Thankful Thursday | for encouragement
This week, I am thankful:
for all the encouragement you guys offered to me
By the time I publish a post like Monday's, I have calmed down from the initial writing, and then I always feel slightly silly for publishing it.
But I'm glad I did, both because you all encouraged me, and because some of you felt less alone in your own discouragement.
that one of my waterfront trails is open again
This one had been closed for a few months, but it is open again for at least a few days a week. Yay!
Also, please notice all the green.
for air-conditioning
It was positively summer-like for a few days this week, and I was feeling very grateful for my air conditioning and for my floor fans.
for some cooler temperatures
I am delighted to be back down to more normal temperatures again. Whew. I do not appreciate May days in the 90s!
that I do have one Friday off in June
Our June schedule got published, and I have one Friday off. Ha.
I honestly do not care that I keep getting put on Fridays; I mostly think it's funny. The only thing I care about is not getting scheduled for night shifts, and June has zero night shifts.
Color me grateful!!
I will always, always, always take the craziness of a day shift over being at the hospital overnight.
(Overnight shifts can also be crazy. But they can be slightly quieter than days because there are no meals to deal with, fewer procedures, fewer visitors, no discharges to handle, and also, sometimes your patients sleep.)
for coworkers who like working nights
I am so grateful there are people who actively prefer night shifts. I cannot relate, but I am so appreciative of the nurses who choose the overnight slots.
The more they do that, the less likely I am to have any night shifts. 😉
that I graduated from PT
Yay me! My rotator cuff issue has largely resolved, and now I can just keep on doing my PT exercises at home.
that my current class workload seems not too bad
It's early (week one!), but the syllabus does not look terribly overwhelming as far as individual assignments go.
There are some group assignments, though, so perhaps that is going to be a problem. How much of a problem all depends on how the group members are, and that remains to be seen. 😉
Still, I am feeling grateful that I don't see piles of presentations and papers coming down the pike. Whew.
I'm thankful for:
1. My inlaws are coming to stay with the kids so we can go on our first and only ever kid free trip (we are a blended family so we came in with children)
2. For the hot weather, my lizard soul loves it
3.That my grad school class is almost over for the year. I would love to have that time with the kids back
4. For an evening beach picnic with the kids this week. They love it so much.
5. For a husband who will actually spend time with me on our belated honeymoon
enjoy your trip. my one kid is graduating high school and the other is a freshman in high school. we have never been on a kid free trip nor do i want to. but i am sure your will be great. before we were blessed with kids i always though i could leave them in a heartbeat. but then i couldn't. soon they will b leaving me and that is how it should b.
Have a such a wonderful time!! And be sure to ignore any mom-guilt. (I got a lot of “I could never leave my kids!” from a few people, and it really got to me for a while.) When my husband and I did this, our child had a wonderful time with extended family, annd it helped foster independence in a really positive way. It was also incredibly good for our marriage, which is in turn is good for kids!
I’m a bit confused about the Friday work conversation - don’t most folks work Fridays unless they use a vacation/PTO day?
If a job has weekend shifts, someone has to work them. Nursing is 24/7 at a hospital, so the work schedules are different than office or school jobs. Friday can be a nice day to have off , esp if you want to go out with non nursing friends
If they are less desirable, it's likely the the newer hires will get stuck with them.
Hospital work is 24/7…….NO WAY!! I never would have known this, lol. Thank you so much for your wisdom and enlightening us with this information🤣🤣🤣🤣
Come on. You asked the question and MB tried to help. The hospital nurses don't work 5 day weeks. Most work 2 or 3 twelve hour shifts per week.
Correct, but complaining about working on Fridays is crazy. It’s a normal work day🤣
Heather,
We don't do this here. That's what makes this place special/safe.
Seconding Elaine. We welcome just about anything here, and being snide on Thankful Thursday is really not on.
So, a coddling place where everyone just agrees with everyone else and doesn’t really grasp “real life” - got it 👍🏻
The only thing we all agree on is tone and having an ugly, in your face tone is not a "real life" anyone needs to live in.
People who claim they're 'being real' generally just want an excuse to be rude to others.
The beautiful thing about this blog is that we're all actually very different, yet still get along and respect each other.
