View Full Version : What are you grateful for?
Today I asked my DH this question. His response "that we have more than enough". I commented that if the market crashed I would eat beans before I would go back to work. His comment.... we eat beans now and THEY ARE GOOD!:laff: I am thrilled he feels the same as I do.
Good health, plain and simple. EVERYTHING can crash, but when one has their health, IMV (in my view), one has it all!
So much! Just glad to be alive and part of all that is going on right now.
Feeling warm after a really cold walk, snuggling into a warm bed, a full freezer, tasty bacon, sunshine, huggable loveable DH, being proud of our kids, prancing dog during our walk this afternoon, well-fitting and nice looking clothes, helpful cheerful friends, being able to run instead of walk, good books and music....
What Mrs. M. said. I often say I am so thankful that nothing hurts…..yet. I was chatting with an elderly friend and commented how cold it was when I took a 45 minute walk that day and she, using a walker, commented ‘I wish I could walk’. Sometimes I can be so dense.
My good health, my spouse and my three beautiful children. When I had a bad day I just go home and be with them and I go to bed feeling myself again in the evening.
Today, chic comfortable shoes and a deal on mascarpone at my local Grocery Outlet.
First, my family. I have 4 wonderful sons and 9 grandkids, all of whom I am close to who show their love for me, plus I am looking forward to the birth of my first greatgrandchild next month!
I am also grateful for my good health, other than my broken back from a fall a couple of years ago.
Gardenarian
1-7-12, 12:12am
Tonight the stars and the moon are really amazing, so I am grateful for them - and for my ability to see and appreciate them as well!
Simplemind
1-7-12, 12:22am
My sister who is helping me navigate through our mother's last days.
My community, which is thoughtful, intelligent, and fun (even the parts of it that are of different political or religious beliefs). I am so grateful to be where I am.
Today I am greatful for everything and everyone in my life. Life in the last few months has been a bumpy ride to say the least. I did not know husband and I could be as strong as we are. Although life took a turn we were never expecting or could have imagined, we know now we can get though anything life tosses at us.
And I am grateful for my new adult dog adoption, Polly Noodles!
I'm thankful that I've come to realize that I was making some real mistakes in how I was living my life. Thankful it didn't take any longer than it has. I'm especially grateful for the strong bond I have with my husband. I don't know too many people who are lucky enough to experience something like we have.
I'm thankful for my smart, responsible, well-rounded son. He's an amazing kid. I'm so thankful that he's made parenthood the pleasure that it is. So many kids are very CHALLENGING compared to him.
We have our health-we're all probably at our healthiest in years, we financially are without too many worries, and we have each other.
Life is good.
militaryman
2-28-12, 11:02am
Thankful for ..... My Fed. Tax Refund just hit the checking account and I immediately applied it to my HELOC which is the last bit of debt I have.... $8,140 to go on HELOC
That I could write a check for a new-to-us car with fewer miles on it.
I'm grateful that the vegetables I've been putting off eating are salvageable. They'll all be used today. Bacon-wrapped poppers for lunch!
Today, I'm also grateful for the VA and entitlement programs that will enable an acquaintance to quit the job that is worsening their progressive COPD and likely go on permanent disability. I'm thankful we still have a safety net in place.
I'm also grateful for the VA hospital and my VA benefits - although I don't consider them an entitlement program, more something I earned due to something I incurred/lost while in the service. I'm also grateful that I learned very young that I am MUCH happier with free and inexpensive activities (and lifestyle) rather than an expensive ones. That being frugal and living spartanly suits me more than living extravagently and needing to keep up with the Jones.
Like others I am grateful for my health. So many boomers take daily meds I'm lucky that I don't need any. I'm also grateful that through my own frugality and planning I was able to retire early. Seeing what has happened to so many people during the housing crisis I'm very grateful to have paid off my mortgage a few years ago.
