Thankful Thursday | my letters reappeared!
This week, I am thankful:
that the husband replaced my keyboard letters
He and I had the same computer keyboard, but somehow, I'd managed to rub off the letter markings on a bunch of my keys and he had not.
This morning I sat down to type this post and I noticed that a lot of my letter markings had miraculously reappeared! He just got himself a new keyboard (part of his wore out), so he must have salvaged some of the keys from his old keyboard and installed them on mine.
for the interesting discussion on yesterday's post
It was fun to read everyone's stories about their adult-life paths; I love that there is not a one-size-fits-all route for everyone.
that Lisey got a $1000 grant
Her school had a matching grant program for people who had come to school with scholarships, so she applied, and she got it!
So, her Mike Rowe scholarship is doing double duty for her, because she wouldn't have qualified for this one without the Dirty Jobs scholarship in hand.
for my aunt and uncle's kindness to Lisey
When Lisey Facetimed me to tell me about the grant, she was sitting in her car on break at school, eating a chocolate cake made by my aunt.
And she told me that my uncle was at home working through one of her electrical problems so that he could help her with it later.
I know I keep saying this every Thursday, but my goodness, I am so thankful for their kindness to Lisey! I tear up whenever I think about it.
This reminds me that one of the best ways to love a parent is to show love to their kids. This is a good thing for me to remember as I move into the empty-nesting stage of life in the future; I can use my empty-nest time to bless some other parents by loving their children like my aunt and uncle are doing.
that Sonia and Zoe helped me with my flashcards
Going over flashcards by yourself is helpful, but I find it to be extra helpful to go over them out loud with someone else.
that I'm studying A&P in a time when animations are abundant
In this module, we are learning about the physiology of muscles, and that involves learning about the rather complicated processes that lead to muscle contraction. In my studying, I just went through a learning unit about the neuromuscular junction with was replete with animations and animated activities.
After finishing that, I really feel like I understand what's happening, and I don't think I'd grasp it nearly as well if all I had was a textbook.
What a good time it is to be in A&P!
that the end of the semester is not too far away
We just started module six, and there are only two more modules after this one, so the end is in sight. Since I've maintained a good grade past the midpoint of the class, I'm feeling good about the rest of the semester, and I'm thankful.
Quite a few of my classmates are taking A&P for the second or even third time, so I am especially grateful that things are going well for me. I think I'm only gonna have to pay for this class one time.
And that makes my frugal heart happy!
for an extra hour this coming weekend
This one is a reach...I am not really very thankful that it is going to be dark so early in the afternoon, starting this weekend. But at least this time change is one that doesn't steal an hour, so that's good.
that it will be lighter earlier in the morning
Recently, it has been so dark at 7:00 in the morning. So, I am going to appreciate that part of daylight saving time ending: it will be brighter earlier in the morning.
for a car that always passes the emissions test
I was thinking about how I have never had to worry that my car might fail the required emissions tests; even my older cars have always been in pretty good shape, and they have always passed.
It's not that failing an emissions test would be catastrophic...it's just that thinking about this has reminded me to be thankful that I've always been able to drive a car that is in good repair.
When Sonia's car battery died the other day, we were talking about how nice it is that a non-starting car is a noteworthy event, not a regular event. It is so lovely to be pretty sure your car will start every time you turn the key, and I know that is not a given for everyone.
For those of us who were young drivers in the 1970s, a non-starting car was a dismaying part of too many mornings. I just love it that I now don't have to hold my breath while turning the ignition key. 😀
@Ruby,
I hear you! We had a Plymouth Fury that stranded us so often, we always said we knew why it was named "Fury."
@JD, that's funny! We also had a Plymouth Fury I and there was a time that I met the nicest people when I had to ask them if they could give me a boost... and yes, booster cables are always in my vehicle to this day!
@JD, my father had an old Opel Kadett that we secretly thought of as the "Can't Do It" because it would not crank up so often. I was no good at doing the trick with rolling it down the hill and popping the clutch to start it, and so refused to drive it, even if it was really cute.
I just dropped my cat off at the vet; I'm worried about possible health issues with him but I'm thankful for vets and their knowledge base.
