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Ten Things of Thankful: What a Wonderful World Edition

Here it is, in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, and I realize not only do I need to sleep write a TToT post, I really should have posted more on the blog this week.  Life has been busy--not in a frantic, worried, all-encompassing sort of way, but rather in a "I think to myself, 'What a wonderful world' " sort of way.  

Now that you've got Satchmo's song in your mind, let's get on to the list:

1.  I'm thankful for time spent with granddaughters.  My daughter wanted to take the girls to Disneyland this week.  Even though I've been there quite a bit recently, they hadn't, and I'm always game. The girls have jumped on the Frozen bandwagon, and even the youngest can belt out "Let it go, let it go."  I had the brilliant idea to wait in line with the girls to see Olaf, the snowman.  Well, it was a good idea in theory.  When it was actually our turn, although there was no kicking or screaming, there also were no warm hugs:



When we were safely away from Snowman Zone, oldest granddaughter said softly, "Scary."  I think I'm out of contention for Grandma of the Year Award. 

Good thing we didn't try to get photos with the Evil Queen.  Now she's scary!  (This photo was taken on an earlier Disneyland visit with my brave oldest daughter.)



2.  I'm thankful for the beautiful contrast of dark and light clouds. 



3.  I'm thankful for raindrops (even when they are blurry). 



4.  I'm thankful for the greening-up of the desert that comes with a bit of rain.  Previously dry, bare patches in our yard are now showing signs of growth.  



5.  I'm thankful for beautiful pink sunsets.  (Just pretend I was going for some impressionistic, artsy technique and look at the untouched colors, not the blur.  I should have taken the time to grab the camera, not just the phone.)



6.  I'm thankful for others sharing their joy.  This week, I noticed a red Fiat on the road.  I'm not really a car person, but Fiats are cute, so I do tend to notice them.  This one made me smile more than usual, though.  I don't remember the exact characters, but the license plate indicated that the driver was a watermelon lover. Even the license plate holder had watermelons on it.  I just had to chuckle that someone loves watermelons enough to buy a watermelon-colored, roughly watermelon-shaped car, and proclaim their love of watermelons with a license plate and license plate holder.  Now raspberries, I could take seriously, but watermelons?  :-)

7.  I'm thankful for the chance to help.  Someone at church was having trouble getting started with family history work.  I was able to do a little bit of research and come up with some names of relatives.  I shared what I found, and how I found it, and now this person will be able to continue to research further.  

8.  I'm thankful for the freedoms we enjoy here, and I'm thankful that we are free to express concern when we think that those freedoms may be eroding.  On Tuesday, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held a news conference regarding religious freedom, specifically as it relates to LGBT concerns.  I appreciated the "fairness for all" approach.  
When religious people are publicly intimidated, retaliated against, forced from employment or made to suffer personal loss because they have raised their voice in the public square, donated to a cause or participated in an election, our democracy is the loser. This is just as wrong as persecution or retaliation against LGBT people.
We should, in this country, be able to hold discussions and seek solutions in a civil manner.  It's OK to hold differing opinions, but not to resort to personal attack and name-calling.  

9.  I'm thankful for the chance I've had to think about how I communicate with others.  I'm teaching the lesson in Relief Society tomorrow at church.  I'm leading a discussion based on this talk by W. Craig Zwick. Basically, the idea is that when you are communicating with others, you should consider what they are thinking, what is driving their actions, before you speak. He starts his talk with a rather dramatic example--go read it.  I think many misunderstandings could be eliminated if we learned the heart of another before we opened our mouths.  

10.  I'm thankful for John.  He's been putting in long hours at work this week.  (We're fortunate that he works from home, though, so even when he works overtime, he still is around.) Despite his busy schedule, he surprised me with flowers for no reason this week. How sweet of him to be thinking of me when I know he's had a lot of other things on his mind!




Well, these middle-of-the-night hours are ticking by, but I still think to myself, "What a wonderful world."  What things are you thankful for this week?  Link up and/or comment, and I'll check back after some more shut-eye!  


