Ten Things of Thankful - Week 29, 2017

The above image is a quote that says "Gratitude gives you wings to fly higher." It is credited to "Assertiveness for Earth Angels" which is a book about "how to be loving instead of too nice," by Doreen Virtue. The text is printed in white on a dark teal blue background with billowing pink and white clouds. A winding trail of  sparkling "fairy dust" leads from a side view of a tiny white butterfly with golden brown edges on it's wings, and winds up the left side of the image to a much larger version of the same butterfly at the center top, implying that it has been enabled to fly up higher *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Like many of you, I am thankful for weekends! Although I am no longer working in a Monday thru Friday job where one often eagerly anticipates the weekend, I still look forward to Saturdays because it means that Papa Bear will get off two hours earlier than usual which he is thankful for too, working six days a week is very tiring. On Sunday he is able to sleep in as late as he likes and then we have the day to spend together. <3

Saturday has been our "date night" for all of the nine years we've been together. Sometimes we go to a movie or some event in town, other times we do a little shopping or run errands, or just enjoy sitting home on the deck together, and we usually end up soaking in the hot tub before bedtime, relaxing underneath the stars. I am thankful for our date nights, every couple should make time for them.

High on my list of thankfuls this week is that my daughter has purchased an airplane ticket for me to come and spend a week with her in Nashville in August! She will be off work that week since her house will be on the market and it doesn't work well for showing it if she is working nights and has to sleep days. Although it will be hard to be away from Papa Bear for a whole week, it will be really good to have some mother-daughter time, and I'll be able to spend some time with my son while there too!

I am thankful that a friend of Papa Bear's was able to come this morning with his tractor to mow our two acres which has become overgrown very quickly with all the rain we've had this season. We need to keep the weeds down to reduce the risk of wildfires. When it gets this high Papa Bear can't mow it with our riding mower, so we are grateful his friend could do it for us and in turn we could provide a little extra income for his family.

I'm thankful that no family emergencies occurred early Tuesday morning! I awoke to discover that when we requested ATT to shut off our landline (since we no longer use or need it), they inadvertently shut off our cellphones and internet as well, at 2 AM no less! Papa Bear was already at work when I discovered this, he hadn't even looked at his phone yet. I had to drive the twenty miles into town to the ATT store to get the problem resolved. I am told that even if a cellphone does not have service you can still use them to call 911, but I certainly am glad I didn't have to test that!

Just two weeks ago I noted as a thankful item that my two sisters and I were all getting along well for a change. Sadly, that didn't last. One overstepped the boundaries in comments and hurt the other's feelings, and once again they are not on speaking terms. Sigh! I am thankful that I have learned to  remain on good terms with both sisters by not getting involved in the issues between them; as the middle sister they used to find it easy to pull me in both directions. Staying out of it helps me to maintain my own inner peace, although it does make me sad that they can't learn to treat each other more kindly and not say things that are guaranteed to cause upset.

I am thankful that I was able to help my younger sister locate the perfect Bed & Breakfast on a lovely lake as a place for she and her husband to celebrate her 60th birthday coming up next week. She was frustrated that she couldn't find anyplace available near them, since summer is a busy season and she hadn't booked earlier. I am pretty good at Internet searches, and she is excited about where they will be going. It's always fun to go somewhere new, and she can take her dog, which is essential to her. :-)

I am happy that I am gaining the trust of the three feral tomcats I'm feeding on our deck. Andy, the first to show up, discovered this week that it feels really nice to be petted and have your chin and ears scratched, and now he comes running as soon as I step out on the deck to wrap around my legs and see if I have any treats. The second one, Smoky, is a little more shy and watches us while he eats from his bowl, I can approach him as long as I don't get too close. The third one, Tom, is still timid and will often scoot off the deck if I come out, then stand and watch me warily from the steps or concrete pad below. As soon as I come in the house he returns to the deck to continue eating. It won't be long before he realizes that I am safe to be around. Our indoor cats love watching them from their cat tree at the living room window.

I am thankful that we have been able to survive financially this past year without me working. It hasn't been easy, my social security check doesn't go far, but we have learned to be much more careful in our spending, and have also been able to reduce some of our basic expenses. That's all good! Papa Bear likes having me at home, and I love being here. My sister asked me this week if I miss the social interaction of working in an office job. No, not at all, I love the quiet and freedom of not working so much more!

I am thankful for the little "pill pockets" treats I discovered  that are made for cats and dogs. Toby gets a daily medication and it tastes bitter if ground and mixed in his food. It is so quick and easy to pop it in the soft pill pocket and squish it shut, and he is eagerly waiting for his "treat" as soon as he hears me open the pill bottle. They come in chicken and salmon flavor for cats, and must taste good because he loves them! If you need to get medications into your cat or dog, this is a no-stress answer! :-)

I am thankful for the internal awareness and changes that are taking place in my life. This week I realized that I was frustrated by having too many "need to do" things on my list and always feeling behind and defeated. So I looked at what I could modify and which things were most important to me. I decided to take a break from creative writing for a bit, maybe just for the summer, so that I could spend that time and energy on other things, and it felt freeing to cross it off my list. I love to write, but I also love to read what other people write and I haven't had enough time for that lately, now I can make a little more.  If the urge to write something creative strikes me, I can do it without the need to respond to a schedule.

Most of all, I am thankful for each day of life, for the wonderful friends and acquaintances God has blessed me with, and for my needs met and my prayers answered. What more could I ask for?!

Blessings to you this week. Look for reasons to be thankful in your life, and remember to be a blessing to someone else!
The above photo is a click-button to the TToT link-up. It is photo of one of our beautiful Texas sunsets with blue still peeking through the clouds; yellow, orange and pink bands around the remaining sliver of bright sun, and a wide band of black earth below it on which I've written Ten Things of Thankful.*

* Descriptions of the included photos are being provided for those who may be unable to view the illustrations.