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?

Day 139 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for the Happiness of My Children!  As a parent, they say you can only be as happy as your least happy child.  I would agree with that and add that the older our children get, the harder it is to deal with their unhappiness.  I truly can think of nothing more heart wrenching than when one of my boys is in pain and hurting - physically, mentally or otherwise.  When they are adults, we are so powerless to ease their pain or fix the wrongs for them and that helplessness is an ache in the gut that is like no other.  I am an anxious worry wart when there is something amiss with one of them and I can't wrangle my thoughts to anything else until I know for myself that they are better.  When they are all doing well and happy, or at least okay, then I am one Happy Momma.  I am so very thankful for those times!

Day 138 of Thanksgiving....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Seeing things through the eyes of my children.  One of the most joyful parts of being a parent is seeing life through our children as they grow and learn.  All things become new again to us and we are amazed at every day things just because they are.  We learn to see the simplicity in life again.  My youngest - my baby boy (he hates that) is now 17 and is doing all of those once in a lifetime things that you never forget.  He had his senior pictures taken today and he looked so handsome in the tux prop they provided for the picture.  He allowed me to come along and I so enjoyed seeing him pose with ease and the smile on his face when the photographer made mention of his curls and gently tucked them back into place.  I was very inept in high school, clumsy and uncomfortable with myself and I didn't enjoy anything like this. I still remember his first day of preschool, when his teacher told the class a story, she later told me that he said Good Job and gave her a thumbs up when she was finished.   As my boys have grown and matured, it has given me great joy to see them navigate their way through these firsts and actually be able to enjoy them.  I hope they will have wonderful memories of these times when they are old and white haired like me.

Day 137 of Thanksgiving

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Today I am so very Thankful for Reboots!  Not so much the ones your computer needs, although those are necessary as well.  I am thinking about the times in our lives when we get a boost, a restart to begin again.  There are lots of reasons for reboots in life and many times when they are crucial.  In my life I have had a few strong reboots that literally saved me and kept me on track in life.  The loss of a job, a divorce, and even sometimes the loss of a loved one, can become a starting point for growth and enlightenment.  Many times we are blessed with a new perspective and as the old saying goes, when that door closes, a window will very surely pop open where there was none before.  We just have to be aware and looking for the opportunity.

Day 136 of Thanksgiving...

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Today I am so very Thankful for Sailing!  As per usual this is going to sound silly but I have never actually been sailing and I don't really have any desire to.  To be truthful, I technically can't even swim.  But....for most of my adult life I have been so drawn in by sail boats, pictures of sailing, and watching them while at the beach or lake.  It has just come clear to me lately why I feel this impulse - it's not the sailing that intrigues me but the idea of Sailing through life.  To me the idea of sailing - floating on water powered by a breeze is akin to times in life when we are leaning into the wind and enjoying the ride.  It's about not fighting or struggling to live and realizing that we are empowered to make the journey easier - we can make the decision to sail a good bit of the time so that we are rested and ready for times when we must paddle and work hard to keep our boats afloat.  The hardest part is realizing that you can only enjoy Sailing when you give in and relax and don't fight the wind.

Day 135 of Thanksgiving...

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Today I am so very Thankful for Pollyanna!  Taken from the name of the child heroine created by Eleanor Porter (1868–1920), American writer or World English Dictionary states that Pollyanna is a person who is constantly or excessively optimistic.   Full disclosure, I read about Pollyanna in my Guidepost reading today and it brought to mind how many times over the years that I have been accused of being Pollyannaish - with good reason.  I am learning that this is not necessarily a bad thing.  Now I can be just as negative on the other end of the scale as well but the extreme positivity has angered more friends and family in the long run.  I was mulling this over and realized that we all want to be positive and exuberant at times but due to circumstances it is not always within us all the time.  This is especially true during hard or painful times.  As a child I would wear my Pollyanna hat to keep peace and harmony in our little household - sometimes it worked, others not so much.  For years I tamped down the instinct to be optimistic and joyful because it seemed to make others uncomfortable.  Now I realize that it is not the joy and optimism that causes such a reaction but the feeling it may give off to others that they are doing something wrong in not being as joyful at that moment.  As I get older, I have come to the realization that I just have to be me and do my best to see the joy and goodness around me and appreciate it.  Everyone may not get it and I may aggravate some, but that's okay too.

Day 134 of Thanksgiving...