I just want to completely agree with Elaine - “we don’t do this here.” Perhaps your tone wasn’t intentional - I know the tone of the written word can be tricky to read. But you have a lot of longtime readers here clarifying a boundary, so take that as feedback on how others perceive the tone of your comment, and perhaps adjust accordingly instead of doubling down. If your tone was intentional, there are lots of other corners of the internet where I’m sure sarcasm and mockery would be welcome, but this isn’t one of them.
Heather, if you think that we all agree with everyone else, then all I can conclude is that you don’t read the comments. If you think that Kristen doesn’t grasp real life, I suggest you read her family and marriage history on this blog. If you think that doing our best to support each other is “coddling,” then this probably isn’t the group for you.
Heather knows my history. She’s been reading here for over a decade. It’s not an information problem. 😉
So...can you block someone from commenting on a blog? Asking for a friend. 😉 We love you, Kristen!!!!!!!
There's really no need for rudeness or sarcasm here. If you'd read Kristen's other posts about Fridays, you'd understand the point she's making. Just move on, please.
As a nurse, I can tell you it's more that because of our 12 hr shifts, getting off work at 7:30 or 8 pm basically ruins a Friday night. Only the young ones will go out on a Friday night after work. Most others are pretty wiped out after 12.5 hrs or more, and worse if you've had 2 or 3 in a row. Conversely, us night shifters aren't fans of working Sunday nights because while it is not considered a weekend shift, we all know that to be at work Sunday at 7 means you've spent time prepping for work - meals, uniform ironed etc., plus, have to take a nap so you are safe to be up and making critical decisions at 0600 or 0700, which essentially means your Sunday from noon or 1 forward is shot. It means a weekend getaway is cut short etc. And, many nurses want to have the Friday off if they are working the weekend, and others want it off if they aren't working the weekend for a built in 3 day weekend every other week. So no, in the nursing world Friday isn't the same for us as it is for the Monday to Friday crowd, because we also work the weekends, and if you've gotta work Saturday and Sunday, the Friday off is more important to a lot of us.
I have been noticing more and more businesses and local governments in our area going to four ten hour days, Monday thru Thursday. The body shop that just fixed my car does it and the employees love it.
When my husband was on the road crew at a national park, they worked four tens in the summer. This was more efficient because of the travel time and hauling equipment and also limited road closures to four days a week. But it was physically difficult. And my nursing friends who work three twelves are real warriors. (I’m a wimpy artist.)
Heather, I'm at a loss as I don't see anyone complaining about working on Friday. Let's take a breath and regroup.
Heather, I'm at a loss as I don't see anyone complaining about working on Friday. Let's take a breath and regroup.
Sounds like you’re having a crappy day or week. I hope it gets better. No need to take it out with snark to someone on the internet especially here. It’s ok to just think things, and not type them out.
My comment is for heather in case it wasn’t clear 🙂
Exactly!! Very well said, Caitlie.
*As we come to Memorial Day weekend, I am thankful for those who sacrificed their lives for the freedoms we enjoy.
*Thankful that we have at least some rain forecast for each of the next several days. Hopefully enough to ease some of the drought.
*We have a new healthy grand-niece and mom and baby are doing well.
*Heading off today with our daughter and two granddaughters for a few days on a girls trip. Our first such trip and looking forward to a fun time thrifting and antiquing. (Yes, the 10- and 6-year olds love thrift and antique shops!)
Wishing all who are in the US a safe and happy holiday!
Thankful to be nearly retired; end of the school year is in sight and I won't have to deal with 1200+ teens daily anymore.
For my loving husband who surprised me with Cirque de Soleil tickets–Luzia was a great show!
That we are able to loan a car to our son who just had his totaled by a deer so he can take his time to find a good car and still get to work–maybe he'll just buy my car 🙂
That we're looking at EVs to replace my husband's car and become a shared vehicle retired couple, but it must have memory seats (positioning) because although I don't mind moving the seat it drives my husband nuts. He's 6'3"; I'm 5'4".
For the cheerful flowers that I planted this week, but NOT for the painful bug bites that I now have.
Cirque the Soleil, that is a rare treat! Lovely to remember going to the show together.
Once I started driving the family car, it was drilled into my head to put the seat all the way back once in the garage. It has been 50+ years and I still do it. My better half is taller than I.
