It's Easter weekend, and for me that's the perfect place to start my gratitude list for this week. Faith is far and away the gift I am most thankful for in my life. I remember what it's like not to have it, and I know that without it I wouldn't be alive today. Grateful doesn't even begin to cover it; I am blessed!
I am thankful for sweet Easter memories of when my kids were small, and when family lived close enough to get together. I am glad they remember those times fondly too.
I am thankful for the wonderful rainstorm we had here two nights ago. It rained heavily for a long time accompanied by lots of thunder and lightning, but thankfully no high winds or hail. We are always grateful for rain in West Texas where it is usually so very dry, and my Escape got a nice rainwater wash, which it sorely needed. I love rainstorms, so beautiful to watch, and everything smells so nice and clean afterwards!
I am thankful for four devoted furkids and their unending antics. I often go to bed or wake up in the morning to find two or more long paws stretched under the bedroom door and waving, hoping to get my attention. I am always amazed that they seek out the companionship of humans, who must be very puzzling to them. My daughter has a new kitten, and I'm enjoying all the "furry grandkid" pix!
I am thankful that I've made it half way through the April A to Z Blogging Challenge in good form, and am still enjoying the process. My daily stories evolved into a serial story and so far it's an easy write. Not a literary masterpiece, but okay I think. I am more of a storyteller than a writer. I'm still catching up on other A to Z blogs, but I've found some great themes and have met some awesome bloggers. That's always the fun of doing this.
I am thankful that little by little I am developing my own sense of self where I don't feel quite so threatened by the skills and achievements of others. Life is not a competition, we should be cheering for each other instead! There are things I may be better at, and things that you might, but there is so much more that we share in common!
I am thankful for long texting exchange I had with my niece's boyfriend this week. He is such an awesome guy; it was great to see that we view life much alike, and how much he loves my niece. He is such a blessing in her life, which has been anything but easy. I'm sure he's heaven-sent!
I am thankful for all the beautiful wildflowers to be seen this time of year in Texas. As we were driving down the Interstate last week the roadsides and ditches were covered with bluebells, which can also be pink or white, and other wonderful wildflowers, many of which are the result of Lady Bird Johnson's campaign many years ago to beautiful the roadways and preserve native plants and flowers.
I am thankful for friends who share uplifting and educational items of interest on Facebook. With all the negativity and fear in the world at present, and all the drama and garbage that gets posted, I love seeing things that are interesting, encouraging, and even just plain funny. It just goes to show that most things can be used for good or bad, depending on who is using them and how.
I am thankful for how helpful my husband is, his patience, his common sense and practicality, his absolute integrity, and his calmness. He is a great balance for my more excitable nature. It is awesome to have his strength and knowledge to lean on, and to know that I can always depend on him. He's amazing! Now I think I'll get off of here and go make him some devilled eggs for Easter, he loves them! <3
Blessings to you in the coming week. Keep your eye out for reasons to be thankful, and remember to be a blessing to someone else!
Great list, Josie! I love thunder storms too, I find them comforting. Perhaps it's because another way that nature comes alive. I love the image of your furkids' paws under the door, trying to get your attention! My cat Charlie has let go of any subtlety in getting my attention and now just walks all over my laptop so he can snuggle down on my lap!
ReplyDeleteI love the funny videos/memes on Facebook too, they cheer me up :)
I agree about the storms, such a powerful reminder of life's energy! My furkids don't care for my tablet at all, and like Charlie are quite willing to run across the keyboard or lay on top of it if that's what it takes to get my attention. Their paws poking under the door are so funny and sweet!
DeleteI like using social media like Facebook for something positive, which is why I post my Thought for the Day there, we need more positives and less negative input in our lives. Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Easter, Josie. I'm glad Papa Bear likes deviled eggs. My kids hated hard boiled eggs to eat, but always loved coloring them. Poor Tim (or lucky Tim) would have to/get to eat all the kid's eggs in egg salad, just plain or deviled.
ReplyDeleteYou are rocking the A-Z and I love stopping by to meet the new characters and see how their lives intertwine. I am so glad I met you through your writing blog hop - remember the two-word themes you use to offer each week? That really got me started on writing instead of my home/garden/food blogging. And I thank you for that.
I had no idea bluebells could be pink or white. How lovely it must be to ride by and see them, thanks to Lady Bird. Texas is a huge state and there is much to see all over the place.
Happy Easter.
I didn't care much for boiled or devilled eggs as a child either, but I do now... add crumbled bacon, even better! It's funny how our tastes change over the years, and some things remain favorites forever.
DeleteI am so thankful we met via our blogs too! I find the sweetest friends that way! You are a treasure, with such a beautiful heart! Your A-Z photos are something I look forward to everyday. April is a busy blogging month trying to keep up, but it's fun too! Your theme last year inspired me to try it this year! :-)
Texas is indeed huge, and has a little bit of everything if you are willing to travel far and long enough. Of course my favorite part is the Gulf coast! :-) Ditches full of flowers in bloom are amazing!
