Thankful Me

  Shadow of a child holding hands and walking between a man and woman My last previous post was November 6, 2020, over 18 months ago. A LOT happened during that time, and at the same time, A LOT didn't happen. Time passed agonizingly slowly and also in the blink of an eye. Our empty nest became very full, but is now empty once again. I'm so rusty at blogging I nearly had to do a google search to remember where I needed to go to even compose a post! However, I still remember how to be thankful, and here are some of the things I have been thankful for over the past year-and-a-half: 1. I am thankful for modern appliances. My washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher have been running multiple times a day over the past year or so, and I am truly thankful they have held up. And robotic vacuums (multiple levels in the house=multiple vacuums) also deserve much praise. (In fact, as I was  replacing a well-worn brush from a vacuum a month or so ago, a little voice next to me said, "It...

  A railroad switch point on the tracks at the Golden Spike National Historic Park There is a lot I don't know. I don't know who will lead the United States for the next four years (at the time I'm composing this post, that hasn't been determined yet.) I don't know when covid cases will stop rising in my state and start decreasing. I don't know how challenging situations will turn out. There is much uncertainty in life. Living in limbo-land is hard. It's emotionally exhausting. It can be immobilizing. My body seems to think chocolate is the answer, but I know that isn't a long-term solution. What do I need in times like these? I need to REMEMBER . 1. R esilience. People are resilient. I am resilient. I'm thankful for resilience. 2. " E ach Life That Touches Ours for Good." So many people, both those I know in "real life," and those I have only met virtually, have taught me, encouraged me, and been examples to me. I'm thankful ...

  A yellow-orange sunset behind mountains, as viewed from my front porch. Red geraniums in white planter boxes line the porch rail. I'm thankful for: 1. Beautiful sunsets. 2. Snowfall. 3. Friends. 4. Flowers. 5.Online shopping. 6. Easy returns. 7. Organized rooms. 8. Prayer. 9. Family. 10. John. What are your ten things this week? Joining me this week: IThrive3:20 The Prolific Pulse messymimi's meanderings A season and a time Artistic Mystic Soul the Wakefield Doctrine Backsies Is What There Is Not Her Headache You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

  A mixed bouquet of pink and purple flowers sits on a round table Last weekend, I celebrated another birthday. I think the earth moves around the sun faster and faster each year, but I can't prove it. Before another minute goes by, let me share my Ten Things of Thankful list for this week. I'm thankful for family: A birthday dinner with my daughter Birthday calls/texts from family members Beautiful flowers from my children A Facetime call with grandchildren. (My grandson repeated three words the entire time: "I am three!" At one point, I told him I would call him Groot.😉)  Drexel and his laid-back nature (The following video shows Drexel on the floor, while the robotic vacuum repeatedly runs into him and starts up his hind leg and tail. Drexel never gets up.) John and his engineering skills. Yesterday, the bishopric of our ward (church congregation) drove around the neighborhood and (taking care to observe covid recommendations) passed out doughnuts to everyone. Eac...

  Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, as viewed from an overlook I apologize for not commenting on your blog posts this past week; John and I took a vacation to Yellowstone National Park, leaving behind our computers and, to a large extent, cell phone service. We escaped the outside world and just spent time in nature. Though we have friends near Yellowstone (who we love to visit) we made this trip just about us, so please forgive us if we were nearby and didn't stop by. The crowds were minimal (though we did mask up whenever we passed someone on the trails) and we spent our days hiking, taking photos, and watching geysers erupt. Today, we are back home and back to work, and, in the case of my computer, back to old shenanigans like not letting me import my photos. (I was able to add the above photo by using blogger on my phone, but that isn't my preferred method.) I want to write about Yellowstone and have photos I want to share, but will leave that for another...

  Drexel the yellow lab intently watching Russell M. Nelson on the TV during General Conference. John's and my feet are visible in the photo, as we are sitting in reclining seats.  Last weekend was General Conference, which was a welcome break from everything stressful going on in the world. The messages were timely and both calmed my spirit and inspired me to do better. Before I share some of the things I heard, though, I have to first share Drexel's good news.  When General Conference started, I snapped the above photo of Drexel intently watching the proceedings, and sent it out in a quick tweet. A few days after conference ended, I was scrolling through Facebook, and saw a link to this ldsliving.com article . Imagine my surprise when I saw my tweet featured! Good boy, Drexel!  When my friend, who some of you may know as Ivy or Zoe, saw that photo she made some improvements to it. I'm thankful for her friendship. Same photo as above, with a speech bubble above my ...

  Jesus Christ stands in an crowd of kneeling worshippers, with the caption "Peace be unto you."  source In last week's post, I expressed gratitude for some things that hadn't actually happened yet, but that I hoped would soon. This week, I'm thankful that some of those things have happened--and I'm still holding out hope that the others will. In addition, I'm thankful in advance for other events.  To revisit last's week's anticipatory items: My air purifier was repaired, the company sent it back to me, and I'm thankful for clean air. The car wash company accepted responsibility for the accident, have authorized a check to be written to the repair company, and I'm thankful I have an appointment scheduled for the new bumper to be installed. The shop did get the van repaired, though not in time for me to renew the tags before the end of September. However, I'm thankful that the state of Utah offers a temporary registration for only $6 whi...