Thankful as I so often am for my friend Mr. Fix-It, who stopped by yesterday to take care of a few long-standing issues here before he leaves for a visit to his 90-something mother in Canada. (From which I and all his friends here hope and pray he returns safely. He's a Canadian citizen and has held a green card here for decades--but now even long-time green card holders are being scrutinized, especially folks of color, of whom he is one.) "Anyways" (as he himself would say), he fixed a persistent lighting issue in my kitchen and FINALLY identified the source of a long-standing plumbing problem. The plumbing fix will have to wait for his safe return, but I can work around it in the meantime, and I'm just happy that we now know what's going on!
Sending Mr. Fix-It, good thoughts for a safe trip and easy return.
Thankful for:
* my older daughter is hosting my college daughter's roommate 's cat for the week. The cat, a real sweetheart, has FIV, and we can't have her in our house due to our cats. So my daughter, with two dogs, offered to take her, while we brought her ancient cat home for the week. ( daughter and roommate has summer housing that starts then. We'll switch cats and bring the girls back to campus Saturday.)
*Nice cool weather!
* that my reluctant scholar is actually graduating high school Sunday. And he seems to be enjoying the training for his summer job.
*and the academic counselor at the community college had good information for him. He seemed interested in the career track she thought would suit him.
I think if I was a nurse, I'd also much prefer day shift! I'm thankful for:
1. Rain
2. A nice walk
3. My daughter unwinding with art
4. My son's buddies
5. And ebay sales.
More detailed version here: https://practicalwalk.com/2026/05/21/thankful-post-thunderstorm/
I'm thankful:
- Our 39th wedding anniversary is Saturday, and we're going to a concert to celebrate. Fingers crossed the rain will stay away that evening since the concert is at an amphitheater.
- Our HVAC wasn't cooling, which was no fun on 90+ degree days. It was only out for about a day before our HVAC company came out and got it fixed, and it only cost $325.
- Our son was persistent and keep checking class availability and found one class he needs for his major had one seat available the day after classes started. The class is all online so starting the semester a little late should be no issue for him.
- We met with a financial advisor on Tuesday, and he thinks we have saved enough to live comfortably in retirement. I plan to work 2 to 3 more years before I retire, but it made me feel better about stepping away from my income.
- We finally got rain yesterday, which was much needed in our area.
@Beverly, doesn’t it seem peculiar to you that an online class wouldn’t have enough “seats”? Reminds me of the library saying an ebook isn’t available, although I sort of get why the publishers limit availability (financial reasons, understandable because a company needs to be profitable to stay in business). But really, no room in an online class is just weird to me.
Limiting seats in an online class generally has more to do with overall student capacity that a professor can handle (as you said, not physical space constraints). In an online course, the professor still has to interact with and grade assignments for all the students on a regular basis. Grading 20 papers or projects vs 200 makes a big difference! 🙂
You beat me to the punch!
Thanks for explanation. I didn’t think of the professor’s capacity. And if the professors are doing more than 1 class, adding in an on-line class could be hard.
As someone who’s taught an online class, it has to do with the amount of grading, etc. per student. It’s also nice to have a comparable workload between a face-to-face class and online. There’s only so much a professor can do and maintain what I hope is a quality class… either model.
Thanks, all y’all! Makes sense.
Thankful for a pleasant day at work yesterday (and for not being low-censused, which has happened frequently lately), for meeting up with a friend after work, then for meeting up with my daughter for dinner. For my sweet husband, who bought me shrubs for the front of our house for Mother's Day and then did all the hard work of prepping the ground and planting them. For my son and almost-daughter-in-law, who are getting married Monday!!!! My heart is full.
A Memorial Day wedding! How ... memorable that will be!
The green is lovely, and after all that heat, the foggy and drizzly morning is perfect. This week I am thankful:
*for my cousin's visit. I am not thankful for the health struggles that brought her here, but it was so nice to reconnect after many years.
*for my cousin's talents. She is quite the artist, and she surprised me and the kids with an art project-- block prints. I feel most inadequate as a teacher in art, but this was a fun art project. I even made one, and I am proud of myself. (I am rarely proud of my art projects.)
*for my baby girl who is currently stirring the rice pudding while I type this.
*for a free concert I attended with two of my girls and my good friend and her family. My oldest was able to get another Opry member signature (Del McCoury), and the concert was really most excellent and fun. And the storms had already passed through, so the weather was good.
