Thankful, grateful, blessed...

 

I don't get great phone reception on my cell phone at the office, so today I was standing near the window to get better reception as I was speaking with Carey.  Very suddenly I saw smoke start near the highway, and very quickly it spread in the vacant lots around the QT convenience store which is across the highway from our office.

I started snapping photos, and in hardly any time at all, it looked like the building was on fire.  It wasn't, but the flames were rising high above the brush behind the store.

The firemen were on the scene almost immediately, and I thought they did an amazing job of getting it under control.

It is really, really dry in the area.  Feeling especially thankful for firemen today!

Thankful Thursday...

I am thankful for free minutes and no long distance.  :)  Decades ago my sister and I spent hundreds of dollars each month on long distance calls to each other.  Now she and all of my close friends live hours and hours (if not in different states) away from me.  Lengthy phone conversations are a lifeline for these friendships and my mental health, and the free minutes are a miracle I would never have believed possible.

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed...

So many things to be thankful for...

Thankful that Carey is home safe from a week away.

Blessed to have had the energy to make him a pie to surprise him.

Grateful for free eggs from my non-sanctioned neighborhood chicken wrangler.

Blessed that I got to hug my granddaughter yesterday, and her smile...oh that beautiful smile!

Always grateful when my boss takes the elevator and, knowing I will be following soon after, sends it back to the floor I'm on so I don't have to wait too long for it in the heat (it is a slooooow outdoor elevator).

Blessed with good dreams almost always.  Last night I woke up from one that was so entertaining, I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and texted myself the plot so I wouldn't forget it.  And just last week I sent a card to my oldest friend (not to be confused with my eldest friend) to tell her how often I have been dreaming of her and her family...parents, siblings, spouse, and children...over the past year or so.  We live far apart now, but each time I wake up feeling like we've had a good visit.  Recently I even woke myself up singing aloud a song that makes me think of her parents.

So thankful that we have all been healthy.  So many locals have had Covid lately.  I'm wearing my mask again almost always.  My company has been requiring us to wear masks again in the office, and I am all for it as I am almost certain a number of our clients are anti-vax and/or anti-mask.

Thankful, grateful, blessed...

It's the little things.

We have neighbors down the hall in the office.  We rarely see them face to face, but we hear snatches of conversation, doors closing, and ringtones.

After they moved into their office, I kept hearing wind chimes.  I finally realized it is the ringtone one of them has on his phone.  It is really a nice ringtone, unlike some you hear that are grating or even offensive.

This always makes me happy and grateful.

Thankful Thursday...

 Thankful that I got my first dose of vaccine exactly a week ago.  I was exhausted the first day, but whether that was a reaction to the vaccine or a reaction to the general stress of getting up early and getting to the location in the next town over, finding parking, walking to the center, walking the maze with the other injectees, walking back to the car, and then going to work for the rest of the day I can't really say.  

Sunday I had a great burst of energy/motivation and cleaned out a smallish dresser that we had sitting under our living-room television.  It was full of files and miscellanea which I went through and determined everything but one single item, was shred worthy.  I took quite a large box of old medical statements/records and bills and bank statements to the car.  Then I enlisted Jared to help me move the empty dresser to my work office to store supplies in the ladies' room.  While we were there I dropped off the shredding in our locked shred bins at work which were being picked up this week and shredded on site.

All in all a very productive weekend.  I should get vaccinated more often!

Thankful, grateful, blessed...

Water!  Water!  Water!!!  Yesterday was our turn for the plumber, and we now have water.  I took yesterday off, and was hoping to catch up on laundry and dishes after the repairs were made, but the plumber said that I needed to give the 3000 gallon storage tank all afternoon to refill.  So I waited till evening to put in a load of clothes.  I wanted to wash with warm water, so I started running the hot water only it never got hot.  Called the hubs, and he had forgotten to tell me that I had to go outside and flip a circuit breaker...and then wait a couple more hours for the electric water heater to heat all the water in its tank.  Not even that could lessen my elation at having running water back in the house.

I think it's time to make another donation to build a water well in a village without one.  Nothing like being without to remind one of the true blessing that it is.  Makes me want to share it with others.

 

Thankful, grateful, blessed...

 

So much to be thankful for.  

• Thankful the power is back on.  
• Thankful that even though we won't have running water at our house for awhile, we do have drinking water, and also water to flush the toilets with.  
• Thankful that sweet daughter lives close and DOES have water back on, and that she invited us to come take showers!
• Thankful that Carey can work from home for a couple of days before going back.
• Thankful that my wonderful boss says stay home.  
• Thankful that I live so close to office, as I did go up to work for about an hour and a half this morning to make sure that I had things in order for some money transfers for clients.
• Thankful to make it back home safely on snowy roads, and the house is still warm.

I stopped on the street to get a photo of our house while it was snowing.  The snow from a few days ago finally melted yesterday, so this is new as of this morning.  (This was about 10 a.m.)  I haven't been near a window to see how much more has accumulated since then, because I don't want to disturb the warm puppy that is sleeping across my legs (whom I am also thankful for).

Falling snow always reminds me of my mom.  She loved to tell about the first time I saw a  snow flurry as a toddler.  We were visiting my great-aunt in Iowa for the holidays, and it started snowing.  When I saw it out the window, I exclaimed, "birdies!"  Lots and lots of tiny birdies.  :)  So very thankful for the memory of her telling that story over and over with love.

