Reflection on 2018

Journaling aside, I keep a daily list of "thankfuls".  These little books are ways to remind myself, at-a-glance, what I'm grateful for, but also serve as a chronicle of events.  Even if they are not always explicitly listed, I am also reminded of a few challenges here and there throughout the year.  Here, then, are a few highlights.  Oh, and since I'm not really going into much detail, elaborating, analyzing, etc., I suppose this is more of a listing, not a reflection.  Reflection sounds better, though!

January

Safe travels and good visits with family (Father) and friends (John and Mary).  Successfully used Uber for the first time!  Hesed's eyelash surgery was successful.  Wonderful messages at church.  Letters from Ann.  Mom got good results at Duke.  Tutoring Giovell.  Plenty of opportunities to work on not getting annoyed.  Fellowship with friends (Bill and Sybil, Carolyn). Gearing up for tax season.

February

The beginning of another Stephen Minister Training Class.  Mark's x-ray was clear.  Hesed doing fine staying in the office by herself (uncrated).  Hanging in the midst of unknowing.  Mom B was able to see Aunt Judy before she passed.  

March

Thankful my brain allows me to memorize scripture.  My orchid is blooming.  Long walks in the sunshine with Hesed.  Spending time with family (Mike, Kim, and Mom B).  Texting with Cailyn.  Flowers from "The Boss".  Heard from all my parents.  Letter from Mark Neil (sponsored child in the Philippines).  Match Day!  14 years!  So much opportunity for grace, growth, and forgiveness.  Talking with a sweet little boy in our neighborhood.

April

Good to see Jon and the girls.  God put me here to help others.  Dad's results were good.  Heard from Kathy.  Time with Mom B.  Father's generosity.  Chicken burritos!  Made it through another tax season.  New water heater.  Weekends to putter, ride bikes, nap, and go out to dinner.  Days like today make me grateful for other days.  A lovely Stephen Ministry retreat.  Commissioning Sunday.

May

Safe travels to/from Father's; Hesed warmed up to him.  Able to work on Lucy's Book.  Josh and Josette set their wedding date (9/15/19).  Meeting our new neighbor Debbie and her yellow Lab Jazz.

Survived my dental cleaning.  Good neighbors stepping in to help out with the cats.  Safe travels to Ft. Lauderdale and Cancun.  Happy not to be that arguing couple.  Did not look at my To Do List.  Thankful for contemplative practices to calm my furies.  Wonderful message at church:  Be Bold!

June

Letter from Shaleen.  Bike ride and floating in the pool.  Lovely lunch and time with Mom.  Wonderful time catching up with Gracie.  Lovely day at Selby Gardens with Sybil and Sherrie.

Spending Father's Day with Father.  Caring people.  Cailyn's visit.  Pete able to get help from Dr. Bonda.  Family time.

July

Pete pooped!  Mom and Dad's kind offer to stay at our house.   Spiritual retreat together at Green Bough.  Peaceful during prayer.  Safe travels for family.  Loved, Happy, Kind, Generous = Amy.

Cailyn said, "You're my mom, too!"  Nice lunch with Carolyn.  Mom is still cancer free!  Not hurt when the bed collapsed.  A good Stephen Leader meeting.  Time alone.  I think I learned a valuable lesson from "Mr. Mikey".  Nice visit with John and Mary.

August

My biopsy = not cancer!  Left the rat race 15 years ago.  No regrets!  Pesky clients "fired" us, LOL.

Wonderful visit with friends in California; safe travels.  Able to see our Cruising Friends in St. Pete.

Letter from Ester (sponsored child in Indonesia). Good grounding talk with Sybil.  They caught Dad's blood clot before it was a problem.  Mom B and Boopie beginning a new adventure together.  8 mile bike ride.  