*that my son's work didn't doubt when he called in sick. It feels good to know that he has shown enough character to be trusted by others.
*for cheese omelettes and hot tea, that my eldest is gainfully employed (currently onboarding for a job shoveling gravel, door-dashing, and waiting for his teaching job to start), for clothes that fit, for a cozy bed, that the rice pudding turned out better than last time, for hymns in church, that my husband loves me despite my snoring, that my June calendar doesn't have something nearly every day, that the kids helped beautify our front flower bed without complaining, for pretty flowers, and for silly kitties.
Lovely thankfuls! You're a great mom.
thankful for you. that m-i-l is still around, that zozo is doing well thank g-d, that noah is finally appreciating being a big fish in a small pond. he is at a public high school with 461 students where the teachers adore him. that he has a nice group of friends. that i helped out at an event at his high school and the kids were nice and one even said thank you.
am glad you don't have any night shifts and that you have a friday off. and ever s grateful that you have time for the commentariat.
I also appreciated the encouragement! I have a friend who enjoys working nights.
Thankfuls:
1. Biggest thankful this week goes to my friend at work. Months ago she was asking for show recommendations and I mentioned Gilmore Girls. The other day she drew me a beautiful picture of Lorelai and Rory and wrote a message underneath thanking me for recommending such a wonderful series. She told me I am just like Rory in that I am patient and kind!
2. I went to Sweden last week and enjoyed dinner with a friend there. I also got some food from a British food shop and was very thankful that I got to enjoy some food from home 🙂
3. I motivated myself to go to the gym this morning. I don't love getting up early and I don't really love the gym either, but I always feel great once it's done!
4. I was exhausted after work the other day and, while this perhaps wasn't the most financially wise choice, I ordered Indian food and had a relaxing evening watching Clueless!
5. It's been raining very heavily today but the sun came out during my work break and I went for a walk in the park. I love the smell of earth and grass just after it rains!
Gilmore Girls for the win! What a special way to say thank you. That made me think of my GG recovery story: I knew for sure that my (future at the time) brother-in-law was a keeper when he spent all week on the couch with my sister watching Gilmore Girls as she recovered from wisdom teeth surgery. 20 years later, he's still glad to sit beside her and enjoy good TV together! :).
Aw, I love that! My parents recently watched all of it and another friend at work loves it too. His wife was watching it and he ended up watching it with her, as he kept laughing at the parts he saw and wanted to see the whole thing.
So many from just last night:
- for the young relative and their friend, who are visiting;
- for all the restaurants in walking distance, including the crab shack from which we got take-out;
- for the several several hours we spent eating and chatting;
- for the young'uns cleaning up without being asked.
Separately, for having enough shirts that I can give away one I don't like (cheap fabric wore badly) and wear the similar-but-not-the-same one instead.
I'm thankful that:
1) we are so much further along in the moving process than this time last week.
2) for friends and family who moved so many of our things last Saturday.
3) that it's the least day of school for my fellas (one of whom had a very difficult teacher)
4) that my guys are such great helpers now! Despite the teen/tween attitude that pops up, they are such great kids and we can get a lot of work done (especially compared to toddlers - equal sass, much less help)
5) for beautiful weather! I'm taking a break to bake rhubarb crisp for my wonderful husband this afternoon, and the weather is perfect for baking.
I hope this semester will be less intensive than the previous.
Thankful to have my voice back,
For our peaceful weekend getaway on an island, sunnier than the mainland,
For visiting a convalescent friend on the way back home,
For successful surgery of another friend,
For sleeping in our own great beds again. The hotel was excellent but we always miss our own pillows! And forget to bring them still.
I would never trade a 90 degree day for snow so I never complain about the heat.
@Battra92, I would happily trade a 100+ degree day for snow. The places with perfect weather are crowded and expensive for good reason. The rest of us have to develop character and toughness—as someone said in some movie I’ve forgotten, “endeavor to persevere”. (I’d better find some toughness soon, because there is no stopping summer around here!)
This week I am thankful…
• We had some wonderful rain showers this week. It was green before; it is vibrant now!
• My son was able to travel to New York to see his cousin graduate from grad school. The pictures of the two of them together are the sweetest.
