately, but I am back at it now. Denise, of Girlie On The Edge's Blog, has been as diligent as ever in her role as the host of this blog hop that only requires a story written in six sentences with the cue word included. Click Six Sentence Stories - Handle to see what others are overing up this week.

She longed to go with them, but without sufficient light she knew she might stumble and fall along the way.

All she could see now were their slightly illuminated faces as they quicken their steps along the path leading away from her.

Her pleadings for them to share their oil with her and the others like her had been to no avail, and once they explained why they could not, it was undeniably plain to understand.

It was to be such a grand celebration and they all had longed to attend and had been preparing for it for some time, but in the excitement of it all, she realized her own preparation was not what it should have been.

If only she had known the exact hour of departure, that it was going to be in the middle of the night in complete darkness and if only she had reserved the oil she might need to take with her so she could keep her small lamp lit for the length of the journey.

As she released the grip of her fingers from the curved handle of the lantern, she knelt in the darkness, and with tears welling up in her eyes, she plead for forgiveness.

Ten Things of Thankful

A Ten Things of Thankful post that evolved from my pensive Sunday

1. For being born in a time and a place when children were taught to read and had access to books

Pixabay

2. For an inquiring mind

3. For the experiences and opportunities that awoke in me a desire to learn about spiritual matters

4. For the people in my life who were willing to share their own experiences and understanding of their personal beliefs or questions they had regarding religion that caused me to want to find out for myself

5. For the freedom to choose how one worships God

6. For the admonition of Paul (Philippians 4:8)

7. For the whole concept of the creation of the human race and how we were born into a family in which to be nurtured and taught and not just somehow mass produced and left on our own to make our way through life

8. For this span of time between life and death and what we do with it and the meaning of it all

9. For the thoughts that flow like the gentle breeze through an open window on a lingering fall day

10. For the hope and faith that goodness will prevail in the world in which we live

***For Vic, our family and all the special people who have impacted my life

Ten Things of Thankful
blog hop
Hosted by Dyanne of
Backsies Is What There
Is Not

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Ten Things of Thankful

It has been a busy week, but I am grateful for  all that I have been able to learn and experience this week and for the connections I have had with people far and near. Although most connections were not in person, they meant a lot to me. I hope that you are feeling thankful too. Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not is the host of this Ten Things of Thankful blog hop. Be sure to click the link to learn more about it.

1. Having the stamina needed to tackle computer issues this week, some of which just required relearning a few things I once knew but hadn’t used for a while or had been typically doing them on the Mac instead of the iPad such as the following:

• How can a person switch from horizontal view to portrait view on the iPad?
• What is the procedure to send a document to a printer from an iPad by using the printer app?
• How can all the sources for an ancestor in your Ancestry.com tree be transferred to the same ancestor in your familysearch.org account?
• How do you take a screen shot on the iPad? Although I had only done this by accident a few times, I never knew exactly what I had done to take that screen shot. HaHa
• I  also learned for the first time how to send a graphic document from my iPad using the printer app. 

Some of the answers were found in the manual (imagine that!), others in YouTube videos, and in one instance through a little trial and error. It is nice to know that I am still able to learn and relearn things.

2. Finding a site that sells shoes that will be a comfortable fit for my husband’s feet

3. Measurable rainfall last night and this morning

We only had a trace of rain in June one day and then a heavy mist one morning in August. Perhaps the dream I had at the beginning of the week of the grass on our property turning green again will become more than just a dream.

4. Having a very low gutter on the back side of our home makes cleaning it a very easy job as well as a safe one which I was able to do a couple of days ago in anticipation of the rain that was forecast.

5. A package of very lean bacon

When someone brought us some fresh-picked green beans this week, I was able to buy this package of bacon at the store later that day. IMHO, nothing tastes better with green beans than some diced bacon pieces thrown into the pot with them. The BLT sandwiches are quick and easy and delicious too.

Very lean bacon 

6. The sound of turkeys gobbling and a surprising adventure

Occasionally in the past we have had some wild turkeys go traipsing through our property, so when I heard their sounds off in the lower portion of our property, I decided to stop my watering of some shrubs to sneak up on them and take a photo. First I asked my husband to step out and listen to the sound to see if the sound we were hearing was that of wild turkeys. We both agreed that was what we were hearing, so off I went to try to sneak up on them. Image my surprise when I discovered the source of the sound wasn’t turkeys, but two grey squirrels  which explains how quickly the sound was changing from one area to another, without any sound of the fluttering of wings. HaHa. Note: In the YouTube video link at about 1:24 and at about 6:46 the squirrel is making the sound that we thought sounded like turkeys. 

Living proof that we have seen
turkeys here in the past
and that green grass can grow
with the help of some rainfall

7. Zoom meetings

Having the option of watching gatherings via Zoom or webcasts that I don’t  feel safe to attend is a real blessing considering the rising cases of the Delta variant.

8. The clerk who carried a heavy, awkward package to our car from the FedEx location where it was being held

We had taken a luggage cart to use, but he was able to just carry it out of the store and to our car faster than it would have taken us to navigate the cart through the store. (Apparently FedEx doesn’t like driving up our lane, so we had to tell them to hold it at a nearby FedEx location.)

9. Hearing good news from different family members this week that Covid tests taken were negative

10. Feeling like I am kind of on a vacation when I receive wonderful photos via text messages

This week I was in Alaska via photos sent with a text message.