Thankful, grateful, blessed...

Thankful for friends, IRL and here on blog, who listen and encourage.  Thank you all!

 

Thankful, grateful, blessed...

Every morning (especially this time of year) I wake up and want to stay snuggled under the covers for just a few (or twenty) more minutes.  A comfortable bed, flannel sheets, and a down comforter on a chilly morning/night are luxuries that I try to always give thanks for.  As important as good sleep is to our emotional and physical health, imagine what a difference would be worked in this world if everyone had a comfortable and safe place to rest.  Sadly too few people do.  I wish I could gift that to each man, woman, and child on Earth.

Thankful, grateful, blessed...

Yesterday my boss' wife came to the office and brought flowers.  These are some nice people I've landed among.

I am incredibly thankful to be in this job.  I applied without being 100% sure that I really wanted to go full time again.  I've definitely passed that point.  

My former full-time boss was such a genuinely good guy (caring for clients with integrity, empathy, and a kind heart) and was a pleasure to spend all day with.  I thought I would surely never come across another supervisor quite like him.  Well I have, and it feels like I've won the lottery twice.  

Thankful, grateful, blessed...

I realized when I read Debbie's blog recently that I have completely forgotten to do a 'thankful, grateful, blessed' post lately.  So as I am sitting at the computer contemplating what I am really blessed by today, it suddenly came to me...literally.

Thankful, grateful, blessed...

Blessed to have the husband I do.  Tuesday was cold and icy.  I woke up late, and rushed to get ready for work.  When I went outside, my car was running, warm, and the windshield was ice free.  

While he was warming up my car, he noticed that it was low on gasoline.  So mid morning he came to my office, took my car, and brought it back filled with fuel.  

This is not to say that every day goes like this.  But on those other kind of days one must try to Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  (Philippians 4:8)  In other words, on days like today.

I am spoiled blessed, and I know it.

Thankful, grateful, blessed...

We are blessed with laughter!  Our kids, grandkids, coworkers, siblings, friends...bring so much laughter into our lives.   Rudy, in particular, is our own little clown.  As soon as I walk in the door after work, he starts performing.  Silly.  Goofy.  Daredevil stunts.  And he loves being laughed at, and will repeat what he knows get the biggest laughs over and over.

Thankful, grateful, blessed, week 5...

So very blessed to live within a mile of our children and grandchildren; close enough to bake them Monster Cookies for Halloween and drop their treats by their house.

When we sold the ranch to move near them, it was hard.  And I'm not going to lie, we still miss living on top of our hill.  But sometimes blessings involve sacrifice too.  We love sharing meals weekly, and games, and the occasional school pick up we are asked to make, the sleepovers we have had, and taking the opportunity to teach them the letter writing that has made their great-grandmother so happy.  So many memories we have made!

I was chatting with a friend online last night.  She is in the middle of uprooting her home and job to move over a thousand miles to be near one of her children and grandchildren.  I think it's a pretty safe bet to predict that she will love it too.  :)

Thankful, grateful, blessed, week 4...

Today is my 62 birthday.  And I am thankful, grateful, and blessed to be here to celebrate it.  And I do celebrate it!

I've had some really close calls (in 2008 there was the car accident, and then, in January of 2009 there were the pulmonary embolisms), and those were some excellent educational experiences.  

Each morning is now another chance to wake up and say 'thank you for this extra day.'

Thankful, grateful, blessed, week 3...

Thankful for the rain we had Tuesday night / Wednesday morning.  It was a long, dry summer.  

I'm not excited to have had dripping in the attic, but grateful that we could hear it, and do something about it before it does too much damage over time.  Carey went in the attic, and was able to ascertain that it was the seal around the chimney that is leaking.  He attempted to get on the roof yesterday while I was at work, but quickly realized that the roof pitch was too steep for him to climb about safely.  Thrilled that he accepted his limitations and contacted a professional with the equipment and experience to access the heights.

Thankful, grateful, blessed #2...

So very thankful to have arrived back home safely from a low-stress ten days or so on the road.

We had a very nice trip.  We went to Niagara Falls.  We saw no change in the seasons, as it was unseasonably warm in New York when we arrived (though it did get cooler while we were there).  When we started home, a quick Google search let us know that there was a small pocket of two counties in Pennsylvania where the leaves were at near peak fall colors, so we made a slight detour to enjoy just a bit of fall foliage.  And heading further south in Pennsylvania, we found ourselves too close to Gettysburg to resist stopping for a bit.

I think in all we passed through 15 states, though we didn't stop to see sights in each one.  It was a very relaxing trip, with no formal planning or schedule.

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed #1...

Recently, Pamela who blogs at The Lady of the House Speaking, started a Thankful, Grateful, Blessed post on Thursdays.  What with the holidays coming up, I'd been giving this some thought as well.  In the past, I have participated in Thankful Thursdays in November, but I kind of like the idea of it being a year-round feature.  So this is my inaugural post.  And thanks, Pamela, for the inspiration.

With a lot on my calendar this fall, I thought I'd better take advantage of some time at home right now to get some long avoided tasks done.  (Lucky me, among the 'treasures' I found was a quote I had written down...'Procrastination is just sloth with more syllables'...isn't that cheery?)  This week I took three boxes of donations to Salvation Army, and one corner of my house feels lighter and brighter, 

So, as much as I avoid it, I am blessed to be able to do work around the house.  I am so very thankful to have a home.