Day 114 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Lessons!  Now I am admittedly stubborn and I don't always like to learn things the easy way.  But as we get older we realize there are some lessons in life that are worth hanging onto.  If only I could go back and heed some of these when I was younger.  But...alas that was not my path.  Below are some very simple lessons that I have learned the hard way and now they have become engraved in my subconscious.  I share them here just because they make life easier once you learn them - for the most part.

• Know someone through and through before you marry them
• Buy good sheets 
• Be kind even when you don't want to
• Trust yourself and listen to that little inner voice
• Eat good food
• You can never love your kids too much and tell them so everyday
• Know that we are all the same - one kind - human kind
• Treat others with respect even when you don't feel it
• Don't buy the newest gadgets right away
• Buy the best house you can afford but not the most expensive car
• Have faith
• Share..
• Listen.....every chance you get...be quiet and just listen....
• Learn from others...

Day 113 of Thanksgiving.....

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Today I am so very Thankful for the fact that we can Choose!  Just like this verse says - we can choose what we want to be, what we experience, how we handle what comes our way.  The choices we make create our reality.  If we choose to see the good in people, we will find it.  We can choose to try to find joy in what we do and we will.  This is a very hard concept to embrace at times but I have found it to be so true many times over.  When I choose to focus on the negative that is what I get.  When I choose to see the world as a dark unfriendly place, then it becomes that for me.  We have to practice this each and every day and it becomes habit and makes our world a kinder place to live in and those around us are much happier to be in our lives.

Day 112 of Thanksgiving.....

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Today I am so very Thankful for my Twisted Brain!  I saw this little graphic this week and I knew this one was all about me.  While I have quite a few brain issues, I still find myself very thankful to be able to do all that I do.  I try my best to embrace all of the positives of having attention deficit issues, poor cognitive skills, memory issues and more.  What positives you ask.....believe it or not there are many.  For one thing I don't get as anxious as I used to because many times I forget what it was that I needed to be anxious about.  I don't expect much from my thinking so I am very surprised and thrilled when I accomplish even small things. I no longer set myself up for big disappointments by expecting unreasonable things - I just enjoy what I can do.  But most of all - I no longer allow myself to be embarrassed or upset by my limitations.  Life is too short and we must make the best of every day and each and every active brain cell we have left......twisted or not.

Day 111 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Sisters!  I don't have any sisters in the traditional sense, but I have women in my life who have become sisters to me!  While I may not have the history with these women that a sister would, we do have shared experiences and we have supported each other through times good and bad.  I can tell them anything, discuss anything in the world with them and feel support even when I wax on about ridiculous things that are of no consequence.  We have watched our children grow into adulthood and we are Aunties to each others children as well.  I have known many women in my lifetime who were afraid to be close to other women or didn't genuinely like other women.  How sad.....you miss so much in life if you don't have special Sisters in your life.  Whether they be the blood related kind or just related from the heart - Sisters are the best!

Day 110 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Breezes!  If you live in the South or anywhere that it is very warm, you will appreciate this as well!  Our Springs are normally warmer than most here in South Carolina and it quickly gets humid here.  This year has been a little different and we have had the most wonderful enjoyable sweet breezes.  This makes a walk outside such a joy.  I know this might be hard to understand if you live in a cooler area.  But...for us, a breeze is a gift and they don't go by without being recognized and enjoyed. Ah Sweet Breezes - nothing like em.

Day 109 of Thanksgiving...

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Art from the Heart by Amanda Cass

Today I am so very Thankful for Freedom!  We live in a country of Freedoms and we are so very fortunate to have freedom of choice in our lives.  I am also talking about the freedom that we acquire as we age and are able to be free to show love and true feelings to others.  When I was young I was very hesitant to just give someone a hug or tell them how I felt.  Now I feel free to hug, gush, express or whatever the feeling may be and I can do so without much forethought or worry about it.  I am not sure why that is but I am so very thankful for this freedom.  I would not want to leave this place without those around me knowing how much I love them and being able to show it each and every day!  When you set yourself free and allow yourself to be free you can begin to really live life!

Day 108 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Answered Prayers!  I heard a quote last week that has really stuck with me...there are more tears shed for answered prayers than unanswered ones.  I have found this to be so true - sometimes we don't know what we are praying for and don't realize that what we believe we want and need is not in the plan for our lives.  No matter your beliefs, we all have wishes and dreams and sometimes in life we have a small dream that is so important to our hearts and when those dreams are realized, we are so very thankful.  As the old saying goes - Be careful what you pray for....  Many times prayers have been answered - with a different answer than anticipated....but answered all the same.

Day 107 of Thanksgiving

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Today I am so very Thankful for Peace!  I know we are far from world peace and we are in fact not at peace as a country....but we are still able to have Peace in our hearts and our minds.  It's not always possible and it can definitely be challenging but we have to find time to find a little peace for ourselves so that we are our best selves.  I so love this quote by Noetic Alchemy - it reminds us that peace can be found most anywhere - we just have to tune into it and calm our selves - many times easier said than done.  I can tell that when I am grumpy and irritable that I have not allowed myself to be at peace and I, as well as those around me, suffer for it.  I used to believe that there was great ritual required to obtain peace but it can indeed be very simple.  Close your eyes and think of something calming and enjoyable and you are on the road to the right place.