September

Good day working together on the lanai.  Earlier morning walk; pink/blue sunrise.  Beautiful. Nice replies to Card Blast email.  We do have friends here!  Talking with Father.  Re-joined the Y.  Afternoon nap.  Saw Erica in the Publix parking lot.  Wine time with Momma.  Mr. Roger's movie.  Date night at Speak's.  Mark watched "The Wizard of Oz" with me.  Holding Dad's hand.  Sybil is cancer free.  Another good visit with Father.  Disciple 3.

October

Fantastic 50th anniversary celebration weekend for Mom and Dad!  Grateful doctors are mindful of Mark's health.  Care and concern from friends.  Making "final plans" = huge relief (NCS).  Scripture eased anxiety.  Meeting Richard Foster.  Male care receivers!  Pete finally pooped.  New phone.  Mark's Mission Moment.  Mom and Dad = safe travels.   So many friends at church.  Caring people at River Landing.  

November

Beautiful painting of Lucy by Carolyn.  People looking out for others.  Able to see Steve Ross!  Celebrity Equinox!  Spending time with Terry.  Cailyn here for an entire week for Thanksgiving!

Family time.  New places.  Happy Proposal Day!

December

Ann doing well.  Hanging of the Greens.  House all nicely decorated.  Good trip to Father's.

Watching silly Christmas movies.  Sweet "new" nutcracker from Cissie.  Nice Stephen Ministry party at Bill and Sybil's.   Pretty mirrors.  Cailyn got Charlotte!  Hope and Healing Service went well.  Fantastic #55 birthday celebration weekend!  Dad safe from his procedure.  Kevin's visit.  Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Party with our neighbors.  NYE at Mom and Dad's with Mom B and The Porters.  Safely home!

Mrs. B

Grateful and Thankful

There's quite a bit in The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, about being grateful and thankful.These words are often used interchangeably, so, it made me wonder, what are the true definitions of both?  To get the answers, I turned to trusty Google and searched.   I was somewhat surprised to see a long list of hits approaching this question.  I read through a few of them (and some directly contradicted others) and quickly realized that a) I did not really have an original thought here (LOL), and b) I guess I'll just pick the one I like the best (read:  that is the easiest to understand) and run with it.

So, here goes.  Gratefulness is a state of being and thankfulness is an active expression (either in words or actions) of gratitude (as an aside, you'll frequently  find the word "praise" quickly following on the heels of the word "thankful" in the Bible).  I don't believe one can be truly thankful without first feeling grateful. Note that I said "be truly grateful"; this isn't to say that people don't have the tendency to mutter "thanks" with no real emotion behind the words; sort of like when we ask people "How are you?" and walk away before they have the chance to tell us how they are.

Anyway, what's brought this topic about of course is that tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in the US of A.  Hopefully most of us don't save one day of the year to reflect on gratitude and to give thanks; however, it is an opportune time to stop and perhaps give this more thought than usual. When I was in elementary school, my teacher had us make cloth books filled with pages of what we were thankful for (I'm pretty certain we wouldn't have comprehended the difference between thankful and grateful at that age so she just went with thankful).  

Thank you, Mom, for keeping this.  I am grateful ;-)

So in essence, what we in our little kid brains could both feel (gratitude) for and then express it.  As a guide, she had us use the letters of the alphabet.  I always chuckle when I come across and re-read this book because I was a terribly silly child.  Case in point:

My first "selfie"

A "two-fer"!

Actually that's three words, Amy

However, I did have a few sweet ones, too:

 Still am!  Oh, Buda was our cat and Bert was my Father's parrot.  I don't know if I was really thankful for Bert; he was sort of mean!

 Always...

Even at that age, always PC!  Seriously, I was and I am

Beginning in 2012, I started to keep  track of my "gratefuls".  Every morning, I jot down at least one thing from the previous day that I feel gratitude for. I express it, offer thanks, by writing it down in my little book and then reflecting on this in my prayer time by offering praise.   As simple as it is, doing this helps to keep me focused on what is good in this world and in my life while it also serves to diminish those things that I either I fret or worry about, or those that make me feel unpleasant emotions.  I have all of these little books near to hand, and routinely open them up and explore them.  I find this particularly helpful on certain days when I'm struggling to come up with something (yes, it does happen).  I go back to that date the year before, or the year before that, and find myself experiencing gratitude for something that occurred a long time ago.  This often brings to mind something I'm grateful for that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise.  So, I become grateful for my gratefuls!