Thankful my husband likes to garden and find ways to preserve food (right now he's making some sort of green tomato relish)--that isn't something that I have an interest in and if it were up to me, it wouldn't get done.
Thankful that Thanksgiving is coming up soon and our son will be home from college for a few days.
Thankful for YouTube exercise videos to give me variety in exercise routines.
Thankful for my Libby app so I can have a constant supply of reading material even when I don't have time to go to the library!
@Kris, thank you for appreciating veterinarians! I'm a vet and this is a challenging time in our field. Lots of staffing issues, clinics are overwhelmed with all the new COVID pets, etc. I'm sure your veterinarian appreciates your kindness too 🙂
@Sharon, veterinarians ROCK!!! A special thanks for taking care of all of our 4 legged children...our families would not be the same without them 🙂
@Sharon, thanks for what you do! Pet owners aren't allowed in the building currently--we pull up to a numbered spot, call the office, and do all of our interacting over the phone. The staff bring the pets in and out. It's a small clinic so I'm sure that keeps the staff safer. BTW, no major issues with my cat. Whew!
@Sharon,
We love our vet at the Humane Society. Thank you for all you do.
Daylight saving time ended for us last weekend already! It is so pleasant to have light again when we bike to our morning swim. The more so because the roads are slippery with fallen leaves.
I did bring down some fairy lights to make the longer evenings more pleasant!
I love Thankful Thursdays. I'm so glad you've kept doing them, Kristen!
This week I am...thankful that I found a new insurance plan for next year that is going to save me $80 a month. That's a nice chunk of extra change to have!
Thankful for a flexible work schedule that means I can go for lovely fall bike rides with the hubs mid-week.
Thankful for these gorgeous fall days we're having out here in the high desert...65 and sunny is fine with me!
Truly thankful for grocery pick-up. I've always loved the grocery store, but lately I just have had things I wanted to do instead of going to the grocery store. Ordering groceries on Saturday morning has become routine now and I love it!
Last for this week, truly thankful for the hubs. He's so good with all the things, from vaccuuming to cleaning the kitchen and wiring the camper for solar power...I love how knowledgable he is!
Daylights savings is more a source of stress now that I have young kids haha But I use a wake up light with them and have been setting it to turn on a little bit later each day this week, in preparation for this weekend. The strategy seems to be working as they are sleeping in more each day and I am grateful for that!
I’m thankful for podcasts, for the entertainment and valuable information they provide. I was listening to a parenting one yesterday that had some really good advice on shyness in kids which is something I’ve been thinking about a lot with my son.
We had some family photos taken a couple weeks back. My son had fallen asleep in the car on the way there and was not in a mood for photos. We just got the photos last night and somehow we managed to get a few good ones (and a lot with a pouting boy) so I’m thankful we’ll at least have a couple nice family photos to hang up and share.
Now that I’m back in the office 2 days/week, I am extra grateful for the 3 days/week I still get to work at home. I am also grateful that the two days in the office were not that bad though, not much traffic and it was nice getting to see people after so long.
@LB, This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I love family pictures (and pictures in general) that are "wrong" - like of the pouting boy - because they are so real to me, and that makes me smile. I keep the "bad" pictures for that reason - the ones that don't have everybody looking at the camera, or somebody is mid-sneeze, stuff like that. It only works if you also have a "good" one, though!
Oh yes, those are always so fun to look back on.
A photographer came to kindergarten when I was about 5 years old. Of the approximately 50 children in the picture I was the only one who wasn't looking into the camera - I was talking to my friend in the row behind me. I still have to laugh every time I look at that picture :-).
I look extremely skeptical in my kindergarten photo: https://kristenprompted.com/when-you-were-a-child-how-did-you-imagine-your-adult-self/ (scroll down to see it)
I love that you were socializing in yours!
@Kristen, I love all the outfits! One can easily tell it was taken in the 80ies (like mine :-)).
@LB, There are very few pictures from my childhood where I am not sticking my tongue out. My father would lecture me before any family photoshoots, cautioning me that I was to keep my tongue in my mouth. I am old now and I still have to fight that urge; in one of my wedding pictures you can see my tongue starting to fight its way out of my mouth.