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Comments

  1. Stunning pics, as usual!! Lovely, lovely, lovely. And so glad that you had family time too!

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    1. Thanks, Michelle. Rainy days provide good subject matter. :-)

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  2. Looks like a great week from the photos. Getting to Disney often would be right on my list. And the hub that brought those lovely roses, so nice. The freedom of opinion and freedom of speech are thankful items. Bashing someone for their way of life, whether you agree with it or not in the name of free speech/opinion is not. It's all about compassion and honoring others' differences.

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    1. I do enjoy Disneyland, but I'll probably not try to visit Olaf with the granddaughters anytime soon. :-)

      Compassion is so necessary, and should be a two-way street.

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  3. Beautiful pictures and a truly wonderful world.

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  4. Ohhh the colours in those roses are almost velvety, they're so intense! Good for John.

    NOW I understand the tweet about the watermelon! The only thing I would love more, is if it had been upholstered in green, just to be fun :D

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    Replies
    1. Oh, I didn't even think to check inside to see the upholstery!

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  5. Such a cute story about your granddaughter -- Scary. That would have been me. Glad that you've had a great week. And what a true blogger, getting your post done while fighting off sleep. ;) Have a great week, Kristi.

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    1. How kind of you to call me a true blogger; I haven't been posting much lately, other than TToT posts. I hope to get back to blogging more frequently, but haven't quite found the balance yet. :-)

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  6. What a funny car - I would love to see that! And that is a seriously large Olaf. I think I'd be a bit scared, too.
    Your roses are beautiful - such a deep color! I grabbed some light/dark cloud photos this week, too. I think you saw those.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I did see your beautiful photos. :-) I always find it interesting how bloggers all over the world can post similar photos in the same week.

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  7. "I think many misunderstandings could be eliminated if we learned the heart of another before we opened our mouths.
    very much agree, while at the Doctrine we might say, 'see the world as the other person is experiencing it' they are both ambitions cut from the same cloth.
    (in fact, as I read it again, I think… that is how that idea is manifested in the worldview of rogers. the heart and emotions being the way you relate yourself to the world around you)
    cool

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    Replies
    1. Interesting: the Wakefield Doctrine as taught by a clark, scott, roger. . .

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  8. Yes. That first picture says it all! Very different to watch characters in a video, on a small screen and then meet them "in person", all giant sized! Yes, "scary":)
    What stands out to me in the cloud pic is the tree. I love the 3 dimesionality of the tree. It's a little on the surreal side.
    I'm with you on #9. We should be mindful of how events and situations manifest differently for each of us. I use the Doctrine quite often on a daily basis as a tool to not only communicate better with people but to listen better. With hopefully better understanding.
    It is a wonderful world Kristi. Thanks for reminding us:)

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  9. I loved the picture of the clouds with the tree in the foreground. Gorgeous! Couldn't agree more on the religious freedoms statements, and I thought of you when I read that statement earlier in the week. Satchmo disappeared when I read about the watermelons. Then I thought of, "Just plant a little watermelon on my grave and let the juice...slip through..." Do you know that song? My grandfather thought they were the most perfect fruit, but I think I'm with you on raspberries. Or peaches.

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    Replies
    1. I don't know that song, but now I want to! It reminds me of "Homegrown Tomatoes." Do you know that song?

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  10. The clouds, the sunset, and the flowers John has given you... they are all beautiful.

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  11. We will be heading to Disneyland this week ourselves. Girly hated those characters too-she called them Big Heads. I didn't even attempt it until she had the fear managed.

    The sunsets this week have been fantastic. It's nice to see all the colors. Love your pictures.

    We all need to listen more, talk less and form opinions carefully. I look forward to the day when dialogue can happen.

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  12. Flowers for no reason are the best flowers of all! Glad you've had a great week.

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  13. What a wonderful world, indeed. The idea of that watermelon car cracks me up. Do you remember "Le Car?" I don't think they were around for long but once I saw one with a plate that said "Le Plate" which is really nothing like your watermelon car but popped into my head just now.
    YAY for surprise flowers and I've decided that huge costume people are indeed scary. Tucker says so and now your granddaughters have confirmed. Happy Monday!

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