What Mrs.-M said, and for my magnificant cat, a miracle I live with every day. Her exquisite thick, shiny fur is just awesome, as is her IQ. I'm also thankful for a nice, cozy house, plenty of good food, and being in a safe place. I was stunned by the news reports today of tornadoes in the Midwest. This sort of thing seems to bypass the Philadelphia area.
Jemima. Have you noticed that the older you get, the more appreciative and grateful you are Re: good health? When I was younger, I never gave good health much thought, because as a younger person we tend to not invest much time over the thought of sickness/illness, but as one ages and grows, the realities of life tend to spike, causing one not to be so blind.
P.S. So glad to know you aren't effected by tornadoes.
My daughter. Don't let anyone tell you kids aren't worth the aggravation and carbon footprint.
Single malt scotch (see above).
Jays barbeque flavor potato chips.
The Constitution of the United States.
Coleman Hawkins.
The written word.
I am grateful for Today! A warm and sunny day, early in MI.
I am grateful there exist things like emergency veterinarians. And I am grateful to still have my loyal little dog at my side, because of them.
I'm grateful because my I am aging right on schedule
I'm grateful because I have five hours to sit in the airport before my plane takes off
I'm grateful because I have about 30 hours of work I have to finish in about 20 hours time
Hope I don't sound flip about this, but come on--being grateful for health and family is the easy stuff. Can't we stretch ourselves a little? So what if you don't have a garden patch to be grateful for? Can't you be grateful for the Tarmac? Anne Frank has a beautiful passage about gazing at the blue sky from the confines of her annex prison. Thoreau said "the setting sun is reflected from the windows of the alms-house as brightly as from the rich man's abode."
Meister Eckhart says that if the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. What is the tough stuff you can be thankful for?
Good challenge, Catherine.
I'm grateful for the 12 hours I had to kill before being able to catch a flight home. I was able to finish my book, do some great people-watching, make a couple of new friends, visit a museum, do about three miles of walking meditation in the airport concourses, and catch a nap.
I'm grateful for the six hours' sleep I've been able to enjoy over the past two nights. The exhaustion has put me in a dreamy, letting-go state, where I have no energy or desire to push back again trivial stresses.
I'm struggling to find something to be grateful for about a 3:00am wake-up to the doggy ER. But I guess I covered that already. I am grateful to have turned out to be the kind of person who still gets tears of joy in her eyes when cuddling a little (healing) dog.
simple living life
6-11-12, 7:50am
hi.
survived several serious illnesses and events.
thats i´m grateful for.
i`m alive despite all that.
Dry roof over my head. Heat in the winter and warm clothes. Healthy food and my library card. I'm happy!
I am grateful that:
*I could sit outside on our deck early to wake up slowly, watch the chipmunk racing around, the cedar waxwings feed on the service berry, the rabbit checking out the clover and visit with DH before the day started
*I could rototill the garden today,
*plant my 20 dahlias and dozen dusty millers,
*harvest the rest of the leaf lettuce
*seed 4 rows of beans to freeze, can and share with our neighbour if the beans grow well
*relax in a warm bath to ease my tired muscles
*have been invited out to dinner at my other neighbour's who is respectful of our low-carb choices and DH enjoys visiting her.
Life is good!!!!
ApatheticNoMore
6-11-12, 4:05pm
Today. Having survived a day of fasting yesterday. First day in my life I ever tried to go a whole day without food. And I did (though I woke up a little early today to eat :) - still was over 24 hours). It's strangely liberating, empowering. Uh oh, *cough* eating disorder *cough*. And I'm greatful to be able to eat again! :) Body is a little ragged from the strain now and a bit ravenous (and yet while doing the fast I felt so calm ...).
happystuff
6-16-12, 1:46pm
What is the tough stuff you can be thankful for?
Challenge accepted!
I am thankful that... from the death of my one child, I am (hopefully!) learning to be a better parent to my other children.
Challenge accepted!
I am thankful that... from the death of my one child, I am (hopefully!) learning to be a better parent to my other children.