Here are a few from this past year:

• A good Stephen Leader meeting
• Walking with Hesed and talking with neighbors
• A wonderful trip to Selby Gardens with my Mom and Mom B
• A long bike ride
• Hesed rang her potty bells
• A good message at church
• I survived the dentist
• Safely home from our trip
• A quiet day; took a cat nap with Pete
• Father's surgery went well

You get the point; some days I have some fairly significant things to be grateful for; other times, I am just happy for down time, or the ability to exercise.  Even in the midst of some pretty ca-ca times, I always look for something to write down in my book.  For example, when I was involved in a car accident in October, I wrote down:

• I'm ok, she's ok
• The kindness of the people offering to help
• Opportunity to trust (God)
• Mark

I'll wrap this up with a prayer I wrote for Thanksgiving a few years ago.  

Holy God, for bringing us together this day, we thank you.  For our family and friends not with us today, we thank you.  For seeing us through trying times, we thank you.  For smiles and laughter, we thank you.  For warm weather and sunny skies, we thank you.  For the food before us, we thank you.  For you constant and steadfast love, we thank you.  How precious O Lord is your constant love.  We find protection under the shadow of your wings.  We feast on the abundant food you provide; you let us drink from your river of goodness.  You are the source of all life, and because of your light, we see the light.  This is the day that you have made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.  In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen.

Amen and Amen!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Mrs. B

Mrs. B's Top Ten Thankfuls Four: My Friends

There's that saying that you can't pick your family but you can pick your friends; friends are the family you wish you had.  I can't say this is true for me as I'm pretty lucky in my family BUT I will say that I've been really, really blessed in the friendships I've had throughout my life.  And, as another saying goes, (paraphrasing here), people come into your life for a reason, a season, or forever.  So goes my friendships.

My forever friends.  Oh, my; whatever would I do without them?  There's only a small handful of them and each person is as different as could possibly be from the others.  Perhaps this reflects how they speak and relate to different aspects of my personality or life style.  Perhaps this is also why these friendships, although always there, have waxed and waned over the years depending on what happens to be going on in each of our lives.  In any case, I do know this.  We may disagree on things; maybe even some fairly important things.  We may have differing views on politics and religion, opposing opinions on societal issues and extremely varied personal interests; however what we do have in common is the bond of memory; all of the times we've shared over the years (good and bad); these tie us firmly together; and, I'm betting, it would take something unfathomable to ever sever these ties.  Regardless of what happens to be going on in each of our lives, if I were to sound the bell; to raise the alarm; to scream "HELP ME!" they would come in a heartbeat.  As I would for them.  The reason for this is quite simply that we have been around each other long enough to know that we are good people.  We've seen each other in trying times, in happy times; sometimes in situations that seemed impossible to ever weather.  I found this quote on friendship that aptly sums up how I feel about my forever friends:  "No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth". (Robert Southey).

My seasonal friends are ones who figured very prominently in my life for a period of time but who, for whatever reason, I no longer keep in touch with or, if I do, it's just on occasion (or on Facebook).  Like most people, this category is where the majority of my friendships fall.  Whether a long season (e.g., several years) or shorter, these friends are ones with whom I shared an intense and immediate connection usually relating to a specific place I lived, a school I went to, a place I visited or job I held; sometimes perhaps a relationship I (or someone I am close to) was in.  When I think back on these friendships, I recognize that each one helped me to grow in a particular aspect of my life; to develop in a much needed area.  Although I don't see much of them (if at all), I'm fairly certain that, if circumstances were such that we were to reconnect, there would be another great season of friendship; maybe like a warm Indian Summer.