I agree, I do enjoy the photos that go wrong and I did have to get at least one pouty photo, he looks cute even when pouting (to me at least 🙂
1. Thankful for a really great Doctor. I have never really had a good regular doctor...I always saw my Gyn and then ended up at urgent care for a sinus infection every now and again. I am so grateful to have a good PC that I can talk with and who has been so helpful in getting my anemia under control. How lovely to have energy again!
2. Thankful that open enrollment has begun for 2022 and our rates are only increasing $7.39/paycheck! This is the first time in my work history that the increases in premiums have not taken my entire cost of living raise. I know that taxes will probably eat the rest but I am looking at the silver lining here.
3. Thankful for our church family. We volunteered at the Trunk or Treat this past weekend and had so much fun - not just handing out candy but talking with everyone, decorating cars, loving on kids, and just enjoying being together. What a joy it is to do life alongside this community!
4. For cooler weather and flannel sheets. I love this time of year when it is not quite cool enough to turn on the heat and we can snuggle under flannel sheets at night. Hot Tea is becoming a lovely treat and soups are more welcome at the dinner table. Yay Fall!!!
5. I am thankful that we are in the season of the harvest & Thanksgiving. I always enjoy this time of year but this year it feels so much more profound to have the chance to gather and give thanks. A nod here to living in the present and not getting trapped in the hurry of life that wants us to rush through or ignore tis time and move immediately to the Holiday rush.
Happy Thursday everyone!
1. That these posts prompted me to start a “thankful a day” this month on the car ride to school with my kids each morning when we all name a thing we are thankful for. It has been lovely to hear the things they are grateful for, especially my son saying he’s thankful he has a classroom this year since last year part of the year was remote and then when he did return to school in person his class was so large they had to put them in the cafeteria to be able to keep them distanced. Hearing the things that matter to them makes me happy and I’m hopeful this is encouraging gratitude in their hearts. So thank you for doing these posts because they prompted these morning thankfuls with my kids. 🙂
2. That it’s finally sweater and sweatshirt weather. I can put one on in the morning and not be sweating by the afternoon.
3. Being able to watch my son’s hockey games on the weekends.
4. For lunch dates with my husband.
5. For lots of good things to look forward to.
Aww, I love that you did this with your kids. Yay!
1) Thankful that I work with (generally) such delightful colleagues. Work has its ups & downs, as it does for everyone, but I feel really lucky that most of my colleagues are people I enjoy spending time with.
2) That I get an opportunity to volunteer, through work. I'm on the cusp of finding a new career (relevant from yesterday's post), & trying to appreciate everything about my current career before I take the leap. My current job allows me to help others, I get many opportunities to be connected, mentor (in & out of work), etc.
3) For our matching gift program at work. See above. It's so nice to have our match doubled, for any charitable donations.
4) For my husband, for being the "tech support" at our house, dealing with wifi issues, setting up new devices, & troubleshooting problems.
5) Living in a climate that allows us to grow a lot, including our own pomegranates. Yum!
This week has been a week from H-E-double-hockey-sticks, so it’s probably a great time for me to do a thankful list.
We moved to our new place on Monday. Our movers were somewhat inexperienced and underestimated how much time and space it would take to move our stuff, so it took three truckloads (smallish truck, but I am now DETERMINED to downsize) over three days to get it all here. I’m thankful that our movers themselves were extremely pleasant, easygoing and nonjudgmental, and that the two-day overage didn’t cause a problem at the end of the old place. (New owners don’t take possession until today.)
Shae fell and hurt her back. I’m obviously not thankful for that, but I’m very happy she didn’t damage the new hip joint she just received in June. Her pain has been severe, but it’s easing which makes it seem that it was mainly muscular. There’s a lot to be thankful for. I’m also extremely grateful that the meds that I am on for adhd regulate my energy so much better that I was able to keep on going and pick up the extra needed with her out of commission.
Yesterday morning I got to Tim Horton’s for breakfast on the way to the old place to meet the movers and my car wouldn’t re-start when I tried to go. I’m thankful that my old landlady was able to tell the movers where I was and let them in, then she met me there and tried some weird farm trick or something on my car and it worked! Crisis averted. (After dozens of various-sized crises caused by this woman, this was a refreshing change.)
