I always start weeks before mentally preparing myself by thinking on things I am thankful for or at least reminding myself how thankful I should be. This year has been no exception. God has been very good to me. I have learned some lessons, OK most lessons, the hard way, but each one has helped me to become the person I am today. Because of Him my life is full and rich. I am so thankful He loves me. That is one thing that we should all be thankful for and share with those who do not know Him.
I have to admit though that this year has been tough, not that I had a lot of drama going on in my life as in years past or with Albert's health issues, but tough in another way. I turned 64 this year and though most of the time I don't really think about how old I am, this year I have been painfully aware.
Time has slipped away from me and I have been reminiscent of how much of it I have actually wasted in one way or another. This is an unfortunate side effect of not having been the person I should have been when I was younger. When I say that I just mean that I let circumstances in my life redirect my path and once on that path, it took me a very long time to find my way back. I don't want to make excuses, but because of those wrong turns it took me a long time to earn my way back into the good graces of those I love. Life is too short to waste, I just didn't have that realization soon enough.
But, I digress. Being 64 I have lived way over half my life and came to the sudden realization that I have only a few good years left and need to make the most of them. Having said that I don't want to dwell on things that could have been. What a time waster that is and because I made this realization soon enough I determined not to waste what is left of my life doing so. Yes, I know this blog seems like that is what I am doing, but not really. I am enjoying life and not to sound cliche, I have honestly realized these really are my golden years:)
I have much to be thankful for and much to do. I plan on enjoying every minute that God has given me and thank Him everyday for all He has blessed me with. My number one thing is to stick around to see my Grandchildren grow to be beautiful young adults and to be as much a part of their lives as I can being a long distance Grandma. My number two thing is to be a good wife to a husband I absolutely respect and adore with all my heart. He is enjoying good health at the moment and my health is better than it has been in a very long time. My number three thing is to encourage my children. They turned out to be wonderful adults despite my parenting. I am so proud of my daughter and the wonderful person she is. She is a talented writer and I just know that great book is on the verge of being written and published. She is blessed with many wonderful friends, near and afar, who love and encourage her also. My sons have the most beautiful children in the world and are great fathers. They both are hands on Dads and I am so proud of them.
Number four, be thankful for all things big or small. Our travel trailer. I am excited and cannot wait to see what is at the end of our road each day we travel. I know my stories don't quite reflect that, but then I love to tell a good story even when the joke is on me:) My ereader, it is the best thing ever and I am discovering worlds I hadn't taken the time for in many years. Reading is a rediscovered love and I am so grateful for that tiny pleasure. My electric toothbrush. Don't laugh. I hate dentist and because of my wonderful toothbrush I only have to see him once a year now instead of every three months. Silicone, yes I am sure that in some way it isn't healthy, but it makes great cook ware and it is easy to store. Slow cookers, rice cookers and every other convenience appliance. I am an admitted kitchen gadget junky. My new stove. I often tell everyone how wonderful my new oven is. Convection rocks and this one doesn't heat the house up to unbearable. I actually bake more and Albert is very thankful. My camera. It has opened up my creative side and encourages me to look at things a little closer and to be more observant of what is around me. If it doesn't move, it is fair game for a picture. My computer, even when it has a mind of it's own, I can reach out to others and enjoy searching for that next great thing to be thankful for. Number five is enjoy each minute of each day and in doing that I have found time seems to pass a little slower. I could go on forever as I have a long list of large and small things to be grateful for, so I'll save a few things for future posts.
Yes, I am thankful for life in general. We all need to remember the little things, but in particular to let others know we are thankful for them. It takes so little effort to say thank you to family, friends, co-workers and anyone we meet in everyday life. You never know how it might lift them up. Be thankful in all circumstances and don't waste a day without thanking the giver of life for all He has given. I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving and ponder on all you have to be thankful for.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Newest Greatest Thing Ever!
I am so excited! I have been Christmas shopping and it has been fun looking at all the wonderful things out there for Grandbabies and other loved ones. My biggest problem is keeping them until Christmas. I want them to have them now! So I confess I ended up giving in to pressure and revealing what it was to one special person on my list.
I had been searching for just the perfect gift for Christy for almost a year. I had narrowed the search to maybe three specific items. They had a very strict criteria to meet, would it totally do what it was intended, would it have longevity, did it have bells and whistles just in case needed and did it meet my budget requirements. Some met part of the criteria or were just almost perfect, but not quite what I wanted.