Wow. God bless you.
Sad Eyed Lady
9-8-12, 10:33am
Today. Body is a little ragged from the strain now and a bit ravenous (and yet while doing the fast I felt so calm ...).
That is the thing I have always noticed when fasting, the calmness. I don't understand the connection, but I feel it every time.
Sad Eyed Lady
9-8-12, 10:37am
All the things I am truly thankful for include, excellent health (including eyesight and hearing - something I never want to take for granted); more than enough of most things (food, shelter, needs and even wants). But, my one outstanding thing I am thankful other than these basic ones is my love of reading. I cannot imagine not reading. And also for free public libraries! I can read all I want and it never costs me a cent.
I'm thankful my recalcitrant knee seems to be nearly back to what passes for normal again. It's warm here, and the bird bath needs water.
Wow Happystuff, kudos to you. I am in awe. Most of the famillies I've known who have lost a child were hopelessly broken as a result. I do work with an amazing woman who lost an infant to a cancer-like blood disease, and came through it happy and strong and are she and her DH are now the parents of two beautiful, healthy kids. Matty was their first child and so beloved and wanted; so I've always been really impressed by their ability to keep on loving him, but move on and live happy lives. She & I also have a really nice relationship although I'm all about furry animals and not human type children.
I'm grateful that DH's kidney cancer earlier this year was the kick in the butt that finally got us to stop smoking. I'm hoping that someday we'll look back at the misery he (we) suffered and say that at least it gave us many more happier, healthier years together. Today is our 8-month smoke-free anniversary, and we are very pleased with ourselves.
I am grateful for this thread that gives me the place to write that I felt happiness yesterday, for the first time in, maybe, ten years.
I am alive, in my new home, with my cat and a sofa on which both of us can sit and be safe, something I did not believe could ever, ever happen.
I am grateful for so many of the things already mentioned, as well as meaningful work, my daughter and all of her guys, friends and for understanding that doing the right things for the right reasons is its own reward.
I am grateful for my family. My kids, my husband, my parent, my siblings, my friends. I am blessed, and everyday I am grateful for what i have.
Tussiemussies
9-8-12, 11:53pm
Happy stuff, am so very sorry to hear of the loss of your child...
Love this thread!
I am grateful for so much that has already been mentioned but the abundance of wonderful food being locally harvested, ample rain after a long drought, new friends and new activities started this summer have been special highlights.
One thing that I realized that I had never even been courteous enough to do was to be grateful for my own G-d-given talents and acquired skills. Not that they are so terrific or awe-inspiring, but they are there and I have been able to use them in my life. I wasn't humble or grateful enough to be thankful, but instead, by thinking and saying things like "oh, I wish I were X-er (smarter, prettier, a better singer/writer/teacher/businesswoman, etc.)," I was being insulting about what I had already been given, completely for free--through genetics, good fortune, good parenting, good education, or whatever. In other words, I couldn't have built the abilities and skills I now have, use, and benefit from, if it weren't for all the other people and factors that helped me develop them. So I'm grateful now, and am surprised that it took me this long to figure this matter out! :)
Tussiemussies
9-9-12, 1:44pm
One thing that I realized that I had never even been courteous enough to do was to be grateful for my own G-d-given talents and acquired skills. Not that they are so terrific or awe-inspiring, but they are there and I have been able to use them in my life. I wasn't humble or grateful enough to be thankful, but instead, by thinking and saying things like "oh, I wish I were X-er (smarter, prettier, a better singer/writer/teacher/businesswoman, etc.)," I was being insulting about what I had already been given, completely for free--through genetics, good fortune, good parenting, good education, or whatever. In other words, I couldn't have built the abilities and skills I now have, use, and benefit from, if it weren't for all the other people and factors that helped me develop them. So I'm grateful now, and am surprised that it took me this long to figure this matter out! :)
That is so great Selah that you were able to switch gears on your thinking and turn a negative into a positive. Glad for you, it must really feel like a sense of mental freedom... Glad for you!:)
Grateful it's past Labor Day and we're slowly saying goodbye to another brutal summer.