Day 106 of Thanksgiving.....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Beauty!  There is so much beauty in this world of ours and all we need to do is be aware.  Some days I see only grey and I can't seem to get past it to the color.  If I make the effort to pull back the curtain and look for the beauty, I am rewarded each and every time.  There are the obvious things such as a child, beautiful people, a sunset or sunrise, animals, flowers and on and on.  But, as I get older, I find beauty so much easier to find in the bright colors of a bird, the green lush grass, music, my boys, color, food----there is too much to name.  Sweet smells, babies, our sweet home.  Take a minute and take note - there is much to see.

Day 105 of Thanksgiving

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Today I am so very Thankful for Procrastination!  Okay - so you are saying Now I know this girl is a looney toon for sure!!  Well - you would not be wrong but that is beside the point.  With a brain like mine, procrastination is a huge part of my life and no matter the impetus or the situation, it clings to me like a sad old friend.  But....I have learned to work with my dear friend and use his ugly habits to work for me.  When the ills of nasty old procrastination sink in, I, for some unexplainable reason am able to kick into gear and produce my best efforts.  Now is this how I want to do things - surely not.....no one wants to be like this.  Ask anybody.  I want to be the girl who had the wedding favors done 6 months in advance; the house cleaned at least a month before the event, food made with loving care and frozen ahead of time just waiting to be enjoyed.  Linens clean and fresh with every crease and wrinkle smoothly starched out and rolled to perfection awaiting their use.  Bows tied, i's dotted....t's crossed....but for me this is the stuff of fantasy and the chances of it happening are nil to none - not ever!!!  So - I work with the friend I have in Procrastination and he pushes me to do things very last minute and allows me to say Whew...I did it - not exactly how I wanted but it will do.  Sometimes or most of the time for me That is as good as it gets!!  But that's okay too.

Day 104 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Sharing!  Ugh - that is such a hard thing to learn but it is tried and true.  The trick is that you have to share with love and kindness and genuinely have a desire to.  The joy you receive from sharing what you have is limitless.  The funny thing is that when you have the least, you find out that you have the best ability to share and give.  It starts out small and then once you begin to believe that you can truly give of yourself with sincere joy, you can't get enough.  I used to be someone who would hang onto clothes that I had not worn in years because someday I might need them.  Now, I love going through what I have and donating anything that I have not used in recent months.  This grows and becomes routine in all areas of your life.  Small things - true - but they can be very big things to someone who needs what you might not.

Day 103 of Thanksgiving.....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Trust!  I found trust hard to believe in for many years when I was younger but age has made it easier to relax.  One thing that is helpful to me is that I have been married to the same man for 27 years and we have known each other for almost 30.  I trust him with my life and he is my best friend.  Broken trust is a very hard thing to recover from and I sometimes am in awe of those who do.  I trust my boys and believe in them wholeheartedly - that is a wonderful thing.  Without trust in life, there is much angst and turmoil - I have known this in my life and it is definitely not a place I want to revisit.  As our money says ~ "In God we trust".....true above all else.

Day 102 of Thanksgiving.....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Laughing! Sometimes I forget how good it feels to laugh - it releases stress and helps us relax and many times it is the best medicine.  I am very fortunate because I live with two dogs and a cat who never fail to give me something to laugh at.  Raising 4 boys also has given me lots of giggles and my best memories are of times they made me laugh out loud.  My hubby is pretty funny and he is sometimes the biggest clown in the group.  Another great source of laughter for me are the crazy squirrels that frequently put on shows for our dogs.  They are not your typical squirrels because they are brave and will allow the dogs to get so close before dancing off on their merry way.  The only thing better is to hear others enjoying a good laugh.  As the commercial says ~ Did you laugh today?

Day 101 of Thanksgiving.....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Shoes!  I know that sounds kind of silly but I read a great article on the 1,000 Mitzvahs site about how many children in the world are without footwear ~ One Day Without Shoes.  The idea here is to help bring attention to this problem.  We all take things for granted and shoes are definitely on the list for me.  I am not crazy about wearing shoes and rarely do when I am at home - which is most of the time.  But - what if I had no shoes and had to walk everywhere - in the heat or extreme cold, over rocks and other rubble.  Then, I believe I would greatly appreciate the pain of shoes.  Think about it - so true that we many times don't miss something until it is gone.

Day 100 of Thanksgiving......

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from Blissful Union

Today I am so very Thankful for Change!  I admit I fight change and I don't adapt very well - I like sameness and I feel secure in that.  But....I have learned - somewhat the hard way - that change is inevitable and if we embrace it, it can be a great thing.  I have read that the only sure thing in life is change.  I personally have been through many changes in my life as most of us have been.  But as I get older, I realize that if I try hard to embrace the change - lean into it and learn from it, then I am able to grow from it.  A new perspective and way of looking at things were the gifts I received from the last big change in our lives.  Even though I go in kicking and screaming, I often come through change happier and glad I experienced it.