• While I did have to go into the office three days this week, I went in during times of less traffic. Will this change my ways and have me leaving the house earlier? Absolutely not, but it was lovely to get to the office so much quicker.
• Breakfast and lunch were provided on two of my in-office days. We were participating in a division-wide training so the meals were very appreciated.
• A coworker brought in a few cuttings from a plant I don’t have! I’m so excited to add it to my collection!
I am thankful that my son got a job offer. It is way below what he needs and what he is qualified for, and it has some negative issues (hours, location, clientele). I don't know if he is even going to accept it. But I am so glad he has at least had a nibble. This is the first offer he's had, and it's been months.
I am thankful that I got a small payment from the Blue Cross Blue Shield class action settlement. Every little bit helps!
I am thankful that I sold another item on eBay. I don't have a great cache of merchandise to sell, so I'm glad when I get any action!
I am thankful that I have a hairdresser who understands my hair and who gave me a good haircut this week. And I got 25% off from an email coupon!
I am thankful that I will be visiting my sister next week. I haven't seen her for two years.
Job market can be tough! Employers want experience, not just a degree. My son did summer internship programs when he was in college, and that experience and the references helped in his job search. He had a lot of resumes out and interviews, but it did take four months before he started working a full time job after graduation. We harvested the honey from our hives last month, and we got twice as much as last year. I think over seeding the front and back fields with white clover was the difference. When nothing else was blooming, we had thousands of clover flowers for them to forage.
We are getting spinach,parsley and kale from our garden as early vegetables. Organic, no toxic chemicals needed.
My wife is my barber, she does a great job every time. We really don’t look at the calendar, but she will look at me, play with my hair and say I need a haircut. No travel required, she cuts my hair in the living room where the light is good.
I return the favor being her hairdresser. Her hair is long, so she doesn’t need it cut as often. I comb out and braid her hair for her every morning because she likes it out of her face and off her neck in the warmer weather and when doing chores and time with grandchildren. So I notice her ends and let her know when she needs a trim, about every three to four months. We enjoy the bonding time, plus the price is right. I think I do a pretty good job of braiding her hair, French, Dutch, fishtail, wraparound and variations of the different braids. She gets compliments from friends, family and complete strangers.
We are both fully retired, the farm is paid off, we are collecting five retirement checks combined each month and we spend less than what we have coming in.
I am very grateful for the good health care I have been receiving and the people who provide it. Most of them seem to consider their work as their life's calling, and my family and I have benefitted greatly from that. Medicare is good to us; I realize it is rare to hear anyone say that. We are geographically not too far from services we need without too much driving.
Your phrase about night shifts "and also, sometimes your patients sleep" struck me painfully. It is a sad joke that it is nearly impossible to sleep in a hospital, when sleep is one of the necessary components of healing. Perhaps you could someday write about how patients can make themselves comfortable in situations that are so outside of normal life as hospital stays are.
Rain to end our drought & make my garden happy! Son done with job, ready to help on the Farm & get ready for summer school. All medical testing from the past two weeks for all 4 of us Clear!!! Harvested first broccoli of the year & ate it for dinner last night.
1. The neighbor girl appears to be reliable and competent to take care of our cats and yard on all our up-the-hill cabin time for the summer.
2. Winco has unsweetened cocoa powder in the bulk bins again.
3. The Bible Recap—this is the best way to read through the Bible in a year that I have ever tried.
4. Baby quail in the yard are shockingly cute in their tinyness.
5. Cabin neighbors who pick me up on their way up the hill so I don’t have to beat Mom’s car up (Yeah, yeah, it’s my car now but it doesn’t feel like it, and I don’t want to drive an automatic on that road.)
Baby quail! That sounds wonderful!
I am overrun with quail. Mom/Dad in front, followed by twenty tiny chicks bouncing along like ping pong balls, Dad/Mom bringing up the rear making sure there's no chick left behind. It's an annual Springtime parade.
1) I'm thankful that I'm halfway through the class I'm currently taking. It's a super interesting topic, but not something I have the time & energy to devote to at the moment.
2) That my husband got a chance to talk to his mom yesterday (she is in Iran). He had gone several months without being able to connect with her due to the war, and he has been incredibly stressed about it.