Temperatures > 100 degreesF = bad; < 100 degreesF = livable.
chrisgermany
9-11-12, 3:55am
Grateful that I met DH very early, when I was 21 and that we both recognized that our relationship had "potential". Now, 32 years later we are still happy to have found and protected our love.
Grateful that I was raised in a family that valued books and education and exposed me to solid money management (= Debt is only acceptable to finance a house and should be paid off asap).
Tussiemussies
9-11-12, 3:22pm
My sister who is helping me navigate through our mother's last days.
So very sorry simple mind...
Simpler at Fifty
9-11-12, 3:50pm
I spent 3 1/2 hrs with my friend with terminal cancer yesterday. We had a serious talk. She is 45. She called the funeral home last week to make plans, started giving family members things they can enjoy now and has a list of things they can have after she passes. She doesn't feel she will see the first of the year. But will be grateful if she does. She kept telling their 13 yr old dog that he needed to last longer than her because 'Daddy will need you after Momma is gone'. It was all I could do not so sob. We did some reminiscing and got some good hearty laughs in too. She is still getting chemo and has 2 more rounds before they do an MRI to see if it is 'helping'. She will decide then (in about 5 weeks) if she will continue the chemo. She started with Pancreatic ca last Sept. Surgery was a success and everything came back clean. In May she started having pain in her sternum and the cancer metastized to her bones. There is a 1% chance of that with Pancreatic cancer. We talked about how pets are treated more humanely than many terminally ill people. Today she is getting DNR and POA for healthcare papers from her Dr. There is a benefit for her in two weeks and the amount of donations is unbelievable. She is humbled by the support.
So I am grateful for many things today.
It is 78 degrees and the dew point is 48. The sky a clear, cornflower blue and it is a beautiful early fall day. It was also this beautiful yesterday. I'm about to go to the river for a walk. It's magnificent right now.
Simpler at Fifty
9-16-12, 7:14pm
I am grateful for our bounty of tomatoes this year. Two months ago we had blossom end rot on every tomato. I added some tums around each plant and we have the best looking tomatoes ever. We canned marinara sauce and tomato juice. DH is making picante sauce this week.
Today I wanted to make apple crisp and I am grateful I could get two quarts of apple pie filling from the basement and empty them in the bakng dish. Canning is so worth it for us.
Tussiemussies
9-16-12, 10:48pm
Simpler at 50 just wonder what does tums do for tomato plants? Do you mean Tums the antiacid that people take for their stomach?
Thanks.
Tums has calcium, and tomatoes need calcium to prevent blossom end rot (among other things). Calcium is used by the plant to make cell walls and a stronger cell wall is less susceptible to diseases.
I am grateful for this life, for the 24 fresh hours I get back into my account every morning to do with whatever I like. Tonight I'm sitting on the front porch watching the sun go down, watching the elk nibbling the lawn, sipping one glass of good red wine. I live simply, but very well. Can't wait for tomorrow.
Herbgeek, we keep and smash all the shells from the eggs we eat, and put a spoonful in each tomato's planting hole for the same reason. No more blossom-end rot.
Tussiemussies
9-20-12, 10:47pm
Tums has calcium, and tomatoes need calcium to prevent blossom end rot (among other things). Calcium is used by the plant to make cell walls and a stronger cell wall is less susceptible to diseases.
Thanks Herbgeek, how do you apply them?
Tussiemussies
9-20-12, 10:48pm
Herbgeek, we keep and smash all the shells from the eggs we eat, and put a spoonful in each tomato's planting hole for the same reason. No more blossom-end rot.
Great idea!