Then I happened upon The One. It was beautiful, met all the criteria and was affordable. So since I am a confessed impulse buyer, I bought it. I not only bought it, I bought one for me too! Merry Christmas to me. I know I should have given someone an opportunity to give, but it was just so perfect and such a good price. It even came in one of my favorite colors, purple.
I then immediately let Christy know that I had her Christmas on the way which led to the giving of clues. It is a little thing we do each year. She is more curious than a cat and I love making her wonder what in the world it could be. You don't give out too much information, but you word your answer careful to keep them really curious. I have to admit it is fun. But, I knew this time I was going to break. It was just too good to keep a secret.
Then I had a panic attack! What if it wasn't all I wanted it to be. What if the 30 day money back guarantee ran out and it was the worse present ever! Fear gripped me and I called and confessed that I needed to give it early so we could return if not suitable. So the call was made. Then I find out that I had until January 31, 2011 to return. Read the fine print dummy. Regardless I was right on in the gift giving this year for her and I was so happy. Here it is in all it's glory. The perfect present for all time.
Isn't it beautiful? It is just the coolest thing ever. I started reading to Christy long before she could speak and like to think that is what birthed in her a desire to read and eventually author her own books. She is so excited and I love mine. I don't feel bad anymore about giving it early and spoiling Christmas Day because it was the perfect gift of all time. As I said, she loves books and now she can have a whole library full.
In today's world of computing, we can go anywhere in the world and read so much about everything, but there is just something about reading a good book and getting lost in the imaginary world of the written word. I had found myself reading less and blamed it on having less room to store my books. I love books and have many in my office. I have no more room for books. I know there is always the Library, which is wonderful, but there is just something about owning a book. With this wonderful little gadget I can have many bookshelves filled with My books and it is contained in a small 5x7 package. How great is that! Too bad I can't transport the ones I own into my E-reader, but I am sure that somewhere in the future someone will invent it for home use.
Well I must close for now as I have to go read. I have a time of morning devotion and one of the first books I bought for my E-reader was a Bible. I am very thankful for technology, but actually some books are still meant to be read in original form and the Bible is one of them. So even though I have my Bible on E-reader I choose this day to sit down with the original. There is plenty of time for a good E-read later.
I had been searching for just the perfect gift for Christy for almost a year. I had narrowed the search to maybe three specific items. They had a very strict criteria to meet, would it totally do what it was intended, would it have longevity, did it have bells and whistles just in case needed and did it meet my budget requirements. Some met part of the criteria or were just almost perfect, but not quite what I wanted.
Then I happened upon The One. It was beautiful, met all the criteria and was affordable. So since I am a confessed impulse buyer, I bought it. I not only bought it, I bought one for me too! Merry Christmas to me. I know I should have given someone an opportunity to give, but it was just so perfect and such a good price. It even came in one of my favorite colors, purple.
I then immediately let Christy know that I had her Christmas on the way which led to the giving of clues. It is a little thing we do each year. She is more curious than a cat and I love making her wonder what in the world it could be. You don't give out too much information, but you word your answer careful to keep them really curious. I have to admit it is fun. But, I knew this time I was going to break. It was just too good to keep a secret.
Then I had a panic attack! What if it wasn't all I wanted it to be. What if the 30 day money back guarantee ran out and it was the worse present ever! Fear gripped me and I called and confessed that I needed to give it early so we could return if not suitable. So the call was made. Then I find out that I had until January 31, 2011 to return. Read the fine print dummy. Regardless I was right on in the gift giving this year for her and I was so happy. Here it is in all it's glory. The perfect present for all time.
In today's world of computing, we can go anywhere in the world and read so much about everything, but there is just something about reading a good book and getting lost in the imaginary world of the written word. I had found myself reading less and blamed it on having less room to store my books. I love books and have many in my office. I have no more room for books. I know there is always the Library, which is wonderful, but there is just something about owning a book. With this wonderful little gadget I can have many bookshelves filled with My books and it is contained in a small 5x7 package. How great is that! Too bad I can't transport the ones I own into my E-reader, but I am sure that somewhere in the future someone will invent it for home use.
Well I must close for now as I have to go read. I have a time of morning devotion and one of the first books I bought for my E-reader was a Bible. I am very thankful for technology, but actually some books are still meant to be read in original form and the Bible is one of them. So even though I have my Bible on E-reader I choose this day to sit down with the original. There is plenty of time for a good E-read later.
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