On Tuesday I reached out on a local page to find a cleaner to help me at the old place, as Shae was out of commission and I was pretty much out of spoons. Someone private-messaged me and she sounded great, calm and professional. She was listed as a cleaner and seemed perfectly legit. I had offered a decent hourly wage and clearly outlined what was needed in my post online. Welp, yesterday she didn’t show and also ghosted me online. I am thankful that I am a pragmatic person, and my first response was to just start on the things I had planned for her to do. They were probably not done as well and I paid the price physically, but I finished everything on that list and am completely done with the old place. I’m grateful that my parents and ancestors passed down a legacy of grit for me to call upon.
The last one is currently the hardest. The new house we moved into, which is incredibly expensive to rent because there’s a housing crisis where I live, is dirty. As in, too dirty to put things away without scrubbing the places I’m putting them into with dawn and a magic eraser. I’m talking grease and grime - everything feels like it has a greasy residue over it, and some places have actual stuff stuck on. It’s disgusting. The new landlords are the ones who used to live here, so it’s delicate. If it were from other tenants I’d have no problem saying the house was filthy, but I don’t want to offend them. Being assertive is difficult for me in the first place, and this feels excruciating. So, what am I grateful for? Well, for melamine sponges and grease-cutting detergents, for starters! This job would be nigh-on impossible without them. And I guess for the fact that I’m committed to following through on getting it addressed, even if it takes time. I just need to do it diplomatically.
There we go, I made it to five! Being grateful really is a habit that can be strengthened with practice.
Ohh greasy dirt is the WORST. Blech. Good luck with the cleaning, and may next week be an easier week!
@Jem,
Goodness! All I can say is, bless your heart! May it get better, quickly.
@Jem, I’d like to add my sincere good wishes for things to look up for you all going forward. May the hardest part be over now and some special blessings come your way!
@Jem, 'a legacy of grit'...I LOVE that! I hope things improve quickly for you. Sending you all the good vibes 🙂
@Kristen,
It is. And thank you!
@JD,
Thank you!
@Erika JS,
Thank you so much. I appreciate everyone’s good wishes. ❤️
@Jem, You couldn't call and ask if they had a cleaning person scheduled who didn't show up? Or if they paid someone who did a horrible job, they should know.
On the other hand, I appreciate it is a tactful spot you are in. Hope you are able to finish quickly!
I create a thankful journal each November that has a scripture verse for the day and then I journal about the verse and something I am Thankful for. I always forget about the reliable car and not worrying about if it's going to start or not and so today in my journal I am going to write about my car. Good, reliable, paid off ride.
1. I am thankful to have a mini van that is just a few years old and works great. Previously, I had a 12 year old car that was very temperamental and it was such a stress!
2. I am thankful my parents are coming to visit us this weekend. They are getting older. I am thankful to see them whenever I can.
3. I am thankful that we can see some family on Thanksgiving this year. It will be a smaller gathering but still much better than last year when it was just us 4 (although I am also thankful for some very sweet memories from that strange holiday).
4. My teen daughter has a chronic health condition but she is currently doing very well on a new dose of medication and I am thankful for her very good team of doctors.
5. I am thankful for a little sunshine today. Too many grey days in a row make me sad.
For those of us getting up early to go to work, having more light in the morning is really, really nice.
1. Therefore I am also thankful that we "fall back" this weekend.
2. I am thankful for my grandson's christening this weekend as well. What with Covid and a string of minor illnesses amongst little ones, we've had to push this off a while.
3. I was pensive driving home on my long commute yesterday. I thought about the homes and farms I pass - mostly I see small, plain, older homes, with a few tumbledown places and a few mobile homes as well. There are a scant handful of large, fancy brick homes and of course, there is the private road leading to the hunting plantation of a certain wealthy TV mogul, so I see a wide range of housing. I was reminded that I'm both grateful for and contented with my own modest but comfortable home.
4. I'm grateful for my husband's family member who left a new set of sheets, which fit his hospital bed, on our porch while I was at work yesterday.
