Day 151 fo Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Social Media.  While many are negative and disgruntled with social media, I have to be honest that I am very thankful for it.  My niece and I recently discussed the fact that it is a blessing as well as a negative thing.  For me, someone who rarely leaves home, it has been a connection to friends and family as well as a connection to other crafters.  Twitter and FaceBook have allowed us to come together and provide blankets, hats and booties and more to so many in need and it gives many of us purpose in life.  I have met so many wonderful people and we share and pray together over life's valleys and smile and cry together over life's joys. 

Day 150 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for my Family!  I know I have talked about them many times before, but I believe they deserve some extra thanks!  My four Boys and my Hubby are my life and they make life worth living!  Whenever I meet someone new, or even in short conversation with people, I will do my best to work into the conversation that I have four boys!  That fact is my greatest joy and most wonderful achievement.  Not to say that I have done anything extraordinary - I am just so proud of them and who they have become - they deserve all of the credit!  My life is so full of wonderful memories of their lives and a day doesn't go by that Hubby and I don't reminisce about things they have said and done.  What a joy they are!!   And now they have brought wonderful girlies into our lives...what a joy and a blessing they all are.

Day 149 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Quiet Time!  When I was much younger, I had a wonderful friend that I worked with and she was a bit older than me.  She would tell me that she would be up early in the morning and I could never understand how it took her so long to get ready for our 8:30 start time.  Then one day she told me that she had trouble getting out of her chair where she would sit quietly with her cup of coffee and her small dogs and contemplate her day.  What??  I was the Mom of small boys and once I crawled out of bed there was no sitting - only in the final leg of my drive to the office did I sit and relax - just a little.  Well now I am older too and no longer working and I so cherish my sitting quiet time each and every day possible.  I see how friends are doing online, say prayers for those who need them, think about my day and most important of all, enjoy a cup of coffee and feel so very thankful for my life, my family and yes my fur babies too.  What a blessing a little quiet time can be!!  What a blessed perspective it can give.  For someone like me who tends to fill quiet with way too much chatter, the old adage about being still and quiet to hear the whisper of angels is so very true.

Day 148 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for our Military and all of those who have suffered and sacrificed for our safety and the lives we live!  I saw the most awesome little cartoon this morning and the caption was "Thanksgiving is when we are thankful for the things we have; Veteran's Day is when we pause to be Thankful for the people who fought for the things we have!"  This is so awesomely true and so easy to forget and loose sight of.  Right now our family has a young person serving in Portugal and this helps us to know how important this service is.  Thank you Anna - we love you and miss you so much!!!

Day 147 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for the Joy of Crafting!  I know I have talked about this before but after seeing this graphic today, it brought to mind again how much crafting gets me through life!  I craft for causes because my family has had enough of things that I try to create and because it gives me some small way to give back.  This weekend, while going through my stash with my husband, I was trying to explain to him how this works - that is the process of how a crafter looks at things differently and this passion is always always in our minds!  I think I will print this and frame it for him for Christmas - how crafty is that???

Day 146 of Thanksgiving...

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Today I am so very Thankful for Wisdom of Others!  So many times in life we are unsure of what to do or think or feel.  This is one of those times in my life and I am so very thankful for the inspiration and love that I feel from those around me who seek to understand life and what is truly important.  Each day I gain inspiration and thought provoking ideas and information from others who know so much more than me.  I am so very thankful that there will always be those who provide a smile, a good thought, and wisdom beyond their years with all of us.

Day 145 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for the Freedom to Vote!  We are so very fortunate in this country to have this privilege and we all need to take advantage of it.  We cannot complain and grouse if we don't get involved and cast our ballot.  While I may not always agree with others around me, I can walk into that booth and vote my heart and for what I believe in and that is a truly amazing wonderful awesome good thing!!

Day 144 of Thanksgiving.....

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Today I am so very Thankful for the Blessings of Marriage!  Three of my Boys are now married and I am so very thankful they have found someone to love and to love them.  There is no greater joy in life than to see your children happy.  We have celebrated two of their weddings this year and they both were truly magical as was my oldest son's which took place seven years ago.  My hubby and I have known each other for almost 30 years and have been married for 27 plus.  While the road is not always easy and some days are definitely better than others, I wouldn't trade this life and each and every day I am so very thankful that I have a partner to share this life with along with my Boys and their Girls!

Day 143 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for the Support of Others!  Having a chronic illness has taught me, like nothing else, that the support of those who understand you is essential.  It is very hard for others to understand something they cannot personally relate to and I completely understand.  For those of us who don't have an obvious illness - one that is not detectable easily, we suffer much stigma and anger from others.  Recently I found a new support group online and I have been so pleasantly surprised by their welcome and openness - it is just awesome.  This group has been the impetus to get me writing again and best of all, the feeling of not being so alone in my quest for making the best of this life even though it is different than the one I had planned.  Through our support of each other we all shine together and we are able to accomplish much!

Day 142 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Donuts!  Yep - you read that right - donuts - a heavenly concoction that we don't allow ourselves to enjoy very often now that we are on the other side of 50!   We have had a new Dunkin Donuts in the making for several weeks now very near our favorite place for Chinese takeout.  Finally it has opened and tonight we went by for a sample.  Gone are the days when we could bring home a dozen or two and enjoy them over several days.  Now we only get a few and no leftovers - that way we don't overdo.  Tonight we tried the Pumpkin and it was awesome.  Such a small little extravagance but so enjoyable and since it is Fall and I love everything Pumpkin, it was a double delight!!

Day 141 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Guidepost! For many years of my adult life I have read and devoured each yearly edition of Daily Guidepost.  If you are not familiar with this publication, it is a daily devotional book that comes out each year from the publishers of Guidepost magazine.  The most awesome thing about it is, is that it is written by a group of authors that come back year after year and over the years they have become like family.  I can't wait to crack open each new edition and see how they are doing and if there is anyone new.  The sad part of any new edition is when there is a loss of a long time author.  I feel so close to them and feel compelled to say a prayer for those they leave behind.  Years ago I bought a copy and gave it to a dear long time friend.  Years later when we went through a hard time and could not afford to buy them, she in turn started sending them to me each year.  What a blessing and a joy to open my mail box and find a fresh new one for the coming year.  I find old copies all over my house - I have reread old ones, donated them and just plain hoarded them.  You will see me swipe ideas and quotes from them quite often as well.  I can't say enough about what the Guidepost Daily Devotional books have meant to me and Thank you so very much to my Dear Friend Sandy! 

Day 140 of Thanksgiving...

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Today I am so very Thankful for Merry-Go-Rounds!  Okay - I will explain.  There is a line in the movie Parenthood where the Grandmother tells a story about how many people like merry-go-rounds because they are safe and you just go round and round.  She goes on to say that she prefers the roller coaster because it makes her stomach go up and down and it is much more exciting.  She used this as a metaphor for family life when her Granddaughter finds out that she is expecting another child at an inopportune time.  Well, I have to admit that in our family we have had lots of roller coaster rides and as much as I like excitement and thrills, I am thinking that I truly like the merry-go-round so much better at this stage of life.  Yes it does just go round and round and the scenery is pretty much the same but that's just fine with me.  I am not even talking a horse seat here - I will take one of the benches at this point.  I even like the repetitive music and pastel colors.  I know - I know, we can't stay on the merry-go-round, but couldn't I ride it for at least a bit?