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Ten Things of Thankful: Catching Up Again

 

Stock photo of two hands placed upon an open notebook, preparing to write

Have you ever attempted to keep a journal, only to realize that somehow your last entry was from weeks, months, or even years ago? The thought of trying to adequately report on the events of the elapsed time is overwhelming. What happens then? Do you ignore the missing days and just pick up from the present? Do you give a perfunctory accounting, or do you painstakingly try to recreate the past and vow to never again get so far behind? 

I'm still trying to figure out just which method I will take for this blog, though I'm leaning toward the middle of the road idea of using a few words and photos in reflection, moving on, and calling it good. If the Bible can be as succinct as "And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:10), then surely I can be forgiven for glossing over September and October.

The plan after John's retirement was to fit in as much travel as we could, while we could. Life has a funny way of throwing curveballs and we wanted to enjoy some time together while life is relatively calm. We've visited some amazing places this past year and I would say made some lasting memories, although with the whirlwind pace we've taken, I must admit some of the experiences we've had are starting to blur together a bit. 

At the end of August, we flew to England and went on two, two-week cruises. One traveled through the fjords of Norway and also made stops in Germany and Denmark. The other visited Finland, Sweden, Germany, Estonia, as well as Denmark.  Between the cruises, we  rented a car and bravely drove on the left hand side of the roads up to Scotland, then back down through England to the port of Southampton. (And by "we" I mean  John drove while I tried time and time again to figure out just which exit on the roundabouts we needed to take.) 

Meanwhile, while we were overseas, we felt the ripples of several news stories: 1. Charlie Kirk was assassinated. As the token Americans (and Utahns!) on the overwhelmingly British cruise ship, we got asked our feelings about that event. My reply: I believe we should not kill one another. Regardless of our differences, I would hope that we can agree that killing is not OK. 2. Russell M. Nelson, the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints died at the age of 101. Due to his age, that wasn't totally a surprise, but he was also a very healthy, sharp senior, so his death wasn't exactly expected, either. 3. The next day, a man in Michigan drove his truck into a church service of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and started shooting people. President Nelson spoke often of the need for peace, and this act of violence just underscored the timeliness of his message. 

1. I'm thankful for the beauty of the earth. 

2. I'm thankful that most people show kindness and compassion. When faced with hardships, many people show an admirable strength and resiliency of spirit. 

3. I'm thankful for messages of peace and hope. 

Once back in the states, we popped down to California presumably for the birth of a grandchild, but--long story short--she didn't come when expected. During that trip, our car axle broke and our son ended up coming to our rescue and towing our broken down car back to Utah for us. (Another long story short.)

4. I'm thankful for grandchildren.

5. I'm thankful for our children--and our son's willingness to help out his stranded parents!

Then we got together with family for John's dad's 90th birthday. 

6. I'm thankful for extended family. 

Two days later, and practically on a whim, we flew to New Orleans, rented a car and drove through Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee, then flew home from Nashville. We arrived home the day before my brother and his wife came to visit for a couple of days. Assuming their flight isn't impacted by the government shutdown, they will fly home tomorrow. 

7. I'm thankful for music.

8. I'm thankful for lessons taught from history. 

9. I'm thankful for home.

10. I'm thankful for John.

A very abbreviated photo dump--I planned to add more, but my computer is being sooooo slow to load photos, so I'm quitting with these three photos from Norway:

John standing on the top of Pulpit Rock.

Briksdalsbreen glacier on top; lake beneath


the many hairpin turns on the Trollstigen Road

What are you thankful for today? Leave a comment and feel free to link up your own post! 

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Comments

  1. CaiNovember 9, 2025 at 7:39 PM

    Travel photos are always welcome. Its always good to catch up. Use whatever format you're comfortable with to blog. We're always reading the news so maybe your personal updates are more essential.

    ReplyDelete

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