I would think that Tums would be a particularly pricy way to apply calcium. I use either gypsum (if don't want to increase the pH of my soil) or lime(if I do want to increase the pH) in my garden for calcium, along with eggshells in the compost pile. Way cheaper on a per pound basis. But if you really wanted to use Tums, I guess I'd just crush them and apply the dust around the base of the plant and lightly scratch in.
Durian. More specifically, durian milkshakes like the one I drank yesterday at a new Vietnamese restaurant. A worthy indulgence.
Tussiemussies
9-21-12, 2:14pm
Grateful for my husband, who treats me like a Princess and our little rat terrier, Nellie. I love them both so much! P.S. we are married for 27 years!
Today I was taking my usual morning bike ride that goes past a sort of seedy little park. It was misting rain and the cottonwood trees were starting to change with fall color. Under one of the green and yellow trees was a bald old man with grey beard sitting in a folding chair. He had a music stand with some sheet music and a french horn. I stopped for a while to listen and we were the only ones around. He was playing some of the most wonderful melodies on his horn.
Today is another day to be thankful for just life. My son is clean 11 months now. Though I have no control over that, everything will be pale in comparison to this :cool:
My job.
And yesterday, I saw two monarch butterflies and a praying mantis!
Our favorite lake front park, weather in the seventies with a breeze, and a stock-up session at the local Asian supermarket.
Tussiemussies
9-25-12, 7:51pm
My dear husband who treats me like a princess and our precious, beautiful dog Nellie...
That our family members get along so well--one bird, four dogs, DH and me. That we're all alive at the same tme and know each other real well. To paraphrase from an Adrienne Rich poem, that somehow we help each other live and somewhere we will help each other die.
Tussiemussies
9-29-12, 3:24pm
I'm grateful for my sweet husband and dog and for the changing of the season. Each season has it's own beauty and feeling, in my opinion and I am enjoying the start of fall and all the beautiful farm stands with their pretty displays...:)
Gardenarian
10-15-12, 7:27pm
I am grateful for the kind, intelligent, and thoughtful people I work with. And I'm grateful for rain.
JaneV2.0
10-15-12, 11:04pm
Thriving no-kill animal shelters in Portland and Seattle, awash in volunteers.
CeciliaW
10-15-12, 11:06pm
I really had to work hard to find something to be grateful for today.
It is.. a dry towel.
Wildflower
10-15-12, 11:24pm
I'm grateful for my life, my family, my home, and my pets.
And that I can still walk some. Spinal problems are causing me to lose my ability to walk.
Polliwog
10-16-12, 12:51am
I am very grateful for my improved lung disease results after seeing my wonderful Dr today at UCLA Med Center. I am a happy camper tonight.
So happy for you, Polliwog!
rodeosweetheart
12-9-12, 3:52pm
my lawnmower--it is an awesome mulcher, and I can rake the leaves them use them as mulch around my azaleas.
My best friend from college--we are still friends after 36 years.
leslieann
12-10-12, 2:02pm
Is this a bumped thread? I love seeing the "old" dates and knowing that gratitude has been flowing here for a long time.....I am grateful for a snow day which meant a little slower at the office (so I can check the SLF) and have time to think, not just react.
Snow looks beautiful. I am also grateful for dinner in the crockpot (smells good) which helps me with my "what shall we EAT?" anxiety.
Grateful for colleagues who feel supportive. I work alone and when I need support it is great to know I can email or pick up the phone and there is someone in my network to listen for just a bit.
JaneV2.0
12-11-12, 12:45pm
Cozy bedding, mild weather, a well-stocked craft store.
Tussiemussies
12-11-12, 2:07pm
Contemplating the birth of Jesus who ushered in the Christ Consciousness, thinking about the glory of God. loving my hard working husband who does it all for our benefit and our precious dog that I just love ever so much...
Tussiemussies
12-11-12, 2:08pm
My sister who is helping me navigate through our mother's last days.
So very sorry for you simplemind.
Gardenarian
12-12-12, 4:56pm
Books. I am so grateful for books.
