Thanks...Giving...Gratitude...

 

for the beauty of the earth

for the glory of the skies,

for the love which from our birth

over and around us lies,

Lord of all, to thee we raise

this our hymn of Grateful praise.

Follicott S. Pierpoint, 1864

be safe,

be Grateful,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FRIENDS

On this day...

...I thee wed.

(not an accurate depiction of the hubs and i but, it is from our wedding cake)

Thirty six years ago today we stood together and said our vows in front of a church full of family and friends, lit only by candlelight.  Here we are, still standing together, side by side, hand in hand, against the world.  The storms have been rough, the seas high, as we held tight and prayed for Grace.  The joys have been immense...beyond words.  On this day, thirty six years ago, I thee wed...my best friend.  Happy Anniversary Scott.

As time goes by, the countdown begins...

The Pilgrims made

seven times more graves than houses.

no Americans have been

more impoverished than these who,

nevertheless,

set aside a day of thanksgiving.

H.U. Westermayer

...if the pilgrims, who spent days digging graves while their houses lay unbuilt, can take the time to be grateful then I, who sometimes gets lost in self-pity, anger, resentment, then I...I must be grateful.

The next few days will be busy ones as we prepare for the coming together of our family and friends to celebrate and give thanks. 

 Tomorrow, I will take a walk in the woods and see what gifts mother nature has for me to use in my holiday centerpiece. 

I will find Gratitude in this day and look for 'gifts' that I often take for granted.  Sending you the peace and joy that can only come from being grateful.

Heartfelt Friday...

in this life

be kinder than necessary,

for everyone you meet is

fighting some kind of battle.

live simply,

love generously,

care deeply,

speak kindly...

...leave the rest to God.

life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.

it's about learning to dance in the rain.

choose this day

to not simply be alive

but to LIVE.

Simple math...

...wind+rain+flooding=pumpkins floating in the river.

today I am Thankful for a good nights sleep.  It's been eons since I've had one but I remember it well.  Restful, dreaming, relaxing, refreshing, energizing wonderful sleep.  Ahhh, yes, that's what life is all about.  That, and chocolate.  Oh, wait...life is like a box of chocolates...o.k., maybe that explains why my mom always stuck her finger in the centers to see what flavor they were.  What are you Thankful for today?

Tuesdays tids...

...just some bits and pieces from the windmills of my mind (who sang that) that are too small for their own post.

My dog is shedding, huge chunks of golden blonde fur, falling/floating everywhere.  I could make a puppy out of the fur I clean up on a daily basis.

Remember the $5 chair?  Of course not, it was way back last summer.  Anyway, there will be before/after pics some time this week.  Yes, it only took me three months to get it painted and recovered....I suck at this.

Update on Frankentoe:  at my two week check-up xrays showed normal healing with new bone growth, all pins and screws were firmly in place.

At my four week check-up xrays showed no new bone growth, in fact all the previous bone growth was gone.  All pins and screws have migrated to other parts of my toe.  What the hell??  Back in a cast for another week.

I've been keeping our thermostat at 67degrees during the day, 65 degrees at night, which is just a tad bit too cool for me.  Thus, I am wearing leggings, sweatpants, two tank-tops, a long sleeved shirt, two pairs of socks and my normal unders.  I wonder if it's worth that one degree of savings.

What temp do you keep your thermostat set at?
Have a great tuesday y'all.  Be Thankful....as I am today for Tuesdays, so I can spread the misery joy!

Seeing red...

oops!  moving car alert

...I snapped these on my way out of town Saturday.  I had a good 'visit' with someone I love and I feel much better.  So how was your weekend?

Thankful today for that special someone I can talk to in the worst of times.

My missing piece...

in our lives we hunger for the things we cannot touch
all the thoughts unuttered and the feelings unexpressed
play upon our hearts like the mist upon our breath.
but, awoken by grief, our spirits speak:
how could you believe that the life within the seed
that grew arms that reached
and lips that smiled
and eyes that cried
could ever die, could ever die?

lovelovelove is stronger than death...

words by TheThe

Heartfelt Friday...

...I want to thank you all for your comments, e-mails, good thoughts, prayers and hugs.  I can feel them all and it is a salve to my soul.  I am so Blessed to have found such love in such a strange place.

I am hanging in, the toughest days of remembering are almost over, soon the days of emptyness and "why" will begin.  It is a whole different level of grief.  It was many years after the loss before I was filled in on the truth of that day...I think that makes it harder for me.  At the time I was in a bad place, hooked up to monitors, blood transfusions, all kinds of misery. I think that the concensus was that people were protecting me by keeping things back, which I truly understand.  But then the anger sets in and I feel cheated that I didn't know...all I can say is that this whole mess was handled poorly from the start, my poor baby never had a chance.

confession time: I have never told another soul the things I have confided on these pages...

I promise to be back to myself soon and share with you some really fun blogs that I have been reading the last few weeks.  Take care.