5. I'm grateful that our most recent count of new Covid cases in our county was just nine. The numbers have dropped like a stone these last few weeks.
Such a thoughtful gift!! I am also starting A&P classes for the alternative healing degree. Would you mind sharing the flashcards you use for it? I have just a few months to complete the study and give exams. Thank you
Best,
Dee
I have just been making my own on 3x5 cards; I figure that the process of making them will help me learn the concepts even better than if I used premade cards.
My e-text has some "flashcard" decks that are virtual, but I don't find those to be as helpful as actual cards.
I'm thankful that our adopted feline trio finally feels fully at home. They've been here for two months, and while two of the brothers settled in quickly, the third (a former street cat with the scars to prove it) seemed only cautiously happy. He'd accept affection and certainly food, but he didn't seek us out and honestly seemed to be waiting for the other shoe to drop. He's been dramatically more playful and mischievous the past few weeks, following us around and trilling constantly. Last night, while my husband and I were reading in bed, our scarred boy voluntarily settled on my lap for the first time ever!!! He's not even sought out my husband's lap before (my husband is a cat whisperer). He slept there for over two hours--basically until I could no longer put off going to the bathroom. 😛 Thankfully, he reclaimed his spot when I returned. It's not uncommon to wake up with all three cats on the bed, but I am thankful and then some for the symbolism of lap time. <3
@N, this warms my heart, as I, too, am a cat adopter. One of our currents is a former feral, and I mean really feral. In Feb. it will be two years since we've started trying to bring her into the family. We can now touch her........sometimes........if she's in the right mood, but I don't think she'll ever jump up on our laps.
@Anne, we’ve been trying to guess at our cats’ former lives based on their behavior. One was taught to sit for treats; another was held down to be brushed (he has hair for days), so we have to be careful grooming him. Our street cat is a truly gentle soul, even when we met in the shelter, so we theorize there must have been at least a few kind people feeding him when he was on his own. We consider his scars (the reason he was at the shelter for over two years) a feature, not a bug—his story is in his wonderful face.
I’m so glad your feral found you! Your lap time together will come. <3
I'm taking my cat to the vet this morning to check on a couple of things that I'm slightly concerned about. Many years ago I couldn't afford to pay for "slight" concerns so I'm seriously thankful, that after a lifetime of frugality, I can afford any and all medical care.
@Anne, good luck to you and your kitty! HUGS FYI, should your cat need antibiotics, ask your vet if they’re available as drops or an injection vs. pills. Injections and drops are more expensive but completely worth not having to pill a cat!
Hoping your kitty is all right!
Congratulations to Lisey. Well done.
Well, now that you mention it, I am very thankful that my car passed inspection (in August) and I got a sticker. Over the summer my engine light came on (and then went off for the rest of the summer). In early fall when I bought gas at a "random" station, that night it came on again. My mechanic finally thought maybe it was the catalytic converter. But he decided to try the O2 sensor, which resulted in a hole in my exhaust, which obviously (noise factor) now needed to be repaired. The man who did the exhaust said he thought I had small holes in the exhaust, which tripped the engine light. Exhaust is fixed, no light, I'm happy.
After last week's N'oreaster, we were very fortunate. A tree 10' from the house broke up. Large limbs fell and missed the house. Just got the fence. But it was scary not knowing what was falling (very loud) and where it was going to land. If it had been the whole tree, it would have been the house. Also, we never lost power. Many in our community and area of the state lost power for several days.
It's all good.
As I became a parent I really began to understand how much it means to have people do nice things for your kids. Boy, it can really mean the world!
This week:
* I, too, am looking forward to more light in the mornings. Being on the other end of the Eastern time zone, it was still completely dark when I dropped my daughter off at school at 7:45 this morning. I was a little shocked. But I appreciated knowing that next week will be brighter at that time.
* I'm thankful that we're done with the summertime energy savings part of the year where energy costs 1.5x from 2pm-7pm. I can do laundry any time I want!! It's been freeing.
* I'm thankful for access to healthy food.
* I'm thankful for rapid tests and all of developments we've had with handling COVID. My husband got exposed at work but he's able to rapid test every morning when he gets to work, work with a mask on, and keep going. This option will also be available if my elementary-age child gets exposed again, so hopefully we can be done with remote learning. Also - SUPER thankful that he has tested negative so far!