Happy Easter and much love to you always! XOXO
A lovely list, and i agree, we don't need to compete so much as complement each other, each bringing strengths to the table that others do not have.
ReplyDeleteBlessed Easter! He is Risen!
Easter blessings to you and your family Mimi! What a wonderful time of year this is! I enjoy friendly competition in board games, but that's about it. I'd so much rather work together on things, and encourage each other. It's amazing what we can accomplish if we combine our talents! Thank you so much for stopping by!
DeleteComparison is the thief of joy! We all have our own light to shine, and it would be boring if they all looked the same! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm catching up on blog reading that I am sooooo far behind on because I've been writing so much lately. It's good to be inspired by others.
You are absolutely right, Les, nothing good every comes from comparison, you either end up with too much pride or feeling defeated, instead we need to cheer each other on, celebrate our unique gifts! I love your analogy of shining our lights, I like multi-colored ones, just like Christmas lights! :-) Don't worry about being a bit behind in the blogsphere, it's a constant state of affairs for me, we do our best to keep up and that's good enough, there only so many hours we have to devote to writing reading, and sharing!
DeleteMy catkids sleep on the bed with me. All is fine until about 6am then Teddy says it's time for breakfast...Jack lets Teddy do the wake up swats. Isn't it wonderful to see wildflowers just doing their thing?! Nature is beautiful and doesn't need man to perfect it. Usually not a good thing, comparing self to others. But we all do it at one time or another. If it leads to improvement, great, but if to beating yourself up not good. Hope your Easter was one of peace and happiness.
ReplyDeleteI would love ours to be able to sleep with us, but they are all long-haired and it's really hard on my allergies, along with my husband being a very light sleeper, and cats love to play at night! They do gather at the door to voice breakfast requests though, often early!
DeleteWildflowers are wonderful gifts from God, they are blooming here too now, and brighten up our barren scenery so much! I see all kinds of colors in our yard and in the ditches along the road
You make a very good point about comparison that I hadn't taken into consideration, if we see things in others that we admire, such as in how they conduct their lives or relationships with others, then we can strive for improvement in those areas. If we only want to feel bad because we don't measure up, then we aren't motivated to begin with and are just looking for excuses.
Our Easter was quiet but nice. It is a wonderful time of renewal realizing the value of the ultimate blessing of salvation.
Love this time of year, Texas or Ontario, with the flowers in bloom and the downpours.
ReplyDeleteI am the first to encourage someone, another writer, but I am still not evolved enough to not compare myself and wish I could be where someone else is with something like writing. I hope I can let go of this more as I grow older.
You give a lot of yourself, with taking on this here TToT every week Josie, and I really respect that. Thank you and Happy Easter.
I agree, Kerry, Spring flowers and rain showers are wonderful, they really lift our spirits!
DeleteI feel much like you do when it comes to writing. Yet I often wonder if many writers complete something and pronounce it very good, or do they also have doubts about their work, probably. We are always our own toughest critics.
I love the time I spend with TToT activities each week, Kerry, it's like vitamins for the soul. You just can't help but feel better about life when surrounded by a group of awesome people sharing things that are going right in their lives despite any struggles they have/we all have. I always go to bed smiling on Sunday night!
My daughter is a graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown. Every year since she graduated a couple years ago I experience withdraw around this time because I am not coming down there during bluebell season. I used to send up a prayer of thanks for Lady Bird every time I drove down I-35!
ReplyDeleteIt's true, May, the wildflowers everywhere here are just amazing, I've never seen anything like it anywhere else I've lived! They are thriving, and it's only in the Spring that they make their presence so strongly known. A feast for us West Texans weary of dry brown scenery!
DeleteI'd forgotten about Lady Bird Johnson's campaign to beautify the roadways. That was a wonderful thing to do, with such long-lasting effects. I enjoy the smell right before and after a thunder and lightning storm. It is so true that "most things can be used for bad or good, depending on who is using them, and how." Deviled eggs with crumbled bacon sounds delicious. I've never tried that.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how much her efforts back then have had an enduring effect as wind and nature has spread those seeds sown far and wide, a truly lasting memorial. I love the smell before and after storms too, and the quiet right before it begins and when it ends. I love the power of nature as manifested in storms, except the kind that do damage, that's not so good.
DeleteI tend to smile when people proclaim some inert object as good or bad, it is much likc saying that a dog is good or bad. It all depends on what it's purpose is and how it is used. There are some exceptions, ouija boards for example, just plain bad, evil, but then again, it's what they are being used for that is the problem, not the actual factory-made board itself. I love all kinds of deviled eggs, even "green" ones with avocado added. Bacon and eggs just go together so well, but then what doesn't bacon go good with?! :-)