My reason friends; ah; most of them I have no idea where they are now and likely I'll never see them again.  Truly, these were not friendships meant to last over the long haul but there was a purpose to them; in fact, a very specific purpose. The nature of these friendships; the reasons for them, are far too personal for me to scribe here, as I would imagine they would be for everyone.  Some might say these people were Angels sent to guide; others might quote, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears".

As I close on this topic, I think of another category of friends, and that is new friends.  Over the past year or so, I've made several new friends; some are neighbors, some are from church and others I've met recently in my travels.  When I look back years from now, where will these new friends be? 

Only time will tell but whatever happens, I'll be thankful for having known them.

Mrs. B

Top Ten Thankfuls: Three

I'm back, finally, with the third in this series.  I'm not sure where time goes, but, it goes somewhere; hiding in a very good spot as I cannot manage to find it these days.  

It seemed as though The B's were settling into a somewhat ho-hum late summer/early fall with not much to do other than the usual.  

Then, lo and behold, a minor mishap befell Mr. B about ten days ago; he slipped while attempting to climb up a muddy bank at a State Park in Indiana.  

How?  Well, we were in Indiana for a family reunion and, one day, took off on an excursion with my cousin, his wife and their kids plus my uncle and aunt.  We went tubing!  Yes, it was a lot of fun, until someone got hurt and ended up in a cone.  Whoops.  Sorry, it wasn't our dog Lucy this time,it was Mr. B.  Right.  A SLING.  He ended up in a sling.  

Bottom line; he broke his upper right arm.  The specialist thinks his rotator cuff is ok, but, we won't know until they can do an MRI, which won't be for some weeks yet.  In the meantime, he has to keep his arm totally isolated and will be in the sling for at least a month, if not six weeks, in order for the break to mend. Oh, did I mention that he's RIGHT-handed?  Sigh.  Thankfully, though, it's not Tax Busy Season and, other than a few minor things, we've been able to manage fine with me doing just about everything that he can't do right now.  And, as time passes, he's able to help a bit (even running our stik-vac in the am for me is a HUGE help, I'm finding).

Anyway, as I've gone through these days, I have found myself thinking over and over about the subject of this post's thankful:

I Am Thankful For My Health

Although I'm fast approaching 50, I am in good health, pretty decent shape, at a more than acceptable weight, and, as I'm finding, I am strong.  Of course, some of this is due to my habits, habits I developed beginning in my mid twenties and continuing on to the present.  I eat fairly well, I stopped smoking eight years ago (and even when I was still smoking, I'd call it "occasional" or "social").  I do imbibe in alcohol but do my best to keep an eye on how much I consume and consider it pretty much my only vice (if you don't consider bubble gum a vice).  I am very disciplined about exercising and don't look too bad for my age if I do say so.  Of course, I realize I have to keep at it/step it up, which I routinely do; but this, also, must be balanced with a dose of "what the heck" from time to time.  

All of this I can control, however.  What I am REALLY thankful for are my genes as I seem to have been blessed with overall good health, as in, lifetime (to date).  I am rarely sick, and when I am, it's typically some sort of allergy thing.  In fact, my allergies, which I only developed after moving to NC in 2004, are about the only thing really "wrong" with me, if you don't count extreme myopia and having had several root canals/crowns. And, I guess I don't count these things since they are both easily corrected and, in the case of my teeth, were totally preventable in the first place (my teeth aren't bad, I just had a lazy period that lasted seven years where, for reasons unknown even to me, I stopped going to the dentist).  Anyway, my teeth are not fundamentally damaged.  My eyes, well, I'd love to have vision correction surgery but I'm told my retinas are too thin.  So, I wear contact lenses.  No biggie.

Anything that ever goes wrong with me never lasts long.  I've never been laid up for days and days; certainly never weeks and weeks.  I don't have any ongoing chronic issues.  I have no food allergies, I don't get migraines, heck, I hardly even get a headache (now that my heavy duty drinking days are behind me).  