The kindness of strangers.
On A Friday morning in October at 7:30 am my phone rang and a stranger on the phone named Mary told me that my husband was thrown from his car and she was holding his hand while he laid in the road. This kind woman told me to talk to him now because she didn't know if I would ever have the chance again.
My mind worked quickly....it must be a mistake....my husband wears his seatbelt so she had the wrong wife. She was not wrong. My husbands vehicle was hit by a tractor trailer whle he was stopped at a traffic light and it tore the drivers side of his car off and pulled him and his seatbelt out of the car and threw him 20 feet from his car where he slid on the gravel road until he hit into another vehicle and was stopped.
A nightmare story to be sure. However much to be thankful for in all of it. Not being a person of intense faith I am not sure who to be thankful to the most. My husband will live, he will walk and he eventually will resume pretty close to his normal life.
Mary the stranger from the accident stayed at the scene and talked to me from her cell phone for the 1 1/2 hours it took me to navigate through the traffic caused by the accident to get to the hospital. She stayed with him until the paramedics took him, she found out where they were taking him so I could follow, she gave his wallet and the $5.00 she found from it to the police who returned it to me, and she cried later that day when I called her back and told her he would live. She didn't cry once while she talked me through it all that morning.
Thank you Mary.
Sending my thanks to Mary, too. Gratitude is offered to us in every conceivable opportunity and moment, thankfully, most often, in much smaller degrees than for you and your husband. And, for Mary. It is wonderful and comforting to know that angels come in human form.
leslieann
12-30-12, 3:53pm
Wow, TMC, thank you for posting your story. That's quite a moment of support. I hope Mary is well and happy, somewhere out there, and that your spouse continues to recover and heal.
The kindness of strangers.
On A Friday morning in October at 7:30 am my phone rang and a stranger on the phone named Mary told me that my husband was thrown from his car and she was holding his hand while he laid in the road.
.....
Thank you Mary.
Thank YOU for sharing this story.
After my father was in a car accident far from home, someone from the hospital wrote my mom a letter describing my dad's short stay at the small-town hospital. He was airlifted to a bigger hospital but didn't survive. That letter meant the world to me, and I'm so grateful that my dad spent his last few moments with someone who was kind. She wrote us he wasn't in pain, and that still makes me cry with relief.
Thank you, Mary, for your phone call. What a kind, kind person.
Sending my thanks to Mary, too. Gratitude is offered to us in every conceivable opportunity and moment, thankfully, most often, in much smaller degrees than for you and your husband. And, for Mary. It is wonderful and comforting to know that angels come in human form.
My thoughts exactly.
A tough thing to happen, TMC, but glad to hear the prognosis is very good.
Happiness , simple living and the will to make it work.The simpler I live the happier I feel. Less things, less problems. Satisfaction in finishing what I start and thankful for second chance at life. Will try my best to make it meaningful. Thanks for bringing up this topic. I believe everyone should start to answer these questions in their lives. They don't cost money just some soul searching.Gratitude is the first step.
BarbieGirl
5-19-13, 12:26am
Just got home from a benefit some friends and I helped put together. It was for a friend with MS. I was so thankful we were able to help a friend in need get a stairlift and hopefully other essentials he needs. It was a huge success!
I'm grateful for finding these old friends of my youth again in middle age via FB. If nothing else, our rekindling friendship has helped someone in need.
My heart is so full tonight.
Barbie
Grateful that I made a safe 3000 km trip to family for an SIL's interment and to scatter some of DH's ashes on his parents graves. Such warmth and welcome from extended family is so wonderful.
I find that whenever I start to feel down, depressed or angry about anything, if I start counting my blessings of any kind, the negative feeling is neutralized and overcome. Sometimes it is a struggle but the results are worth it.
I try to start each morning with a list of gratitudes and it gets my day going on the right foot and keeps me there.