An extra thankful for my husband, our family, and our  friends

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Ten Things of Thankful

For many this past week has been a week of remembering, reflecting, and in some cases writing and sharing those thoughts. Like some other times in my life when there was a news flash reporting some shocking horrific thing that had just taken place, I remember in great detail where I was, what I was doing, etc. when I  heard the news. With all the memories that gushed forward from my mind this past week when I saw and heard again exactly what took place on 9/11/2001, I know it is minor in comparison to that which people who were directly and personally affected by the outcome of the events of that day.

While  some may choose to avoid watching and recalling scenes from the past and question why it is important to do so, I choose to remember not only what took place, but to consider the people we were then compared to the people we are now. Is it possible to learn from the past? I believe it is, but it takes desire, determination, work and a good dash of humility to recognize the humanity of each person.

As I considered the things that transpired in my own life this week, I am thankful that I was able to appreciate the paths I traversed this week and the thoughts that came to my mind as I did so. I have included some of those in this post being linked to the blog hop Ten Things of Thankful hosted by Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not. 

1. Being able to have our son and his daughter visit before she heads off for her first year of college

2. Exploring territory we had not seen in our state that caused me to consider what it would have been like for the first people inhabiting it

I am thankful to have been able to see this rugged area dotted with high mountains and deep ravines not that far away.

3. Realizing that sometimes getting a late start is exactly what is supposed to happen and it may mean the difference between life and death

The poignant scene we came upon mid week was a huge punctuation mark in the life of my family this week, but not meant to be shared here. I will just say that there are times when I believe people are placed in a given place and at given time to be an instrument in someone else's life because they may have the eyes to see a dire need, a willingness to help, and the skills to know what to do.

4. Beautiful sunsets

Sunset above a rim of silhouetted trees below

5. Covered bridges

Harris Covered Bridge

6. To be able to discover possible answers to questions about the things I see such as this big old tree

Do any of you know what kind of tree this might be? I think that it may be some kind of chestnut tree, and a very old one. It isn't a tree often seen in these parts.

7. Honey bees 

I am thankful that we have a few flowers blooming for the honey bees to enjoy.

Honeybee on a lavender crocus petal

8. For a chance to play a game of Scrabble with my son and granddaughter

9. Being able to see creatures other than birds at the national wildlife refuges, such as otters playing in a muddy stream and a slew of garter snakes on the shore and in the water where they were feeding on bullfrogs

10. Vic, family and friends

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Ten Things of Thankful

Once again, it is time to reflect. I have found it helpful to do so. It is difficult to read and watch the news from this past week and know that some of you may have been in harm's way, or have loved ones or friends who were, because of the various storms and tragedies that have transpired throughout the earth. Many of the scenes were one's that brought me to my knees. Is it wrong to consider what almost seems such little things when writing about the things for which one is thankful when others are suffering? Perhaps, but then again, life is full of ups and downs, and we as people kind of take turns having these experiences, so for this day, I am sharing this list of ten. Thank you Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not for hosting this blog hop Ten Things of Thankful. 

1. This doe who has found the perfect place to blend in with her surroundings and seems to wait for me to return from errands

Camouflaged doe among many hues of
browns and grays

2. Bouquet of sweet peas from a neighbor

Bouquet of pink, white, and 
maroon sweet peas in a
jelly jar sitting on a round
lattice metal stand

3. The crocuses are beginning to bloom, so fall is on its way.

Cluster of lavender crocuses
with white stripes on the
center of each petal

4. Clouds and the hope of moisture from the skies when their cousins show up on the scene

Blue sky dotted mostly with white
cumulous clouds of various shapes
and sizes floating over the sundry
trees below

5. The benefits of certain sound frequencies

If you have ever had acupuncture treatments or had massage therapy, you possibly have listened to very calming music being played in the background during your session. It seems some of the music being played actually may promote healing.   

6. A local business that can replace all kinds of batteries 

This week I got a new battery in my iPad and new batteries in both of our smart keys for the car. In addition I learned that they could replace the very maltreated cover on Vic’s key, so now his key looks good as new.

7. The peacemakers

IMHO this world is in need of more people willing to show kindness, and civility if we are to have hope of a peaceful sphere of existence.

8. The faith and hope I have that when a person completes his life on earth, he will live again

A friend passed away suddenly this week, and that faith and hope brings comfort to those left behind as well as to the person departing.

9. Nourishment

I am thankful for not only food to eat each day, but for the nourishment that I receive to my mind and my spirit. Just as food doesn't usually magically appear, neither does knowledge about every topic under the sun come without effort and experience. Although there are many modalities in which a person's spirit may be nourished, many of them require at least a desire to know why and how many claim to have come to know there is a God and seem to have felt a connection to Him. Am I perfect in remembering to properly nourish myself each and every day? No, but I am trying.

10. Life and all the experiences that bond me in so many ways to my family and others

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Six Sentence Stories - Nebulous

Help me through this by staying awake and keeping your eyes geared toward the edge of the road so I don’t go smack dab down the embankment, or into the marsh that they told us about in their last letter. As I understand it, we will know when we are approaching it, but to be honest my vision is kind of nebulous from all the hours of driving.

It is too bad the couple driving that old faded gold car with all the bumper stickers plastered all cattywampus on it decided to call it a night and stop at that little lodge. Through that deluge the taillights on their car were helpful in guiding us along this curvy road dotted with potholes.

If we hadn’t told the folks we wouldn’t be able to arrive until late, I would have liked to have stopped at that rustic inn and ventured onward in the morning in the hopes that our route might be more visible then. 

Your folks are going to be so surprised when they hear we wanted to try out their new retirement tradition when we finally reach the pullout by the marsh, and attempt to count spring peepers crossing the road. . .that is, as long as we are able to keep our peepers open!

Linking this Six Sentence Story - Nebulous
to a blog hop
Hosted by
Dyanne, of Girlie On The Edge's Blog