Even more fundamental.  I am not blind or deaf, nor am I mute.  I have use of all of my limbs and extremities.  I don't have heart problems, back trouble, an easily upset stomach, or issues with my kidneys or bowels.  I don't have shortness of breath.  I can tolerate heat and cold if need be.  My skin's in pretty good shape, as is my hair.  Oh, and maybe the most important thing, I'm fairly confident my mind's ok!  Yeah, maybe I forget stuff from time to time; then again, maybe I forget it on purpose.

As I age, I realize more and more how lucky I am.  Yes, I know; I cannot say with any certainty that I WON'T have some issue later on down the line, but, I think I have a pretty firm foundation so hopefully there won't be too much crumbling.

The minor things that trouble me; the aforementioned eyesight, occasional expensive trip to the dentist, seasonal allergies; plus leg cramps from time to time, the usual creakiness and aches in joints every once in awhile and symptoms resulting from menopause, are PEANUTS compared to what I've seen others go through.

I'm thankful, thankful, thankful.  Yes, I am.

Mrs. B

Top Ten Thankfuls: Two

Following on the heels of being thankful for my parents (and definitely intertwined) comes this post's thankful.

I Am Thankful For A Wonderful Childhood

Lately, I've been spending quite a bit of time with a huge box of old family photos that my mom loaned me so that I could scan them into the computer and put them on disks so each of my siblings (and my mom and dad) would have them.  I'm really glad that I'm doing this, not just because some of the pictures are aging and otherwise might be eventually lost, but also as it's providing me with a very enjoyable trip down memory lane.  

I just finished scanning in 1983, which was the year my younger sister Kathy graduated from high school.  That summer, she I and moved out of the family home into a small one bedroom apartment near San Diego State University where we both were attending college.  I was nineteen, she was eighteen, and while there were definitely trying times ahead of both of us, I can see now that we'd flown from a very loving and supportive coop.  Later that year, our mom and dad and two younger brothers moved to the LA-area; leaving Kathy and I to truly fend for ourselves.  Thankfully, we had a firm foundation.

The memories these pictures I am working with evoke are 99% happy memories.  Those that are not, such as seeing a snapshot of my Uncle Bill, knowing that he was tragically killed  shortly after the picture was taken when he was 18 years old; or one of my Grandpa looking sad, confused and bereft in a nursing home where he lived out his last years suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, are ones that every person has in some form or another.  Other memories that may not have been so happy while they were going on, like the time I got into a lot of trouble for doing something potentially (but unknowingly) illegal when I was in fourth or fifth grade or the (thankfully) brief stint when we lived in Lexington, KY; I now view as vital to the development of my personal character.  And, in hindsight, Kentucky wasn't ALL that bad since we were closer to my Father and step mom and other extended family during those nine months, plus my sixth grade year spent in the Lexington school system is when I really learned how to learn.

When I think back on my childhood; from infancy (where I obviously must infer from the look on my face in those early pictures that I was happy) to when I left home in August of 1983 (technically an adult but still a teenager at 19), I find "good stuff"!  Such as, grandparents, cousins, family gatherings, tradition, birthday parties, Christmas presents, road trips, new adventures, brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors, effective school teachers and interesting classes, scouts, sports, swimming pools, cherished pets, family fun, a bit of a jet-setting lifestyle, best friends forever, dating, boyfriends, accomplishment, high school graduation; well, you get the picture!

Perhaps I was lucky that I lived during an age where kids were expected to go to school, do their homework when they got home from school, but were then turned out to have whatever fun with whatever friend that they could squeeze in those few hours before the dinner bell rang.  Summer evenings were the best; we'd stay out until dark playing in the safe environment of our cul de sac; football, Frisbee, softball, roller skating, skate boarding, or even a board game spread out on someone's driveway.  And then there were long afternoons floating around in our swimming pool, getting a tan, eating watermelon, gossiping with my sister and my friends.  Later, we took bus rides (that took seemingly forever) down to one of San Diego's many lovely beaches.    Of course, how great was is that I grew up in San Diego?  Pretty darn terrific.  

