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Ten Things of Thankful: Looking Back, Looking Forward

 

A variety of red and yellow wildflowers bloom in a meadow near Steens Mountain in Oregon

Back in April of 2003, Thomas S. Monson gave a talk in General Conference in which he advised: "Learn from the past, prepare for the future, live in the present." Participating in the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop affords me the chance to look back with gratitude, look forward with optimism, and find satisfaction with the present. Won't you join me in my reflections over the past couple of weeks?

The last time I blogged, I was surrounded by apricots from our very productive tree. Thanks  to friends and neighbors who took the excess off my hands, and to various preservation methods, the work of the harvest is over.

I needed to be done with apricots because we traveled to Oregon for a family reunion. Although in the past we would do the drive in one day, we are learning the joy of slower travel and decided to take two days to complete the journey. Going at a slower pace allowed us to stop and visit sites along the way. We visited Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, Idaho and learned that it is taller than Niagara Falls. (John joked that that is why Niagara Falls is known as "the Shoshone Falls of the East.") 

A rainbow shines in the water at the base of Shoshone Falls

When we arrived in Oregon at my parents' home, I was so happy to see my mom practically skipping around the house. She has healed from her fall earlier this year and is back to her happy self.

The day after we arrived, my sister flew in. John and I picked her up from PDX, which included circling the airport a couple of times as we tried to coordinate a meeting spot. It was a comedy of errors, but I won't go into detail because I really do love my sister and to be fair, I didn't specify that we would pick her up on the arrivals level. 😜 

Laughter continued to flow as we spent time together with our parents. We enjoyed Scrabble games and watching the cute baby deer that call my parents' property home. 

Two spotted fawns look up after drinking from the bird bath

Saturday the 19th was the reunion. We were small in number, but it was good to see extended family, including an aunt I hadn't seen in years. 

My mom, dad, and sister. (As you can see, my mom's wrist has healed enough to be helping my dad with his suspender straps!)

The next day, I drove my sister to catch a shuttle to the airport. (She had an early flight and took pity on me.) John and I attended church with my mom, then we headed toward home. We took a different route back: instead of traveling the Columbia River Gorge, we drove through central Oregon and stayed in Burns. We stopped in Redmond to visit the grave sites of some of my grandparents/great-grandparents and other relatives. 

The tombstone of Donald J. Telfer, my great-grandfather.

After sleeping in Burns at the Silver Spur Motel (which is a little rough around the edges but has the friendliest owner), we drove through the Steens Mountain area. I hadn't been there in decades, and when we started the ascent I was afraid we weren't going to be able to see anything due to the thick fog. Fortunately, the fog lifted and we were privy to spectacular views and beautiful wildflowers. 

Dark clouds hang ominously in the sky, a snow patch remains on the ground, and the deep glacial canyon provides a stunning view.

Wildhorse Lake in the Steens Mountain
We stopped at the Fields Station for milkshakes, at my dad's command. (Twist my arm!) They were big and thick, and delicious even on a cold July day. For being in a middle of nowhere location, Fields Station does well for itself. (And as you can see by the photo, their most profitable years were during the pandemic, when everyone had the same bright idea to travel to the middle of nowhere.)

A sign nailed to the wall in the restaurant shows the yearly number of shakes and burgers sold. 11283 shakes were sold in 2020, as compared to 8003 in 2024.)

We finished our drive home and then jumped into projects here. John had the great idea to swap a guest room with his office. (Don't read any attitude into that last sentence; I fully support the idea!) Anyway, it sounds like a simple enough task, but it isn't so easy. Four rooms of the house have been involved in this, as we play musical chairs (or more accurately, beds, dressers, and bookcases). Oh, and did I mention the set of stairs? Looking forward, this will be a good move, as it allows us to have room for the (future) office to also be used as a guest room as needed. We are still very much in the process of rearranging, but things are starting to take shape. I think this coming week we'll be able to have all the beds actually in their correct rooms and made up. 

1. I'm thankful for apricots and people to help with them.

2. I'm thankful for slower travel and beautiful sites.

3. I'm thankful for my parents.

4. I'm thankful for my sister.

5. I'm thankful for time spent together.

6. I'm thankful for extended family.

7. I'm thankful for my grandparents and great-grandparents.

8. I'm thankful for beautiful views, and tasty milkshake recommendations.

9. I'm thankful for reimagined spaces 

and

10. I'm thankful for John.

Oh, and happy 24th of July, otherwise known in Utah as Pioneer Day. It is a state holiday celebrating the arrival in 1847 of the pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley. I'm thankful for the pioneers and their example of hard work and dedication. 

As you look back over the past week, what are you thankful for? When the past, present, and future can all be tied into gratitude, life's journey is joyful--even if your milkshake is being consumed on a cold, wet day! Check out the other blogs, and feel free to join us! 


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Comments

  1. clarkJuly 27, 2025 at 7:50 PM

    Great news of your mom making a good recovery. Tell her the Doctrine misses her and anytime she'd like to stop by she will be more than welcome.
    Can identify with the pleasant challenge of re-arranging rooms (or more properly their functionality)... and who knew that old(er) furniture becomes denser (and heavier) with time!! What the heck? (We now tend to move furniture using soft (old) towels on the floor and sliding the bureaus and such, rather than lift and carry. One may be quicker but the other more reasonable.)
    have a good week

    ReplyDelete
  2. messymimiJuly 27, 2025 at 8:43 PM

    Someday I would love to travel the slow route instead of always being in a hurry to get to a destination. It sounds like a great visit and the room rearrangement will work out, it always looks awful in the middle of a project.

    ReplyDelete

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