3) That my goddaughter is getting engaged. My sister, BFF & I each have two kids. I have the babies of the bunch. My youngest goddaughter is getting engaged next week (she knows about it, just not the specifics) & this will be the first of the six "kids" to get married. Her partner is super lovely & we all like him a lot. Such an exciting time for them.
4) That DH listens to me & is supportive. I'm not enjoying work, and he is always an advocate & a sounding board.
5) That we have enough money that I can be done with work, when I hit the one year mark. Very, very grateful. I will likely work again because I want to, but I'll have the flexibility where I don't need to do another "big career job" again.
HP, what a relief that your husband and his mom finally connected! I hope that brought the stress down several notches.
A beautiful sunrise yoga this morning with the new neighbor.
Ditch flowers blooming along the county road.
The first guests arriving today for summer camping at our pond.
A neighbor down the road gave me his vintage air stream trailer. It has been sitting for 20 yrs with broken windows. We are going to refurbish and use it for guests.
Today I get to clean up the winter wood mess on the back porch, set up the Summer table and chairs.
Time to install the solar powered party lights!
NGL I'm STRUGGLING today to find the Thankful.
1. That only the newly installed bathroom floor has to be replaced, not the newly installed bathroom floor AND the newly installed carpet.
2. That my planted "mother's day" wild flower seeds are sprouting.
3. That I have some flowers on my spur of the moment strawberry hanging basket.
4. That my sister in law is so willing to watch my kids.
5. Udemy (online courses) website is no longer a victim of the firewall at work and I can continue my goal of becoming an Excel Master
I don't think I'd like to do a night shift either.
This week, I'm thankful for/that ...
• My wonderful oldest graduated 5th grade and was awarded academic excellence at the top of her class. I am one proud mama!
• The time I had with my husband while the kids were in school. My husband took time off from work and I was already a home maker. It felt like sweet semi-retirement. We were getting used to being around each other, establishing routines, and having small moments of togetherness. Dates during the day were so much fun.
• The chance to volunteer at church doing what I know best, tidying and organizing the kids' areas. I know ... it's boring but very much needed. The lady in charge of the children's ministry is stepping down next week and I might pivot to helping out in the food pantry. I may continue coming once a month versus weekly to tidy and organize.
• Putting my sewing skills that I learned recently like the back stitch, serger stitch, and invisible stitch to go use in mending my kids clothing.
• Each day feels like a brand new start. It's a chance to be a better person.
What a lovely list! I smiled all the way through. Thanks (!) for sharing.
Thank you! That means a lot.
I find that creating an efficient, organized, tidy space to be highly satisfying. Even though t's been over a year since I organized my yarn stash, I still smile when I see it.
This week I am grateful . . .
For the antibiotics that cleared up the Worst Cold Ever. I'm on cancer drugs that suppress my immunity and seem to make every physical thing twelve times harder. I have spent most of the last week and a half in the bed with "just a dumb cold." I never even had a fever. Thank goodness for the antibiotics that finally cleared it up.
For what seems to kind of be the end of three years of cancer treatment. I did all the baddies in the first year; chemo, radiation, surgery. Since then I have been on a couple of other therapies as they watch spots in my body. I went into this last two years thinking I would be taking a couple of drugs while I lived my regular life. Instead it has been side affect after side affect, scan after scan, a very scary blood clot that put me in the ICU for a week, and me suffering through every cold the kids brought home. It's been hard, and I'm exhausted. But my oncologist said yesterday I really am coming off the worst of the two medicines and he feels relatively certain the spot they are watching isn't cancer. It seems I might really be able to put cancer in the rearview. I am incredibly grateful or I guess I will be when it starts to feel real.
For summer break. I am terrified of not having another job that starts when my current appointment (and our health insurance) runs out July 31. But in this moment I am just trying to appreciate that I am done teaching for this academic year; to let myself rest.
For the rain coming in the forecast. We need rain so bad. And the idea of spending Memorial Day holed up at home just reading for hours sounds delightful to me.
Some wonderful thankfulnesses for you here, Amanda!
Hurrah for cancer in the rearview mirror! And reading all day (I know the first one is a lot more important but this is an everyday delight). Very happy for you!
I am glad you have some time to rest. That's got to be good for your health.
Amanda, I'm sending all of my best thoughts to you.
Glad things are looking up for you, Kristen.