* I'm thankful for how people share in the FG community! I didn't comment yesterday, but I read through all of the comments and appreciated how people shared.
I was talking with a former coworker of mine and he was telling me about a job opening that they can't fill and was wondering if I was interested. I looked at it and let's just say I am happy with my current salary.
Like you, I'm thankful that cars are so much more reliable than they used to be. Checking the stats, the average age of a car on the road right now is about 12 years. So your regular car on the highway is a 2009.
I'm also thankful that I was either off work, working remotely or at a remote site for a while as I was not around someone who ended up with Covid. He's on the mend now btw.
1. Thankful that I got our old laser printer to power up after it was off for weeks while I procrastinated about buying replacement toner. Googling the issue saved me lots of time and helped me resist the urge to just buy a new one.
2. Thankful to have a vehicle that starts every morning. I too remember the days from the 70s when that was not a guarantee
3. Thankful for my small office heater. My office is 65 degrees today so without it I would be miserable
4. Thankful that our rescue dog wanted to cuddle a bit this morning before I left for work. She's usually a very independent lady and doesn't love to cuddle as much as I do. It was a nice way to start off the day.
5. Thankful for wonderful friends who continue to check on me after Mother passed away last month.
I am so thankful because a second grandchild is on its way!
I am thankful that fall is in full swing, it is cool and rainy and we changed the clock back to wintertime last Sunday.
I am thankful that I get to meet two friends of mine in a little restaurant in my street for dinner tonight and that I am able to afford this without breaking the bank.
My middle son spontaneously flew to Israel last week and will be back on Sunday. I am so happy that he went to stay in the kibbutz for a couple of days and so many of the people were so happy to see him and received him in such a friendly way. I am so thankful that he has the time and money to do so and that the borders are open again to fully vaccinated people.
I am grateful for my dog who is always up to accompany me on my numerous and extensive walks and hikes.
Ohh, yay! Another grandbaby for you. Wonderful!
I am thankful for modern dentistry. I am in the process of getting a crown replaced (I didn't even know that was a thing) and given the alternative I am grateful.
I am thankful for a warm house on a frosty day. I'm also grateful yesterday was sunny after a cold wet day on Tuesday.
I am thankful I am able to travel. Post-pandemic our focus has been on seeing family.
I am thankful that my nephew, who is new to our geographic area, will join us for Thanksgiving. I know my sister is grateful.
I am thankful that we have a garage in which to park our vehicles. Our house is small but the garage is big enough for our two vehicles. I am also thankful that there is a small bit of woods behind our yard. We are close to many suburbia things but the woods makes it seem less developed.
I am thankful there is so much to see and do within a one hour drive of our home: nature, history, culture. Last weekend we visited a historic National Park Service site.
1. Another person here who is thankful for curbside pickup. I don't buy as much random stuff now and it is a real gift to have this service on days when I need to use my wheelchair and my husband is out of town.
2. Thankful for a compliment that made me feel good all day: I called the vet to make an appointment for pound hound and the receptionist said, "Oh, Dr. H loves when you come in. He says you take the best care of your animals so it is a pleasure to work with you." I really like this vet, who has worked with our wolfhounds, Danes, chickens, geese, miniature sheep and a very vicious pig, so it is nice to hear he likes working with us.
3. Thankful for a husband who loves to sing, usually show tunes or Christmas music. It gives me a lot of joy to hear him singing away when he is working in the garage or cooking. Sometimes he shuts off the alarm and wakes me up by singing You Are My Sunshine.
4. Thankful for or a close relationship with my sister, even though we live at opposite ends of the U.S. She is such a sweet and cheerful person; sometimes I find it hard to believe we came from the same family.
5. For cheese. I love, love, love cheese.
Ooh yes. Cheese is so good!
I have been feeling decidedly off-kilter lately, so I need this exercise...