HappyHiker
5-22-13, 10:08pm
Ah, it's the simplest things that are so meaningful in my life:
--my beloved husband
--dear friends
--a dry roof overhead (that's paid for..yay!)
--enough nourishing food
--birds that sing, flowers that bloom, air that's fresh, the embracing and bracing ocean, brooks that sing, all the woodland, marsh and sea creatures
--music, art, books, plays, libraries
--chocolate
Tussiemussies
5-22-13, 10:27pm
First, my family. I have 4 wonderful sons and 9 grandkids, all of whom I am close to who show their love for me, plus I am looking forward to the birth of my first greatgrandchild next month!
I am also grateful for my good health, other than my broken back from a fall a couple of years ago.
Hi Lizii, how exciting that you are going to be a great-grandmother!!! You will have to keep us posted...Chris
Tussiemussies
5-22-13, 10:28pm
Now that you have all brought it up, I am grateful for my health too. :). Along with my sweetest husband and our precious dog Nellie and our new home....along with our families!
Woo-hoo to being a great-grandmother, 'cuz I am sure you are already a really great grandmother.
I am grateful that I do not have to work tomorrow.
I just saw this poem by W.S. Merwin, and he expresses my thoughts about gratitude perfectly, and says it SO much better than I ever could.
Listen
with the night falling we are saying thank you
we are stopping on the bridges to bow for the railings
we are running out of the glass rooms
with our mouths full of food to look at the sky
and say thank you
we are standing by the water looking out
in different directions.
back from a series of hospitals back from a mugging
after funerals we are saying thank you
after the news of the dead
whether or not we knew them we are saying thank you
looking up from tables we are saying thank you
in a culture up to its chin in shame
living in the stench it has chosen we are saying thank you
over telephones we are saying thank you
in doorways and in the backs of cars and in elevators
remembering wars and the police at the back door
and the beatings on stairs we are saying thank you
in the banks that use us we are saying thank you
with the crooks in office with the rich and fashionable
unchanged we go on saying thank you thank you
with the animals dying around us
our lost feelings we are saying thank you
with the forests falling faster than the minutes
of our lives we are saying thank you
with the words going out like cells of a brain
with the cities growing over us like the earth
we are saying thank you faster and faster
with nobody listening we are saying thank you
we are saying thank you and waving
dark though it is
frugal-one
5-30-13, 8:49pm
I am so happy!!! Everyday I wake up and am thankful for what I have. If I died tomorrow .... at least I got to retire and live life on my terms. It is so awesome to spend each day the way you want. Imagine!!
I am grateful for a few things this week, and there is still two more days to go.
On Tuesday I received a phone call whilst at the laundromat. I have been accepted to be part of the county (maybe state, not sure) team that helps us old folk to choose or change our Medicare advantage or supplemental health care plans. Yay!
Later, as I was driving home, a doe and her spotty and gangly-legged fawn came out of the woods right where I was. She took a look at the traffic, which was me, and smoothly u-turned back into the woods. Her baby never took his eyes off of her butt and flowed smoothly behind her. I have seen pictures and films with fawns, even seen them at our zoo, but this is the first time that I have ever seen one in person. Just blew me away.
This morning, as I was making coffee, I was once again struck with how amazing it is to have fresh, clean and delicious water. This is something I often take for granted. I am also grateful the the yummy coffee I had before starting my day.
iris lilies
5-30-13, 11:33pm
Today was one of those Miracles of Nature days.
First thing this morning, I notice my brick red iris in full bloom. I've had it for 4 or 5 years and it has never bloomed! I don't have the right place for it (it likes full sun and boggy conditions) but I keep it around because someday I will have the right place for it and its color is unique Well, evidently it thought that it's in the right place.
When I got home from work I saw a Goldfinch on top of a tomato cage. He stayed there for quite a while. In my mind I thought "wouldn't it be great if one of the red cardinals came along and I could see the two together?" and then a red cardinal flew in and sat on the ground by the goldfinch. They were stunning together! I've not seen a goldfinch in our yard ever.