Today I am thankful:
---For the many years of friendship I had with my close friend Susan J. OMG, I miss her! We were BFFs in junior high, as it was then called, and we met again when I was a junior in college -- and it was like we'd never parted. During our teenaged years, Susan's mom was the cool mom who would let us all hang out at their house, be our taxi driver wherever we wanted to go someplace where we couldn't walk or ride bikes, and (unlike our too-strict mothers) be super understanding. Susan and I and several others had massive slumber parties and walked to the Lion's pool on hot summer afternoons and joined a girl's club together, often working on community projects or going on wonderful trips to Six Flags. When I moved away to college, I was devastated in May of my junior year because they declined to award me an internship, and that pretty much meant I would not get a job in my dream career field. (I didn't.) Susan literally talked me down from the ledge (we had balconies in our high rise dorm and I was on 7th floor) and helped me to see that other life choices/achievements were possible. I lived with her that summer, as I tried to figure out what was next for me. She convinced me to go back and finish my degree, internship or not. A year later, Susan got me a job with her company, a place where I would work for many years. During those first two years with the company (until she married and moved away), we would go eat lunch together; any time we went to the local Italian bistro, she'd always want a half order of spaghetti with mushroom sauce, and they'd bring her a mountain of pasta.
Sadly, she got hooked up with a horrible boyfriend, an absolute ogre, who abused her. He had her thinking all twisted up and when all her friends tried to talk her out of marrying the guy, he convinced her we were all jealous and wanted to date him ourselves. (Fat chance! He was ugly inside and out. )
They got married, moved away to another part of the country, and I never saw Susan again. Soon after her wedding, she snuck off to a phone and phoned me long distance collect (this was pre cell phone days) behind the ogre's back to explain why she couldn't write or visit ever again. The ugly husband wouldn't "let" Susan contact us. Years later, she wrote me a letter (no return address on it) when I sent flowers to her mom's funeral (by then, her parents had retired and moved away, as well) but other than that, she went no contact. A decade after that, a mutual friend told me Susan had finally divorced, and found a nice husband. Thank God for that!
Why am I telling all of this? I found out on FB this past week that Susan died in the spring of 2025. Her niece posted an "it's been one year since you passed away" memorial to her. This has sent me into a tailspin of grief, for I always had hoped I'd see her again -- and maybe, just maybe, resume our friendship. Rest in peace, Susan, dear friend. You were the sister I never had. You were the companion I needed over the bumpy road of my life. How I wish I could have told you that in person!
--For thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales, generous sharing friends and curb finds. No need to shell out tons of money for anything thanks to all of the above.
--For the pal who is helping me clean out the garage, a thankless chore that requires heavy lifting that I can no longer do. He also put up some lights for me (see next item).
--For the installation of the twinkling lights on my covered patio. In a prior existence, these were clear Xmas tree lights. I got them at Goodwill for 80 cents a bag (using my 20% discount). We put up 3 strings of lights today and I can't wait for sundown to see how pretty they will be.
--For finding a porcelain dish in the garage that fits the lid to my grandmother's ceramic jewelry box. The bottom broke years ago, but I kept the lid because it has a ceramic rose on it. And also because my great aunt had made the ceramic box and lid in her hobby room; she had a kiln and did ceramics and this is the only "souvenir" I have of that auntie. Anyway, the color and size of this dish are just perfect to pair with the lid. Funny thing is, I have no idea where the dish came from; it must be the ghost of garage sales past. And when I put the lid and dish in my bedroom, the rose matches perfectly with a pink color found in my (printed fabric) bedspread and curtains.
I'm sorry for the loss of Susan. I'm glad she met someone better!
Lisa, I'm sorry to hear about Susan and that you weren't able to connect later in life.
I'm sorry for your loss. It's clear that the memories will be blessings.
Lisa, I’m sorry for the tragic loss of your dear friend.
I am thankful today:
That they were able to get blood from DS#3 for his lab work today. This is not a given; he has deep, hidden veins like me, and it's a struggle to keep him properly hydrated sometimes. But God bless the phlebotomist at Walgreens, who was daunted but got blood on the first stick!
For the wonderful rain we got, and also for the work crews who got our power back on very quickly the other day when we lost power after some storms.
For the work crew working on the sewer in our cul-de-sac; they are parking very politely and not blocking anything and hopefully their work will help our neighbors not have a flooded yard/basement every time the rain comes down the hill!