Thankful for excellent, kind and compassionate veterinarian care for our rescue cat. he had pancreatitis for about three weeks, which wasn't responding to treatment - there was a suspicion that he might have intestinal lymphoma - our vet gave him a steroid shot, and he seems to be back to his usual self for now. Our vet is not sure if he has lymphoma or irritable bowel syndrome, and only time will tell, but we are grateful for his clear explanations and also for every day we get to spend with our Lafayette (named after the Hamilton character 🙂
Thankful for good friends and family, who helped keep me from despairing when I thought our cat was dying. (Not being dramatic - he was that sick).
Thankful for my current, very reliable car that takes me wherever I need to go. I had a 1976 used Pacer in my youth - it was a terrible car! I was never sure it would start, in addition to being cantankerous.
Thankful that we were able to buy a new refrigerator when our old one bit the dust; also thankful for our ancient "spare" fridge/freezer in the basement, to store food items until the new fridge was delivered (it took 2 weeks from purchase to delivery - thankful it wasn't a longer wait!)
I'm sure there's more, but that's a good start.
Kristen, Your hair was kind of blonde when you were little :).
Reading this thoughtful post each week allows me to be thankful for stuff I take for granted. Such as, in the case of this week, reliable cars. And we don't put them in our garage over winter! (It’s already trending to frost overnight here.) I’m thankful for better cars today. Nice to know some appliances are better-made as time has gone on.
Years ago, during out first winter married, I discovered that my hubs's car couldn’t always be relied upon to start in freezing weather every time. And needed to be warmed up a bit when it did start. Since we were originally from Europe (20 years ago at that point) my family had always bought foreign cars (which weren’t foreign to us!). My older VW had always started all winter long so I never knew about this problem until I was married.
In addition to a very reliable car, I am thankful for my sweet husband, who this week thoroughly dusted all the furniture in the house and moved the back porch furniture so the robovac could clean the porch. I'm also very thankful for the robovac, who keeps us from being ankle-deep in dog and cat fluff tumbleweeds.
On a more serious note, I am thankful for the life of our friend who lived with us during the first stage of the pandemic until he could find a place of his own, and for hospice, which helped ease his last days this past weekend. He was a devout Christian who had been ill for a long time, so as much as we miss him, we know there was a great homecoming in Heaven for him.
I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your friend! But I am so glad you were able to help him in his time of need.
We ‘fell back’ last weekend and I was ver grateful for that extra hour in bed, delicious!
I’m grateful that me eBay side hustle allows me to travel each Sunday to watch my eldest son play American Football. He’s just started Uni in Scotland - 313 miles from home - who’s counting :):):). I’ve never missed a match and I’m travelling those 6 hours for his home games and probably 4 hours for the aways staying overnight as well. I get to see the game, my boy and have a mini break in gorgeous Scotland.
I’m grateful that I’ve joined a choir with my closest friend and we are having such fun singing and laughing together.
I’m grateful that I’ve received my Covid booster jab.
I’m grateful for this blog Kristen, I learn so much from it each week either directly from your writings or the comments, thank you xxx
Oh, I just love that practical acts of service show of love from Mr FG via your keyboard! Seriously, so thoughtfully sweet.
I’m thankful that … my husband was able to fly down and be with his mom last weekend after his dad passed away (he was almost 88, it wasn’t unexpected but it was somewhat sudden), and that she has other family and friends also able to come be with her.
Also, thankful that my husband’s work let us use his work credit card points for personal stuff, and that we were able to use some to get free plane tickets for us and our 3 kids to fly down for my father-in-law’s memorial next month.
I’m thankful that my parents are able to watch our kids this weekend so my husband and I can get a date night and good connection time.
I’m thankful that my husband knows me well enough to tell me well in advance of Christmas that he wants a higher priced gift (we usually don’t do anything for ourselves) and isn’t offended when my gut reaction is not favorable 🙂 - he knows I need time to wrap my brain around big purchases!
I’m thankful that our neighborhood public school has so many supportive parents and community members - I’m helping coordinate the book fair, and am just blown away that we are pretty much fully staffed with volunteers throughout the school day all of next week.
And I’m thankful for sunshine. I live in Colorado, and the warm sunny days really don’t get old.
Thankful for my lovely daughter, she's growing up, making decisions and choosing a good path for her life.
Thankful for beautiful autumn weather, chilly but warm in the afternoon.
