HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

If you're up to your eyebrows in pie crust and stuffing or embroiled in the Game of the Day (providing there is one this year), you won't likely take time out to read a blog post about giving thanks. So, this week's post is coming to you a day early!

I've heard various comments on this year's events--"The Year of No Graduation" or "The Year of No 4th of July" or "No Birthday Party" or . . . .

Certainly, we're operating under a handicap here--but take it from me, there are plenty of things to be thankful for. So let's get to it!

First--let's have a few reminders; they're not ground rules, just some thoughts that might've escaped through the net when you weren't looking. For example:

--giving thanks can occur any time--any place--in any circumstance

--you don't need a reminder--giving thanks can be, if you let it, a natural expression of your life

--by its nature, giving thanks is a positive thing

--and my personal favorite: giving thanks for one thing always (and I do mean always) summons up something else to be thankful for

Next--some examples from my own life:

--I'm thankful for abundant food--from grocery stores, farmers' markets, canned goods from my family's gardens; and pumpkin pie (with whipped cream, of course), veggies to roast, chickens and turkeys in great number at the store

--I'm thankful for a year of having to make-do, or reconfigure the old ways. We had concerts by professional musicians who performed from their homes--and many of them played or sang "as a group," all done digitally. I read about folks who used imaginative ways to help their children celebrate holidays when the old tried-and-true didn't work--stuffed animals displayed in windows for all to see and enjoy on a neighborhood walk; trick-or-treat managed without handling the treats or getting closer than social distancing allowed. 

--I'm thankful education continued--yes, it was difficult, and still is; but we are convinced that schooling is important and should continue, one way or another.

--I'm thankful for modern technology. (Never thought I'd come out so firmly on the plus side of all the tech stuff.) Getting in touch with family, friends, and business associates is easy, even for seasoned folks like me. I can have a concert any time I turn on YouTube. And I could read books online, but that's one I'm happy to leave to others; holding a book or magazine in my hands, now that's happiness.

--finally, I'm thankful that we have ways to share our thankfulness--Facebook has 30 Days of Gratitude each year. All kinds of blogs ring out with voices that are seldom heard. (I looked for a dairy-free pumpkin pie recipe and read little stories from people's lives, just from finding a recipe.)

Your Turn--Are you thankful for something special? Anything at all? 

Start your list with three things. Go on, a piece of scrap paper and a pencil won't bite you. Three things. Now lay that aside and go do something else. Give yourself a while to let your thoughts incubate. Think of something else? Put it on the paper with the other three things.

Just so you know--this isn't a contest. There isn't a prize at the end. But you will be a winner, I guarantee it, because you will have given voice to your own thanksgivings. 

Until next time, blessings!

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 LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT

Some of us will remember Kitty Allen singing the lyrics to "Little Things Mean a Lot," back in 1954. The words themselves are simple; they refer to small acts that offer more comfort and love than just reading them can convey. And yet . . . put them all together and you have a sweet song that could be the theme for most of our lives. [For a trip down memory lane, check out Kitty Allen on YouTube.]

Look around you--what makes you smile? Yesterday I went to a store that sells running shoes (not because I'm going to become a runner, thank you very much, but because I needed some different support for my, ahem, maturing legs and feet). In the fitting area, there was a toy (not real) dog, something like a small labradoodle, standing about 16 inches high; sandy-haired, bright black beady eyes. His two front feet turned in a little--and I smiled to find that a shoe store had a pigeon-toed toy dog. Such a small, small thing, and it made me smile.

What have you seen recently that makes you remember who you were at a younger age? An old photo will do it, or a home movie somebody made at Grandpa's birthday party when he celebrated the big 9-0. Maybe it's seeing a grandchild who is the spittin' image of you--or your spouse--or a cousin; and you wonder, did we ever really look like that? Probably did. Missing teeth and all.

Those of us who are downsizing (is there anybody here who isn't?--hands up, please) will recognize the little heart-squeeze that comes when we open a box and, lo and behold, there's that book we thought we'd lost, or somebody had given away; and it was here all the time. And in that stuff that came out of the old chest of drawers--oh, my! Jewelry that's almost in style again, given the number of years it's been hidden. Silk scarves we used to wear, and still can--even if they're not in style, they'll always fit. Closets, trunks, you name it--full to bursting of "little things" that may bring back memories.

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So, what's the point of looking at old stuff? I can think of a couple of good reasons.

One is, you'll never forget who you were--how you felt when you were young(er)--what your place was in the Big Scheme of Things. At one time, take it from me, you (and I) were the center of the universe. Nobody else thought so, but we were convinced.

And another reason is, remembering is one way to understand who you are--where you fit into life as we now live it--and you'll see how much you've learned, how far you've traveled, how much bigger--and smaller--you are than all those years ago.

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Little Things--old letters, old photos, a pink elephant won at the county fair, that first set of real tools for fixing your car, that certificate you won when you finished a mechanic's course . . . they may seem like little things now (we've moved on, after al), but at the time, they held significance in our lives.

