Thankful Me

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. I'll jump right in: 1. I'm thankful for cooperative return policies. Several weeks ago, I mentioned that I had to return a range  that I had purchased, and I hoped that the particular range was just a lemon and that the replacement wouldn't have the same problem. Well, unfortunately, it did. On the bright side, the store quickly picked up the second range and refunded my money. I'm putting appliance purchases on the back burner (!) for the moment.  2. I'm thankful for temples. I went one morning this week to the temple. I'm always amazed at how much insight comes in just an hour or two of reflection.  3. I'm thankful for my sister. She and her family came to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with her in-laws, and I got a chance to see her and her family on Wednesday. The last time I saw her was in January at our grandma's 100th birthday celebration . We feel lucky to have two visits in one year!  4. I'm thankful for

Have you ever read, seen, or heard something that caused you to really take notice? Perhaps it changed the way you thought of a particular concept. Perhaps you understood a situation from another's perspective, in a way you previously did not. One way John and I judge movies is by how much we talk about them afterwards. A well-written script causes us to reflect upon the meaning and talk about how it translates to real life. While talk is good, action is better. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Whatever the initial motivating force--an idea from a book, a speech, a movie, or a life--a magnifying effect occurs as that idea takes hold of one's actions. The acted-upon idea has not only the power to change the individual's life, but others' lives as well.  You might remember that last Christmas I participated in the #LightTheWorld initiative . Each day, for 25 days, we were encouraged to think of a way to follow the example of Jesus Christ. On on

The nationally-designated day of Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and people are preparing for the feast: making lists, grocery shopping, figuring out the logistics of hosting, or making travel plans, if traveling. While all those preparations are good and necessary, Thanksgiving also requires reflection on what it is we are celebrating. What are we thankful for, right now? When I started my blog nearly seven years ago (Wow! Has it really been that long?) , I didn't really have any idea what I was doing, or what I wanted the blog to be. I decided upon the name, Thankful Me, in an effort to develop a greater sense of gratitude within myself. It is altogether too easy to be overwhelmed with life's circumstances, and bad news often screams out, "Listen to me!" Regardless of the trials and distractions that swirl around, though, there is good to be found and gratitude to be expressed. I knew that if I made it a habit to be thankful, I would be a more pleasant person an

I'm nearly late for the link up, so will write a short post this week. I don't want to miss out on an opportunity to express my thanks! 1. I'm thankful for the first snowfall of the season in our backyard. Drexel seemed oblivious. 2. I'm thankful that when I drove up to our new house ("It can't be snowing yet! I'm not done raking leaves!") , I found a sweet welcome banner tied to our porch, and a plate of goodies by the front door. Photo: Orange-with-white-polka-dots plastic triangles, tied with a string to white porch rails, form a bunting banner that spells out "Welcome!" 3. I'm thankful that John and I were able to go to our last Disneyland run. Not only was it the last Disneyland run we have signed up for, it was the  last Disneyland run  period, in the foreseeable future, at least. 4. I'm thankful that the details of the running costume finally came together. Photo: Various pattern pieces lay on top of a go

Hello, November! The sky is cloudy, and precipitation of some kind or another (depending on the forecaster) is in the future.  I've been scouring the local online ads for a snowblower. After extensive research, I located just the one for us. I texted the seller, and agreed on a time for John and I to meet him. Later in the day, I texted again to verify, and was told another interested party would be seeing the snowblower at the same time. At that point, I informed the seller I would pass, as I didn't want to get caught up in a bidding war, and I didn't want to drive the distance to see the snowblower if we weren't going to be able to purchase it. I also didn't think it was fair to the other party to be stuck in the same position. Later that night, I received another text from the seller, informing me that I didn't show up (I already had told him I wouldn't) , and that the other party didn't either. The wording of his text was grandiose and designed t