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Today I am so very Thankful for Mirrors!  I know this sounds petty and silly but bear with me.  Today I went out with hubby to dinner with two of the kids.  On our way to the restaurant we stopped off at a Stein~Mart so that I could pick up a sweater as I was wearing a sleeveless dress and I thought I might get chilly.  The dress I was wearing was a simple one that I found in perfect condition at Good Will for six bucks - so exciting.  I had a little blush of color, which I rarely have, thanks to our day at the beach yesterday.  Yep - I was feeling pretty good about myself as I perused the racks and quickly found the perfect lightweight sweater which happened to be 30% off - Score!  As I made my way around the store checking out a few purses and in search of a more comfortable pair of inexpensive shoes, I caught sight of a heavy set older woman out of the corner of my eye.  Argh - I thought, I am so glad that I am losing weight and feeling better about myself and I am looking good.  As I kept moving I noticed that she was coming toward me - what??  Is she smiling at me......to my shock and disdain, the woman was ME!!!  There was a full length mirror propped up against a dress rack and I was looking dead straight into my startled face - old, heavy set and not looking at all like I had imagined!!  Now you may say this is depressing but I chose to see this as a reality check and sort of what my Momma would call a comeuppance!  I was getting way ahead of myself thinking that just because I have lost a few pounds, and I am talking single digits here, that I was so special and better than some frump that was actually me.  Lesson learned - we are all working through stages and at different places in life - no judgements and no put downs!!  We are what we are and we have to love ourselves honestly as well as others.  Oh and maybe I do need to get some bifocals soon!!

Day 133 of Thanksgiving...

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Today I am so very Thankful for White Hair!  At 55, white hair was surely not one of my dreams or desires - it definitely ages me and no matter how many times I am told I can pull it off - it is still not what most anyone would chose.  But - I do chose hair and I am glad I have hair - as a female being without hair is tough and I surely don't have one of those faces that could pull off that look - trust me!  So I stopped the coloring process a little over four years ago and it was tough.  I plucked my first greys at 16 and it only increased from there.  I started covering it with color at 25!  How exhausting and frustrating because I have that lovely kind of white that is very resistant to the color and it was always peeping out and saying Nana-BooBoo at me in the mirror or any picture.  But I still continued the dance and the futile process of trying to pretend that it wasn't so.  But when it started to thin and I could see the pink scalp peeping out instead of white and grey hair, I decided it was time to call a truce.  Now I am not going to tell you that I am in love with this compromise and at least daily I think um maybe I should try color again.....but good sense prevails and I chose hair.  All of this sounds so trivial and not so noteworthy but I believe it is part of the process of Becoming - as in the Velveteen Rabbit - the years and the love of life show in my face and my hair and I have given in to the worn look of becoming - I did not go quietly but go I did.  At times I tell myself that the white glistens in the right light somewhat like the golden locks I used to dream of - if you squint a little.  Another plus is I get senior discounts without even having to pull out my driver's license - how cool is that??  On a side note - hubby has beautiful white hair and he still looks young and handsome - distinguished - how fair is that??

Day 132 of Thanksgiving.....

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Today I am so very Thankful for Vacations!  Hubby is on vacation this coming week and for us that means doing stuff around the house and maybe a day trip along with a dinner out.  This has become the norm for us as week long vacations away from home are now more of a luxury than the routine they used to be.  We have had one of those in the past 10 years and it was wonderful but not in the picture right now.  However - we embrace the notion of Vacation anyway - we eat a little later, stay up a little longer, linger outside more and think V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N thoughts.  Take naps with abandon and watch movies most every night.  These are not things that hubby can do when he is working - he works very hard so when he is off we all get in the notion of relaxation!  Cooking fun dishes and enjoying them - you just knew food had to figure in here - maybe having a dessert.  Yum!!  The goal for me is always to do some things that will make life a little easier and pleasurable after he returns to work such as cleaning out a closet, organizing some drawers, etc.  Stuff dreams are may of - not.....but for me pleasurable just the same.  We will frequently say during the week - don't worry about that cause after all we are on VACATION!!!!  ;o)......we're gonna have some fun!

Day 131 of Thanksgiving...

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Today I am so very Thankful for Enlightenment! I see this word as en-light-enment because the focus is on turning on the light or seeing something clearly for the first time.  Hubby asked me to was this movie with him - The Human Experience and I have to admit I was a bit hesitant.  Sometimes I just don't have the fortitude to see some documentaries that are so very painful and sad and they stay with me for far too long.  The intended purpose I suppose.  I have to admit this one was very different and I would recommend it to everyone!  It is profound and will make you think in a different way about many things.  This docu-drama follows three young men, two of which are brothers and their path as they learn to cope with their past and they grow to see the world differently.  Their joy as well as the joy of those around them during their journey is palpable and inspiring.  If you have ever had an instinct to volunteer or reach out to others less fortunate, you will do so in a different manner after watching this film!  Very Very ENLIGHTENING!!!


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1252298/