Yet, as much as I loved California, I also relished the times I'd fly "back East" to visit with my Father and step mom as there was an equal amount of excitement and adventure to be had in those months as well.  We'd go on road trips to visit my grandparents on their farm in upstate NY; sometimes we'd take other trips to other destinations as well; including a memorable journey to an amusement park in TN.  Sticking around wherever they  lived wasn't any bad shakes either as there was always something cool to do in Lafayette, Boston or Cleveland.  When I was sixteen, I experienced one of the singular most memorable summers of my life with a trip to England with Father and Margot and then my BFF coming to spend the rest of the summer with us in the Boston area (ah...but this is likely to end up on the Top Ten Events Of My Life So Far List!)

Before it appears that why WOULDN'T I have loved this childhood because everything was all fun and games, I should and will stress that I had my share of discipline, requirements, restrictions, rules, chores, obligations, responsibilities, onerous tasks, hard work, lots of studying, the usual teen aged drama, pimples, unrequited crushes on unattainable boys, missing my Father, missing my mother, missing my friends, not getting what I wanted, getting yelled at, etc., etc. BUT this is all part of childhood, is it not?

In the end, what those niggling issues did is simply enhance the sweetness of the rest of it.  And, things didn't have to be extravagant to be wonderful.  The quieter times spent with family celebrating a birthday; or making a elaborate French dinner together, dressing up in our roles of waiter or maid; or playing unending games of Euchre or Gin; or sneaking in to see an R-Rated movie with my sister and our friends; or my senior prom. The list goes on longer than the pictures would if I were to line them up end to end.

If I seem to be gushing a bit, I am.  But, I won't apologize for being thankful for such  a blessing, or the fact I was  able to  share  it with so many people; parents, siblings, friends and loved ones, who were, and who remain, dear to me.

Mrs. B

Top Ten Thankfuls: One

Not too long ago, my sister was challenged with coming up with the Top Ten Highlights of her life.  This got me to thinking about mine.  And, as I pondered  what they might be, I realized that I wanted to make a distinction between Highlights and what I am most Thankful for.  To me, the former are events while the later are what has contributed most significantly to my life to date; to making me ME.

So, this seems like a great thing to Blog about!  My Top Ten Thankfuls!

I Am Thankful For My Parents

My gratitude and thankfulness to my parents, all four of my parents, is the very first thing I thought of.  Without them, I'd be nowhere; or, rather, not where I am now; which is a pretty darn good place to be. 

I've said it before and I'll proclaim it to the end; although divorce can be rough on some kids, especially those whose parents are not sensitive to the impact it has on their children, my parents handled it right.  My Father and mom made a pact to never talk bad about the other one in front of us or to manipulate our emotions.  And, they never did.  I never felt as though I had to chose between my Father and my mom; who to love, who to want to be the most like, who to obey, who to want to be with.  And, believe me, as with all divorces, my Father and my mom had plenty of things to be irritated with each other about so it's not as though they went skipping hand in hand through the process.  They just KNEW it would be best for my sister and I to be courteous and respectful to one another and to work together to raise us; which both left no bones about the fact we couldn't play one off the other and taught me that taking the high road is usually the best thing to do.  Because of their example, I have difficulty comprehending why it has to be any other way for other families in like circumstances.

Both of them remarried soon after their divorce; first my mom, then my Father.  I'm grateful that they did so as certainly, had we had several years to forge routines and patterns with them as single parents, it might have been more trying to meld together new families.  As it was, it seemed, well, seamless to me.  Yes, I was a small child, but I was also extremely observant and sensitive to what was going on around me.  And, as far as I'm concerned, I hit the big time jackpot with stepparents.  Another thing to be grateful to my Father and mom about; they chose their new partners wisely. Over time (and it didn't take too long), I basically stopped thinking about the fact my parents were divorced and I had a stepfather and a stepmother.  The four of them were my parents.  That's it.

