Ten Things of Thankful - Week 50, 2017

The image above says "Be thankful for friends who care about you." The quote is attributed to Victoria Osteen. The background image is of two small smiling snowmen wearing red hats and red checked scarves in front of a backdrop of winter branches and snow. Where would we be without our friends?!

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Christmas is less than a week away, and it's a very hectic time, it's also a very difficult time for many people, so along with all the magic and warmth of the season that I am ever so thankful for, I am also thankful that all the hoopla will soon be over, the year will come to a close, and we will return to our more-or-less normal life routines.

Most of all this week, I am thankful that a very scary allergic reaction which landed Papa Bear's granddaughter in the emergency room and then the hospital was resolved and she was able to return home twenty-four hours later. Allergic reactions can be life threatening, and this would have reached that status without rapid multiple intervention efforts. Now they are in the process of determining what caused this intense allergic reaction which occurred once before this year and at present remains a mystery. I am thankful for the many people praying that I know had a powerful effect on the outcome!

This past week I unbelievably received a second email from someone in Canada who has spotted the Don LaForte print I wanted on an auction site there and offered to bid on it and then send it to me if she could win it. I am humbled by the kindness of complete strangers who chose to reach out and assist me in regaining something I had lost. I am so thankful for the awareness that these kind of people still exist in the world, despite all the bad press we get these days.

I am thankful that I was able to complete the baking of candy and cookies to mail off to my kids in time for Christmas, and I am equally thankful for the gift of a wonderful box of goodies for us from a very special friend. My mother always sent boxes of Christmas treats when she was alive, so this gift really warmed my heart, especially the cranberry bread that tasted so much like hers. I just know my Mom was smiling as I opened that box!

 I am thankful that Papa Bear was so appreciative when he returned home from work to find our Christmas tree lighted and decorated and a few favorite Christmas decorations set out to enjoy. He makes the effort fun because he always enjoys it and always says so!  He retains his childlike Christmas spirit, loving colored lights and presents, cookies, cocoa and secrets, music and candles and all the things that evoke memories of when we were young.  I am also thankful that the furkids have surprisingly shown no interest at all in our five foot tree that hangs on the wall and sits atop a table. I think having it up higher takes it out of their constant line of sight so they don't notice those shiny balls and snowflakes within reach. 

I am thankful that my daughter and her husband found the perfect family with four little girls to assist in providing Christmas gifts for this year.  This is something she has done each year since she doesn't have children of her own, and I am proud of her for making the effort to brighten the lives of little ones and make things easier for their parents.  The mom of these young girls was extremely grateful and even brought her girls to meet the couple that that was responsible for the brightly wrapped gifts under their tree. 

I am thankful that the winter weather has been mild thus far for my sisters and their families still living in the Midwest. I cannot remember a time as a child when there wasn't tall snowbanks and sub-zero temps in December. I won't go into climate change, and certainly they will need snow to come soon so that there will be adequate ground moisture for crops to grow next seasons, but for right now it means that the long, cold, dreary winter will be less so, making life easier and safer for them. We are not young anymore, and icy streets, steps, and sidewalks can be dangerous and scary!

I am thankful and excited that Papa Bear and I have decided to go away for an overnight on Saturday since he will have a three day weekend. We are going to San Angelo, a two hour drive, which is a wonderful little city on the Concho river, and we will enjoy some good dining, colored lights, and window shopping. We don't have the opportunity to get away often, and this will be more fun than exchanging token gifts. We like making memories together!

Although our kids will not be with us this Christmas, I am thankful that they each have a partner to share the holiday with and won't be home alone. We will all be in touch by text, phone and photos as we open gifts and share some love. I am also thankful for the sweet memories of Christmases when they were small. 

Just as the quote at top says, more than anything this year I am thankful for friends who are there for me in so many ways and who share their days and lives with me and in doing so we encourage each other. I am thankful that I can return that caring, and I love the support we have found in each other. I remember a time in my life when I had no close friends, and realize how blessed I am now!

Blessings to you in this season of love and hope... 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.