Thankful for a new warm weather coat.
Thankful for this blog and all those that share their thanks.
Coffee, always thankful for coffee.
I’ve never heard of emissions test on a car - is this a new thing in US? I live in Australia - it sounds like such a good idea if it means getting old clunkers off the road!
Nope, we've had emissions tests in my state for quite a long time now! And yep, the idea is to identify vehicles that are not filtering the air properly so that they can get modified/fixed.
I am grateful that I could get my COVID booster.
I am grateful my body is so awesome that it created a pretty good (bad) reaction to the vaccine. Feeling pretty puny today.
I am grateful that we are able to have healthy food and that I like to cook to make it from scratch.
I am always grateful for the museum where I volunteer. It brings me such joy.
I am grateful that I can think of more projects to make (craft) than I have time.
I am grateful for my kind husband.
Thank you to the people who wrote on yesterday's post, and to Kristen for hosting it!
Your uncle sure is handsome.
@Anne, I thought for a minute that she was showing us a movie star photo!
Haha, you guys are cracking me up!
@Kristen, Yes! I actually thought that I was thankful Kristen showed us the photo of her uncle!!
1. That our oldest is enjoying med school and so far it isn't as time consuming or hard as he thought it would be.
2. He's seeing patients already and learning how to perform exams. Because of this, I'm thankful we all have our booster shots. He's commuting this semester and living at home.
3. For my sweet husband. He's such a good partner and father.
4. That my mom is healthy and mentally doing great (she's in her 80s). My MIL has dementia and I am so happy we aren't dealing with this times 2.
5. For my next-door neighbors. It's so nice to have them there for friendship and if we need something, or they need something, we help each other out.
I am thankful for this website that I just found and subscibed to. So uplifting to read all the posts and comments.
Also thankful for hospitals, all the people that work in them and nursing homes. I just spent all day today with my 92 year old mom who had fallen. All is well thanks to prayers and people who work in those places I mentioned.
I too found yesterday's discussion riveting, thank you to the person who asked the question and to you , @Kristen, for posting it.
This is such a timely question, "what am I thankful for?".
On Tuesday, I received a very unexpected email informing me that a very dear friend, who had been a port-in-a-storm kind of friend to me for 40 years, had died. I was shaken to my core, and I am still coming to grips with the change in my perception of the world - one that won't have her physical presence gracing it.
However, the thankful part of this came to me immediately upon hearing the news - I hadn't visited her and her husband for at least 4 years, yet late this August my daughter and I went to stay with them for a night, and we had a wonderful visit. It was sweet and easy and lovely, I was so glad to see her (them) and she clearly was glad to see me (us). Her husband shared tonight that she really loved me, which brought us both to tears. The gratitude that came to me when I read that she had died was so intense - I am not carrying any regrets that I hadn't visited. Such a gift to me, that we went this Summer.
I think that is a big enough gratitude, I don't need to list another 4. Go hug your beloved friends, folks!
I have been having a rough go of it these last few weeks, so being able to really think about what I am thankful for is a good exercise. I wrote about it here:
https://cannarymom.blogspot.com/2021/10/happy-things-right-now.html
I was sitting (crying) in the office of a kind radiologist this week as she was reading a CT scan of a young child who had metastatic cancer and I said, oh my God, things could always be worse! to which she replied, that's very true. I am thankful to God for giving me a kind soul at work and a little perspective every day.
Thankful for freebies on my birthday (Starbucks, Arby's and Dutch Brothers so far). Thankful for a good job that pays well, especially since most of my life I've been "working poor" and one paycheck away from disaster.
Thankful for savings if there is a disaster.
Thankful for my 2009 Pontiac G5, it runs well and gets me where I need to go (especially good for working at night)
Thankful for credit that's improved enough to be able to finance new tires for the car mentioned above.
Thankful for friends and family who wished me a happy birthday today.
Thankful for...
The Libby app
We get 2 weeks paid time off at Christmas
My pup came through lump removal surgery without a hitch
For the way above normal temps
That my DIL's pregnancy so far has been good and is due soon their other child who will be 2 pats her tummy and says Out! Out! Ya it don't work like that lol