Celebrate the Little Things, because they mean a lot; not least of all, they add up to the person you and I are today. Make yourself a little list (you know how I love lists)--reread it and see if there's some Little Thing you can share with someone else--some Little Thing you can do to make a difference in the life of someone who needs it. Probably won't cost you a penny to do that. And you'll know how much Little Things mean, because you've been there.

Have a blessed week!

 SOMETIMES . . .

[My life is no worse than that of anyone else I know, and in some ways, it's 'way better. Yet as daylight hours grow fewer, there's a part of me that wants to explore the darkness. This post appeared a couple of years ago, and I find it's still on target.]

If you're in need of an uplift today, you might want to change your dial to another blog. As November descends into the final run to the Winter Solstice, I find myself meandering around in deeper thoughts, such as:


- Sometimes . . . you don't need to leap out of bed just because the alarm rang.
What would happen if you hit the SNOOZE button and gave yourself 10 more minutes to prepare to meet the day? [The danger here is that you can hit SNOOZE time after time.]

- Sometimes . . . your greatest need is your own health.
Pushing yourself again and again beyond your normal limits may not be a good thing. Is the committee meeting going to fail because you aren't there? Will the office shut down because you need a mental health day? [We're not talking excuses here--we're looking at our own health.]

- Sometimes . . . another person's need is greater than yours.
Ah, there's the rub. How do I assess someone else's need? Is it a 10 today? Or merely a 4? Perhaps only a 2. Forget the numbers. Look at what's being asked of you--a few minutes on the phone; a cup of coffee at the shop where you can talk without being interrupted; a helping hand because nobody else will do it; or a request for prayer.

- Sometimes . . . life is totally unfair--day after day.
You have arthritis. Your hearing is rapidly declining. Your appetite up and left you and you're losing weight your doctor is unhappy about. Your dog has to be put down. Your neighbor makes racket long after your normal bedtime (say, 10 PM). Or your family members are so wrapped up in their own problems they don't call/email/text. And if they do, they vent. [Hard to see a ray of sunshine in this scenario, isn't it? This is when I scrounge around for one thing--just one!--to be grateful for.]


- Sometimes . . . you just need to listen--seriously listen.
Not every appeal for help requires you to do something specific about it. Listening, really taking it in, is doing something. [You're not even required to remember what you heard. Just be an ear.]

- Sometimes . . . all you can do is cry.
When it all gets to be too much, have a good weep. Letting the valves open can be a great cleansing of overloaded emotions. Or if the hurt and grief are too deep for tears, write about it--talk to yourself or the person you grieve for or to God--and put it on paper. Later you can shred the pages, because they've done their part in allowing you a place to pour out your feelings.

- Sometimes . . . all you can do is laugh.
When it's too much for a good cry, laugh! There are still some things in my life that haven't got to the laughing stage, but a great many have. [You may recall the hard-boiled eggs on the kitchen ceiling episode. I can laugh, now.]

- Sometimes . . . all you can do is walk away. You can't fix it. Maybe nobody can but God.
This is probably the hardest of all. We need courage to admit that we can't "fix" something--that the only thing we can do is express our caring, if that's possible, and pray for relief.

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You were warned--this isn't a feel-good post. But then, Life isn't always a feel-good place to live, is it? Sometimes . . . we just have to grit our teeth and get on with things.

Wishing you a blessed week.

One Year Ago: 

BLESSINGS - INCOMING

[On November 7, 2019, Thursday's Child shared an essay about blessings. Now, one year later--and in my opinion, more than ever, we need to count our blessings. Everybody has blessings, trust me on this. And--here's a radical thought: maybe all those things we consider thorns in our sides, or disappointments that blindsided us, or disasters of a truly Biblical nature--maybe, just  maybe, they are blessings, after all. Think about it. And while you do that, walk down memory lane with me from one year ago, November 2019.]

Remember Bing Crosby's song in White Christmas?

     "When I'm worried, and I can't sleep,
     I count my blessings, instead of sheep,
     and I fall asleep, counting my blessings."

Yes, it's a little early for Bing & Co. But it's never too early--nor too late--to count one's blessings. Here are some of mine:

1-5: a home of my own; family who keep in touch (we have so many ways to make contact); friends and acquaintances who keep me social; neighbors who keep me from thinking my way is the only right way to live; and good people who work on my house, attend to my yard, and wait on me when I do my shopping.

6-9: living in a small town that cares about its citizens; and a country that allows me the freedom to vote as I see fit; freedom to worship in public; choices when I visit shops. 

10-15: a free public library that provides books, movies, recordings, as well as digital services, public programs, and art exhibits. 

16-18: good health; if health breaks down, many opportunities for treatment in my community; good medical personnel, in many specialties; a YMCA with fitness equipment, walking/running tracks, and fitness programs for individual or group work. 

19-20: opportunities to serve others; places to share joy through music and the written word.

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When I started this post, I realized it could easily get out of hand. The above list could go on and on and on . . . one blessing recalls another, and then another. Sometimes they're right in front of my face. Sometimes they're completely visible, but I'm looking the other way. 

You don't have to make a list to count your blessings. Just think of three or four ways you know you are blessed. Before you realize it, you'll go far beyond those three or four.

Have a blessed week!