Today was one of those Miracles of Nature days.
First thing this morning, I notice my brick red iris in full bloom. I've had it for 4 or 5 years and it has never bloomed! I don't have the right place for it (it likes full sun and boggy conditions) but I keep it around because someday I will have the right place for it and its color is unique Well, evidently it thought that it's in the right place.
When I got home from work I saw a Goldfinch on top of a tomato cage. He stayed there for quite a while. In my mind I thought "wouldn't it be great if one of the red cardinals came along and I could see the two together?" and then a red cardinal flew in and sat on the ground by the goldfinch. They were stunning together! I've not seen a goldfinch in our yard ever.
The poor iris finally figured it had to "bloom where it was planted," obviously. And the goldfinch/cardinal thing? Woo-woo synchronicity of the best kind!
I just saw this poem by W.S. Merwin, and he expresses my thoughts about gratitude perfectly, and says it SO much better than I ever could.
Listen
with the night falling we are saying thank you
we are stopping on the bridges to bow for the railings
we are running out of the glass rooms
with our mouths full of food to look at the sky
and say thank you
we are standing by the water looking out
in different directions.
back from a series of hospitals back from a mugging
after funerals we are saying thank you
after the news of the dead
whether or not we knew them we are saying thank you
looking up from tables we are saying thank you
in a culture up to its chin in shame
living in the stench it has chosen we are saying thank you
over telephones we are saying thank you
in doorways and in the backs of cars and in elevators
remembering wars and the police at the back door
and the beatings on stairs we are saying thank you
in the banks that use us we are saying thank you
with the crooks in office with the rich and fashionable
unchanged we go on saying thank you thank you
with the animals dying around us
our lost feelings we are saying thank you
with the forests falling faster than the minutes
of our lives we are saying thank you
with the words going out like cells of a brain
with the cities growing over us like the earth
we are saying thank you faster and faster
with nobody listening we are saying thank you
we are saying thank you and waving
dark though it is
catherine, really loved this, thanks for posting.
Tussiemussies
5-31-13, 9:28pm
Today was one of those Miracles of Nature days.
First thing this morning, I notice my brick red iris in full bloom. I've had it for 4 or 5 years and it has never bloomed! I don't have the right place for it (it likes full sun and boggy conditions) but I keep it around because someday I will have the right place for it and its color is unique Well, evidently it thought that it's in the right place.
When I got home from work I saw a Goldfinch on top of a tomato cage. He stayed there for quite a while. In my mind I thought "wouldn't it be great if one of the red cardinals came along and I could see the two together?" and then a red cardinal flew in and sat on the ground by the goldfinch. They were stunning together! I've not seen a goldfinch in our yard ever.
Sounds so beautiful with the iris and birds. You got your wish!
Was walking across a bridge on my first day of summer (school's out!) and I caught my breath to realize "this moment, right now, life is amazing" - of course, then I had to walk up a very steep hill but kept climbing listening to Dick Gorden's "The Story" on APR and appreciating the ability to put one foot in front of the other!!
Beautiful, chrissieq!
P.S. Love "The Story" as well. :)
happystuff
6-21-13, 6:26pm
Tomorrow would have been my son's 20th birthday. I'm sooooooo grateful for the time we had. :)
Today I am thankful that my adult son is now off all medications he was on to help him through his recovery process. Today is a day we all including himself ever wondered if it would come. Clean since 10-19-11.
happystuff, I am glad you had the time with your son you were given.
I'm *super* thankful for my very good friend Sylvia and my supervisor/friend/colleague Martyn.
Simpler at Fifty
7-18-13, 8:07am
I am grateful for 3 work from home days. Being an introvert and working with 'extra' extroverts the quiet time does me good. I have never seen so many people that need to share every detail of their lives. It is exhausting. Even facebook was not this exhausting but then I never spent 8 hours a day there.
GOD in my life! Everything else is secondary!
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