As I grew up and experienced a bit of life, I began to comprehend how thankful I  was that I had four intelligent, loving, hardworking and decent people raising me.  And, how wonderful it was that they each brought something unique and special to "the party".  Now that I am almost fifty and have been around the block a time or two, I can look back and see at which point one of them, maybe more than one, was always there during the difficult times, trying times, sad times, joyful times, happy times of my life.  I can also confidently state that they each became my FRIEND. What luck!

I've lost one of my dear parents now and as such, have thought a bit on the next stages in the Circle of Life.  It should go without saying that there is a reason why we don't know what's going to happen before it does; we couldn't bear it.  However, whatever happens, when it happens, I'll be equipped to get through it.  

I've got my parents to thank for this as well.

Mrs. B

  

Thankful...Grateful...You Bet!

In last Sunday's paper, there was an article in the Work and Money section by a youngish gal (just starting out with her career) about, what, despite the ever present (in our faces) and seemingly prevailing gloom and doom economic situation, she was "thankful" for. Since it was in the Work and Money section, the focus was things like, being young enough to recover, zero credit card debt, having a husband with a like mind regarding financial matters, etc. (all good things, BTW!)

Well, since Thanksgiving is coming up on us next week, I thought I'd list a few things that I am thankful and grateful for; maybe to remind me (and others) that, despite what's going on, we're pretty damn lucky!

Family

Of course this is number one. Where would we be without our families? Our own "nuclear" family (spouses, children and pets), our parents and grandparents (if we are so lucky to still have them amongst us; if not, the cherished memories of them and what they gave to us/taught us), our brothers and sisters, our brothers and sisters in-laws, our cousins, their spouses, their children, etc. Yeah, we probably all have "one or two" family members that at times drive us up the wall, but, I'd take that any day over not having anyone to face trials and tribulations with; joys, special moments; in essence, LIFE. I love my family and I'm never ashamed to admit it and I probably should tell them this more often!

Friends

Our chosen families! Whether you have just a few close friends or countless ones, they are probably just as important as family. When we were in California a few weeks ago, I just had this glow of happiness the entire time I was there because we were able to visit with so many friends. My only regret is that so many of my friends live far away. But, they are reachable via email and phone pretty much at a moment's notice. We're still there for each other!

Health

Having had a bit of a "scare" last week (it all turned out ok) really brought into focus for me how thankful I am that I am, in general healthy, as is Mr. B and as are the majority of my family and friends.

General Financial Well-Being

This covers a lot of topics such as: Money in the bank (in cash!), very limited debt (mortgages), more than decent income/earning potential, time (we will likely recover from this recent fracas), both cars paid off, etc. A lot goes into this, though; "some" of it is "luck" but the majority is the way we were brought up (what our parents instilled in us regarding working, saving, spending), getting a decent education, having common sense and savvy, etc.

Home

Living in an environment you are happy with is so important. I absolutely LOVE our house, our furniture, our decorations; everything. I am proud of it; it's "ours". It brings me comfort and restores me (whenever I need to be restored). Yeah, sometimes our neighbors drive me up the wall, but, even they are "ok"; not bad people at all.

Location

I am really content living in this part of the country, and, for several reasons, am very very happy I decided to move here! As for the region itself; I'm getting used to it and quite enjoy living in a "smallish" city where I pretty much know where things are, it doesn't take longer than 1/2 hour to get to most places (and an hour for others); there are unique and interesting places to see, things to do, stores to shop in, restaurants to frequent; not to mention, the majority of our family is nearby (or within a days drive). How perfect is that!

There are probably more, but, my guess is they would funnel into those that I already listed (or more than one). Say, for example, the ability to travel could fall into health or general financial well-being.

If we stop and think about it, the few "broad" things we have to be thankful and grateful for turn out to be very grand indeed!

Mrs. B