Like the cool rain that cleans the air and brings nourishment to flowers, tears are sacred messengers of love. Today I am Grateful for tears.

Today and Everyday...

...with profound gratitude we honor you.  On this day we thank you for our Freedom, for your sacrafice.  Blessed be your Guidance, and pray your steps will lead you home.

on another note:

To say that blogging has been difficult this week would be a huge injustice to "difficult."  Each day leading up to November 14th bears it's own particular grief.  Memories envelope me and rivers of tears flow uncontrollably. And in the midst of all that pain there is a joy.  A mother's joy...of carrying her child and sharing herself with him for nine months...and the beauty and pain of birth.  Getting him here safely into the world.  The cries, the struggles, the tears, and the joy.  Shared happines with no idea of what is to come.

I have not forgotten my gratitude list, I have many, many things to add to it, and I will try to do that soon.  

Just a peek...

...I was originally going to name this post "Artsy-Fartsy" but I'm not sure that my photography skills are worth such a moniker.  Here's a little peek into my home...these were taken on a very, very, ugly, rainy, dark day, when I was bored and had nothing better to do than to take photos of crap some of the lovely things that live with me.

Next up, my craft/sewing/ironing/dressing/wii fit/room...are you not excited??  Happy Monday y'all.

ketchup...

...the've been calling it the "Big Nasty" on the news.  I just call it miserable...we've had over four inches of rain since yesterday evening.  There is a carpet of leaves where my yard and garden used to be, and all the drain ponds are overflowing.  Just a miserable rainy day, one of many, many more to come.

Days like these often cause me to slow down and think. Some times they make me melancohly.  They make me hungry too!  It's the carb craving, dark days of hibernation.  Napping is my new favorite hobby =)  Have you had trouble adjusting to the time change and the darker days?

how many times did you

laugh yesterday?

if you were too busy

to laugh,

to busy for

joy,

then you were

too busy.

being grateful today for laughter.  The best of times are celebrated with laughter, the worst of times can be momentarily lighter with laughter.  To hear the sounds of laughter is to hear pure joy, especially the laughter of your children.  On this Sunday, make some time for laughter...lighten your heart...feel the joy.  

Que Sera, Sera...

...lately I have been perusing many DIY blogs and blogs that feature crafts, gifts, and home decor on a no or low budget.  My, there are a lot of talented people out there!  I have been having fun, getting great ideas, but as of yet I have not attempted any of them.  I hope soon to be able to share some of this goodness with you.  I have my craft/dressing/ironing/wii playing/ room all ready to go...I just need to get in there and get started.   By the way, that lovely pumpkin my husband put together last week was an idea I found while looking around the DIY. 
One that I thought was fun and interesting is a site for Home Goods.  We don't have their stores here so I don't know what to compare it to, but they had a little on-line test to help you find your 'style.'  It was pretty funny but spot on when I took it.  So here's the link...check it out and let me know what your style is.   

HomeGoods StyleScope - I'm an Earthy Casual

Today, while doing laundry, I was visited by a sweet memory.  In it I am not very old, maybe 3 or 4 years.  I am in the car with my mother, it's a sunny day and we have the windows rolled down, wind blowing in our hair.  I am in the front seat. Remember these were the days of no car seats or seat belts, when we slowed down or came to a stop light my mum would put her arm out across the seat to keep us from flying through the windshield.
In this memory we are driving/riding along in the sunshine and cool breeze singing at the top of our lungs..."Que Sera, Sera" with Doris Day.  It is a joyous memory, one that I cherish as I have so few of my mum.
I called my brother for verification hoping it was true.  He told me that not only was it true but that he used to beg my parents to let him stay home when we went places as he knew, as soon as we got in the car, I would start belting out my favorite song.
Thanks Mum for a sweet, sweet memory today.

Simple pleasures...

...it's been one of those days so in the Spirit of Gratitude, and because there are so many moments, I have one simple pleasure.

Grande One Pump Mocha

One Percent Milk

One Hundred Thirty Degrees

No Whip Cream

Thankyouverymuch.

what are you craving?

We interrupt this edition of Tuesday's tids...

...I stole borrowed this idea from Kim's site.  I read about it yesterday and thought "great idea, I think I'll steal use it too."

November is the month in which we normally sit down to a huge Turkey dinner and go around the table each of us giving thanks for something in our lives.  It's an easy thing to do in the Spirit of the day but how often do we give thanks  on a regular basis.  I mean really dig down and be grateful for the little things. 

I have to admit, I'm pretty much a 'Gratitude' girl.  I often count my Blessings and try to live a quiet little life of  Faith and Gratefulness.  That doesn't mean that I can't do better though.


So for the month of November  I also, with Kim and the rest, will be giving Thanks on a daily basis.  And hopefully next week I will be back to my usual Tuesday shenanigans.


Day 1:  I missed yesterday so I'll do two today...I am grateful for the gift of November and it's thirty days to love, learn, teach, grieve, remember, laugh.
Day 2:  I give thanks today that the Phillies won...damn Yankees!