Thankful Me

Yellow lab Drexel, wearing his booties, walks on a leash down a sidewalk After months of almost always working 6-day weeks, John has taken time off the past two weekends and we've made some great road trips. Last weekend we witnessed the culmination of years of hard work by our oldest son, as we watched him graduate from his medical residency program. I'm so proud of him, not only because he achieved his goal, but also because he has a compassionate soul. Although he will be joining a private practice, he will also be regularly showing up at soup kitchens to provide medical care to those who are living on the streets. That street medicine program is one that he enjoyed participating in during his residency and he is so excited to continue.  1. I'm thankful we could celebrate with our son and that some of our other children could also attend the festivities. I love spending time with my family. Although we have been very fortunate to have competent, reliable dog sitters for

A sweeping view of pine covered mountains under a blue sky I spent most of this past week at a church camp in Running Springs, California with 84 young women, ages 11-18, and a bunch of adult leaders. My bunkhouse cabin home for the week, decorated with festive pendant banners. The day before I left for camp, I got an emergency alert text, informing me that my house in Utah was under evacuation due to a nearby fire. (Sorry, Mom, I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry.) Within 20 minutes of receiving that text, I received another text saying the evacuation order was lifted and the fire was under control.  1. I'm thankful for the firefighters who put the fire out quickly. 2. I'm thankful that no people were hurt nor homes were damaged. 3. I'm thankful that the whole incident was over before I left for camp, so I didn't spend the week worrying. The camp theme was UP, as in Speak Up, Look Up, Cheer Up, and Rise Up. The girls were encouraged to make new

  Baby me, sitting on the floor, looks up at my dad sitting on the sofa, as he smiles down at me I've been extremely fortunate in my life: my parents provided me and my siblings with a very stable childhood. We had a roof over our heads, food on the table, physical and emotional safety, books, music, and lots of love and laughter.  Probably 3 or 4 year old me looks at a photo or small piece of paper with my dad My parents are humble people, quickly giving credit to the contributions of others, and although they won't toot their own horn, they are amazing people. One of my dad's favorite lines is, "The best thing I ever did was marry your mother." While I agree with that, as today is Father's Day, I'm going to focus on some of the things I've learned from my dad.  My dad taught me through example to dream big, work hard, and be responsible. Just because something is unusual doesn't mean it's impossible.  As a junior high school science teacher,

  Drexel wanders down the hill in our Utah backyard On Monday, I loaded Drexel into the car and we drove to Utah to spend a few days at home and take care of some errands that needed to be done there. The drive was ultimately uneventful (thankful #1): even though I apparently unknowingly stepped in gum at a gas station, I was still able to "unstick" my foot from the car floor when I needed to brake. I pulled over at the next rest stop and removed the glob of gum. After getting back on the road, I managed to avoid hitting a blue plastic water storage container that fell off a truck in Nevada, as well as a red gas can that was just sitting in a lane in Utah. We arrived to our Utah home while the sun was still up, so we were able to enjoy exploring the backyard. According to the old adage, "First year they sleep, second year they creep, third year they leap," our poppies (planted in 2022) are merely creeping this year. I can't wait to see how they look next year! 

A yellow Julia Child rose bush blooms in a pot Keeping the post short and simple today, but no less thankful! 1. I'm thankful for the sound of the birds.  2. I'm thankful for the lizards basking in the sunshine. One lizard basks on the ground, another one's head is barely visible on the edge of the planter under the basil  3. I'm thankful for the bats that fly at night (and eat the bugs!) 4. I'm thankful for the cute goat kids that bleat at me as I open the gate to drive away. 5. I'm thankful for the pink petunias that brighten a corner of my patio. 6. I'm thankful for the hummingbirds that flit around the petunias and the feeders. 7. I'm thankful for the squirrels even as I hope they leave the petunias alone. A squirrel stands up, and looks over the top of a pot of pink petunias 8. I'm thankful for the rose that is in bloom. 9. I'm thankful for my grandchildren's elementary school concert, awards ceremonies, and graduation. 10. I'm thank

  The view of a sunset taken from an airplane. The sky is orange and just a sliver of sun is visible. I made a quick trip to Oregon this week to visit my parents. As I waited at the airport to depart, I noticed a baby sleeping on her dad's shoulder. I was flying on Southwest, which doesn't have assigned seats. I was in boarding group B. As I boarded the plane, I noticed that the window and middle seat in the first row of the plane (the row with lots of legroom) was empty. I was surprised, but gladly took the window seat. I alternated between reading a book and looking out the window. It was so good to see the mountain lakes filled with water. I got a wave of nostalgia when I saw the peaks in the Cascade Range, as I have memories of going across the mountains to visit my grandparents when I was younger. I used to see Black Butte from the front window in my grandparents' home, but from the plane, I could see it in relation to the Three Sisters. Though Black Butte is aptly-nam