For the Commodore, who knows his tricks are funny but still doesn't like to get laughed at, especially for some reason by DS#2. If DS#2 dares to laugh at something Clark does, he gets stalked and batted with a firm paw until he stops. Also thankful for the way Clark snuggles on my side of the bed every night--careful to wait until he thinks I'm asleep so I don't think he's gone soft. 😉
This will be sort of tough and I’m going to go back a couple of weeks.
First off I retired from sitting at my desk for 34-1/2 years. I am so grateful for the manager I had the last 10 yrs and for telecommuting 22 of those 34-1/2 yrs. I am so happy to be able to do what I want now! LOL
Then we took a trip to Greece for 2 weeks and just enjoyed ourselves. It was such a nice trip! Amazing people and food! We even rode bicycles up a mountain 2800 ft!!! They were e-bikes, but you still had to pedal. It was a lot of fun! And we made it home safely.
And I got to see Bruce Springsteen in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. An amazing show.
During March, I had a lot of mammos, MRIs and bone scans. Last week I had a mastectomy. I am so thankful that it was caught and there will be positive resolution.
So on that note: i am thankful that recovery is going smoothly so far. I am thankful that my sister was here and took me to the concert. I am thankful for my husband for taking care of me. I am thankful for my daughter who is bringing my granddaughter this weekend for a visit. And I am extremely thankful for the advances that have been made in breast cancer research and development.
Here’s hoping for more positive good news the rest of the year!
Maureen, I'm very sorry to hear about your mastectomy and wish you an uneventful recovery. At the same time, I'm glad to read of the joy-filled moments in your life. Happy retirement!
I'm thankful that I get to be a member here. In my 74 years I've never been outgoing enough to make and keep friends. I'm homebound now and it's very lonely. I do enjoy reading everyone's comments and miss them on Sat./Sun. Growing old is very hard mentally for me. Kindness is hard to find these days but it is here.
Awww, I just love that we are providing a sense of community for you. Yay!
Kathy, this community is important to me, too. And I feel the same way about Saturday/Sunday! I'm glad you're here.
This is a great community to be part of, isn't it? I'm glad you found us.
Dear Kathy, As an introvert, I understand completely. So pleased you found Kristen’s lovely and valuable community, as I feel the same way about her blog.
AC always makes my list! Really, anything to make the inside a comfortable temperature.
I am grateful for:
• Ladies in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond that prioritize their health, however this looks for them. This was not modeled for me growing up and I so, so love seeing women showing up for themselves in this way. It shows me what's possible and I love that!
• Rotisserie chicken. Full stop.
• Cacao! I started drinking it plain a couple of years ago at night and I recently started icing it (with or without milk).
• Smiles and cheerful hellos from strangers. It really makes my day.
• Cheap sunglasses.
Thankful for..
*a day with my teen son
*an excellent co~parenting situation
*cloudy days to work inside this week-sunny days make me feel like I should be outdoors
*the new in box cabinets at Habitat that will help my small kitchen refresh budget/I will finally have a dishwasher! 😊
*the strength and desire to remove my own cabinets- I’m so grateful for the physical ability and happy to save the money.
Thankful for Memorial Day and all that it represents.
Thankful for all of you here, and especially Kristen.
Thankful that I've been really motivated to get things marked off my to-do list.
Thankful for a wonderful man in our neighborhood who can fix almost anything, and charges a flat rate of $25 an hour. He fixed 3 wonky kitchen drawers for me yesterday, which made me ridiculously happy.
Also thankful for my next door neighbor, who has ALL the fancy equipment and tools and is cutting some trim for me. He is even going to bring his nail gun and put it on! He won't take any pay, but he and his wife will be getting a gift certificate to eat out. 😉
And library books, especially interlibrary loan books.
I'm thankful that my unwanted Saturday shift went well even though no lunch lol.
I'm thankful that my A1C is under 8 so that I can have my trigger finger surgery.
I'm thankful that I found two photographs one from the 1930s and one from the 1960s. My mother was in the first picture, attending school in Bend (Oregon). I was in the second picture attending school in Wallowa (Oregon)....wearing leotards (what they call leggings now) and a plaid jumper.
Woohooooo for your A1C being low enough!