Ten Things of Thankful - Week 33, 2017

The above image is a quotation that says "Be grateful for ever moment of every day that you get to spend with the people you love. Life is so very precious." The author is unknown. The large purple text is printed above an image of five lavender roses on short stems in a clear glass of water. The background is off-white shaded with diagonal streaks of lavender on the top half which extend from the upper left  to the middle right ending behind the roses.*

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 This is the first time I've sat down at my keyboard in ten days, that's a record for me! As most of you know, I flew to Nashville on Saturday a week ago to visit my daughter and help her prepare for the sale of her home there.  My son also lives there and I got to spend time with him and his awesome girlfriend too!  It was a busy week that went by way too fast. 

 

On the plane coming home Saturday night I started to make notes of the things I was thankful for, and in just a few minutes I'd surpassed ten and easily could have kept going for twenty. I am two weeks behind on reading and commenting on your TToT posts and am eager to get back to that, so this will be the short version of  my week and just some of the many awesome things about it...

 

I am so very thankful for my daughter's gift of the airplane ticket so that I could visit her, we really needed that time together.  I am thankful she is financially able to do such a nice thing for me.

 

I am thankful that my flights and connections both going and returning went smoothly, other than a short delay in Dallas which was no big problem. I am always fine with sitting as long as I have wi-fi and my smartphone. :-)

 

I am thankful for the surreal beauty of flying high above the clouds in the daylight and for seeing the tiny twinkling lights below at night. No matter how old I get it will always feel magical.

 

I am thankful beyond words for getting to spend quality time with my daughter and son; seeing them doing so well in their grown up lives is always such an amazing thing to me, since I don't see them often.

 

I am thankful for getting to meet my son's girlfriend's little boy who is seven, and so polite and conversational. He is being brought up the old-fashioned way with real parenting and it is refreshing. He loved my daughter's cats and was so gentle with them.  I gave him a Toys R Us gift card and he had a great time shopping, choosing some cool new bathtub toys. :-)

 

I am thankful for a chance to enjoy all the green beauty of Nashville and the surrounding area. How I've missed trees, grass, hills, and water! Although it was plenty hot and humid during the days, it was worth it to have the luxury of such gorgeous scenery!

 

I am thankful for the fun of playing with my daughter's three cats, they are healthy, active, beautiful, and very spoiled. We got along great and I really wanted to bring the kitten home with me! :-)

 

I am thankful for all the wonderful meals we ate out and prepared at home, and the fun of sharing really good sushi and German food. Part of the fun of traveling is getting to eat something different!

 

I am thankful that I was able to help my daughter with the final chores of cleaning and staging her house for showing. We worked hard, laughed a lot, fussed at each other a little, and got the job done.  It is such a beautiful home, and her sense of style and décor is amazing!

 

I am thankful for the fun things we found to enhance the appearance for showing, and the bright yellow flowers we planted in the flower boxes on her deck which will make her smile remembering out time together.

 

I am thankful for the amazing outcome of the house listing... the very first person to see it made a good offer immediately after doing so, and contract papers were signed the next day! How often does that happen? What a blessing! She's been working on the house for a long time getting it updated and ready, and was so tired and ready to be done with it. So very nice not to have to do a whole bunch of showings and live with more anxiety. God willing, closing will take place Sept. 25th, by which time she will be packed and ready for her move. I am thankful that she will finally be able to join her husband in Dallas, so much closer to us!

 

I am very thankful for the nearly new king size mattress set that she will be bringing to Dallas and giving to us, so much more comfortable than the old one we have.

 

I am thankful for recipe's shared, new things learned, and all the wonderful and thoughtful little gifts both my daughter and son bestowed on me.

 

I am beyond thankful for Papa Bear's outstanding care of the indoor and outdoor cats in my absence, it's a lot of work! I returned home to find the bed made, dishes done, and everything taken care of.  I am thankful for all the photos he took to send me, and all the little love notes each day.  We missed each other so very much!

 

I am deeply thankful for all the conversations, the laughter, the tears, and the overwhelming love that was shared this past week, and all the lessons that God taught me along the way.

I am thankful that so many of you shared thankful posts and commented on each other's posts in my absence, proving once again that it is not me, but all of you that make Ten Things of Thankful such a wonderful, supportive experience.  I can honestly say I missed the fun of reading about your weeks, and I'm headed that way now!!

 

Last, but definitely not least, I am thankful to be home again, this too is a place of tremendous love and caring, and I know how very blessed I am!

Blessings to you in the days ahead... 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.