Day 99 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Mitzvahs!  I have been reading a book entitled 1,000 Mitzvahs ~ How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire and Change Your Life.  I am so inspired by this book and don't be mislead by the title - you don't need to be Jewish to gain from this.  The author used her pain from loosing her father to inspire this book and it's actions.  We can all do the same within our own lives in our own way.  The book is just an impetus, an inspiration and believe me, we all gain from doing simple Mitzvahs!  Kindness and love are what life is all about and I wish I had known this so many years ago. Sometimes we have no idea how important small things done with love and kindness can be.

Day 98 of Thanksgiving......

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Today I am so very Thankful for Safe Returns!  Our sweet niece is back home from Air Force training for a short visit.  She will then be on to the Azores for two years where she will be stationed.  We are so very proud of her and happy for her.  We had not seen her since the beginning of December so this was a very special Easter for the family.  We are so aware that many families do not have safe returns or returns at all and today we are extremely thankful that this time she came home safe and sound!

Day 97 of Thanksgiving........

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Today I am so very Thankful for South Carolina Weather!  Sometimes I am not very happy with it, like when it is 85 degrees in March and we are sweating, but yesterday and today have been so picture perfect I have to give thanks.  No humidity and beautiful sunshine along with flowers in bloom everywhere.  What an absolutely perfect Easter weekend!  Good news is the rain we have had this week has made the pollen a little more bearable as well.   There is a cool sweet breeze and it is wonderful just to sit outside and watch the birds who are euphoric in their joy of it all!  Thank heavens for absolutely beautiful South Carolina gorgeous days like these.  So worth waiting for!

Day 96 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Reading!  I have not always been an avid reader although I have always loved articles and self help type stuff.  In the last few years I have grown to absolutely love reading.  I don't always finish big thick novels - I still enjoy learning from reading and I can't seem to get enough of the self improvement genre.  I have several in my PC reading app right now and I float back and forth between them.  I also love anything by Debbie Macomber - her style is feel good and is perfect for an oldie like me.  The ease of downloading books from the library and Amazon as well as Barnes and Noble, make it even easier to enjoy reading every day.  I am so thankful that my boys have learned to love reading as well for it does not matter what we read as long as we READ!

Day 95 of Thanksgiving.....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Easter!  Even if you are not particularly religious or believe in the history of Easter, it is a wonderful time of year when we can all celebrate our earth as it springs forth to life in celebration.  I so loved dressing the boys up when they were small and filling Easter Baskets for them to ooh and ahh over on Easter morning.  One of the best memories is getting them up for Easter Sunrise Service in the Park.  It was chilly and damp but we had such a great time and even got some great pictures.  When I was a child, we never missed the Sunrise Service and it held so much meaning and I can still smell the Easter Lillies covering the isles in our Lutheran Church.  The hymns were so joyful and always made me cry.  We would have breakfast and be right back at church for Sunday School and regular service.  For whatever Easter may mean to you and your family, it is a wonderful celebration of life!

Day 94 of Thanksgiving....

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FM/CFS Information

Today I am so very Thankful for being a Woman - Female!  I so love my boys and always wanted boys but I am so very glad I am a female!  The perks are so much better than the negatives - we get to have babies - what could beat that.  We are tough and durable as well as flexible in general.  We work, keep a house, raise children, run errands, and so much more with out the blink of an eye.  I know men can do the same and do, but we have been doing all of this for generations and most of us wouldn't change a thing.  This is in no way a male bash - I am just thankful and more than that I am so very thankful for the strong women in my life!  The only thing I would change is that I wish I weren't so tired - all of the time!  We are all tired because we do so much and it is a good tired ---a thankful tired!

Day 93 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Flying!  No, I don't mean flying in a plane or trying one of those crazy things that allow you to dive off a cliff.  I am talking about flying in the sense of doing well and soaring - going somewhere we want to go in life.  Learning, doing, enjoying life and moving in a direction that you have dreamed of.  We all hope and long for our children to fly in life and be all they dream to be.  I have not always been able to fly, but I have never lost hope.  I so enjoy seeing each of my boys soaring through life and making their dreams come true.  What more could a parent wish for?

Day 92 of Thanksgiving.....

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Today I am very Thankful for Relationships!  Unfortunately I have a history of unbalanced relationships with others.  At my ripe old age, I am still learning and realizing that expectations have to be dialed down sometimes in life to make things work.  I have also learned that the best relationships can be those that are in sinc - where both individuals value the relationship the same or at least close to the same - with equal importance.  Not always easy!  I have the tendency to be all in and then surprised when others are not in the boat with me.  Time has helped me learn what truly good reliable friends are and value them for their worth.  Relationships are tricky and complicated but what would life be without them.