Ten Things of Thankful - Week 40, 2017

The above image has a muted background in shades of taupe, rose, lavender, and green suggesting something floral. It has a plain, narrow double border with taupe on the outside and a light rose on the inside. A quote by Marelisa Fabrega is printed in ten rows of black text across the image and says "Gratitude should not be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good, even in unpleasant situations. Start bringing gratitude to your experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel grateful." The image has been borrowed from Pinterest.*

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I love the above quotation because I believe that gratitude should not be merely an exercise, but a way of life. Even in times of sadness, anger, or frustration, I can almost always still reflect on reasons to be thankful. Gratitude doesn't solve all life's problems, but it does take the sting out of them. :-)

Today was a busy day, playing catch up at home after being away for three days. We left Friday evening and returned home last evening, driving to Dallas to spend the weekend with my daughter and son-in-law and furkids at their apartment there. She is making good progress in getting her boxes unpacked and things sorted out from the move. 

Since we're already down to Tuesday night here and the posting deadline is looming, I'm going to keep my TToT list short this week, but I assure you it is very sweet, related to the trip and time shared...

I am thankful for 715 miles of safety on the road while travelling to and from Dallas, and towing a U-Haul trailer on our return trip home. Traffic in the Dallas area is congested to say the least, but Papa Bear handles it well.

I am thankful my daughter now lives in Texas, just 355 miles away instead of 1010 miles when she lived in Nashville.  This means we will get to see them more often, which makes my heart so very happy!

I am thankful they found a nice apartment in a good area of North Dallas, with an open floor plan and lots of windows, and thus plenty of light. Moving from a large home to a small apartment is challenging, and their storage is packed full despite getting rid of much. In the future they will buy or build another house. I think getting settled into a new job and marriage routine first is a good plan.

I am thankful for the greatly reduced stress level for my daughter (and I'm sure her husband too), now that her house sale and the move have been completed. All prayers accepted for her to find a good nursing position in Dallas that will hopefully be kinder to her physically after 20 years of floor duty nursing which have taken a toll on her body.

I am thankful that they have three adorable feline furkids to entertain them and to keep her company while David is out of town for his job most weeks. Pets are great company and I'm thankful he loves cats as much as she does.

I am thankful for all the fun and laughter we shared while playing board games and card games as we visited. I cleaned up on poker. :-) 

I am thankful for wonderful dining experiences, a chance to enjoy good things we can't find here...  I had a plate heaped with king crab at Pappadeaux, and a wonderful chicken gnocchi in a creamy basil sauce at an awesome little Italian place the night before. My daughter made us some delicious Snickers brownies too!

I am thankful for the very nice hotel room they provided for our stay, and for them playing taxi the entire time we were there, so we could just relax and enjoy the ride!

I am thankful for the time spent shopping at IKEA and Beth Bath and Beyond with my daughter on Sunday afternoon while they guys watched their beloved Cowboys go down in flames once again. We found several little treasures we just had to have, and since I  rarely go shopping it was a treat, and fun to see in what ways our tastes are similar and different.

I am thankful for the beautiful king-size mattress set that my daughter gave me. It is like new and so comfortable, and since they didn't need two of them, we were blessed to be on the receiving end of this gift.  Ours was badly in need of replacement.  We slept so good last night after we got it set up!

Most of all, I am thankful for the opportunity to spend time with my daughter and son-in-law and observe the dynamics of their relationship.  We've had very little time together with David, though they have been together for about five years, so it was really good to get to know him better and see them treating each other with respect and love.  I am thankful that neither one of them has to live alone anymore, having a partner to share the ups and downs of life with is a blessing.  Now both of my kids are in good relationships, and that brings me so much peace of mind. I hope and pray they will always love and treasure each other and much as Papa Bear and I do. <3

Blessings to you in the days and weeks 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.