40 Days of Gratitude: Day 06

After two horrible days, I needed a good Thanksgiving holiday.  My original plans for the day changed because the Episcopal church didn't need extra help this year.  I was quite disappointed.  When I called the church earlier this week to confirm times, the secretary said though they didn't need the help, I could come eat anyway, but I didn't want to do that.  I wanted to help more than I wanted to eat.  So, scrap that.

My friend, Leah W, and I decided we were just going to pitch up at Huddle House and have a gab session--a good enough plan in itself.  However, a couple of our friends from church invited us to hang out with them, so we accepted the invitations and made a day of it.



Melissa, Jimmy, Leah

Stop One:  I'm thankful for my friends Jimmy and Melissa (his finance me--err--fiancé) and his family for such a fun welcome to their Thanksgiving gathering at Asberry Baptist Church in the Roy Webb community of JackVegas.  I felt very welcome, and there was plenty of laughter and food.  Oh man, the food!  I almost had to waddle to the car.  I pulled back just in time. 

Chewbacca

Stop two:  Leah was puppysitting her "granddog," so we stopped by her place for me to meet "Chewbacca"--well, and for him to go pee.  I've often said that dogs and babies always love me.  Chewy was no exception.  At first, he sulked in his dog crate and wouldn't come out.  After he figured out I'd throw his ball to him (within reasonable slobbery limits) I immediately became his new best friend.  Today, I am thankful for puppy love.

Stop Three:  I am thankful for friends whose main focus is not what and how much I eat, but how much real "forever family" time we get to spend together.  Enter Robert and Brenda D, their two children, Amber, who is grown and soon to be married (bless her heart), and 9 year old Noelle, plus Amber's intended, Tyler.  Yes, we noshed on a scrumptious pasta dish, but the laughter and silliness did not stop.  It's my fault.  I started it by not figuring out how to handle their steep driveway.  Since Brenda had to park my car and Robert had to un-park it, I knew I wouldn't hear the end of the bad driver jokes.  Amongst the fun was mine and Noelle's rousing games of Uno.  She beat me 3 times before I finally won a game.  I quit playing while I was ahead. 

Thank you, Lord, for such a great day.

40 Days of Gratitude: Day 01

I got a chance to regroup and clean up my work areas this weekend.  I am so thankful for a bright cheerful space to create in.

I am also thankful for my improving skills in the kitchen.  We are celebrating my roommate's 77th birthday today and an early holiday since she will be with her family and I will be at the Episcopal Church on Thanksgiving Day.  Well, this is my first attempt at cooking a whole turkey.   Turned out really well.

40 Days of Gratitude: Introduction

 



Several things bug me during this season;  the time change (which means it gets dark at 4:30), shorter days and cold temps that keep me from spending time outside, and people who put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.  I know people have their reasons and they can do whatever they want, but Thanksgiving and the purpose of celebrating it have gotten lost.  It's like I've heard said, people spend one day giving thanks for what they have--maybe--and the day after beating the crap out of each other to get more stuff.  No, I'm not against stuff and shopping, but come on.  How many years now have we seen news stories about fights,  people being trampled, injured, or killed, and hurried car crashes for the sake of getting something first? 

Another problem with this season for me and thousands of others is seasonal depression.  I don't prescribe to the assumption that every person who deals with depression is ungrateful and thinks of themselves too much.  Yeah, I get that answer all the time.  **Buzz** flag on the play!  I'm going to have to call B.S. on that one.  Generally, feeling hopeless causes a person to think so little of themselves that they stop taking care of themselves and stop healthy social activities.

Since the time change a couple of weeks ago, I've felt the icy grip of mental darkness attempt to take a firm hold of my psyche.  I'm determined that this season will be different.  I've got several strategies for dealing with it:

• Proper diet and exercise. I'm involved in another fitness challenge.  No, not like the crappy one.
• Checking in with my sponsor.  I will be working on the 12 steps through this.
• Getting outside whenever possible.  Praise God that Alabama weather isn't cold every day.
• Continue to create (not just for others, but for myself as well).
• Keep humorous and encouraging materials readily available.
• Rest (not more sleep, but more real rest and relaxation)

My main strategy is to try to find something to be thankful for every day and write a post about it with a photo.  No matter who you ask, gratitude is said to be a bolster to one's mental health.  This will go on from today until the last day of the year; a total of 40 days.  Please feel free to join in if you'd like.

Five Minute Friday: "Grateful"

Thanks to Lisa-Jo Baker at Five Minute Friday for the prompts.

 

 

 

GO!

 

Grateful, thankful, appreciative, counting my blessings, an attitude  of gratitude; whatever you want to call it, I need it. 

 

I'm a big proponent of being grateful throughout the year, not just at Thanksgiving time.  I think of the Bible passage in Romans chapter one warning that the first step to the slippery slope of trading in the glories of serving God for having no conscience is to be ungrateful:

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened...

...Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.  Romans 1:21 & 32

For the entirety of this passage, click here. 

I don't want to go there.

 

Sometimes being grateful is hard.  People are always saying that those who are blessed forget to be thankful for what they have and take it for granted.  While that can be true, it's also hard to be grateful when everything around you is falling apart and you see no end of the pain in sight.  That's is my greatest difficulty.

 

One of my favorite songs about gratefulness is the song Thankful Heart by Petra (YouTube video below). 

 

On the list of manners I thought my preschool class, saying "please" and "thank you" ranked right up there with "yes, ma'am."  I did my best to also model that behavior. 

 

Life is better when you're grateful.

 

FULL STOP! 

 

Thank You For Sharing: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Shout out to From This Side of the Pond for the Hodgepodge questions.

Are you settling for something?

I think there are areas of my life where I am still settling for mediocrity and mere survival.  I've still got many fears that are ruling what I do or don't do.  I'm trying to conquer them one at a time, but I'm still too settled. 

It wasn't that long ago almost every store in the US locked doors and turned out lights on Thanksgiving Day. This year many will be open all day Thursday, giving shoppers a jump start on 'Black Friday'. In your opinion is this a good thing or a not so good thing? Will you be shopping on Thanksgiving Day?

I think stores opening on Thanksgiving day is tacky.  I'm sure the people who thought this up aren't away from their families and working on Thanksgiving.  Of course, I'm not a big proponent of  Black Friday either...scratch that...I'm not fond of how people behave on Black Friday.  Thanksgiving day:  "I'm so thankful for what I have."  Black Friday:  "I'm gonna slap the snot out of anyone who gets in my way while I'm trying to by this thing / that thing."  My plan is to go NOWHERE near a store on Friday, not even a grocery store if I can help it.

Speaking of shopping... I saw a recent article on the twelve best shopping cities in the world. In order they are-New York, Tokyo, London, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Vienna, Dubai, Madrid, Milan, and Seoul.  Ever shopped in any of the cities listed? In which city would you most like to pull out the plastic or cold hard cash?

No, I've never even been to any of these cities...yet.  If I could go shop in one of those cities, it would be London.  One city not listed I would like to spend some bucks in is Edinburgh, Scotland.  Have I mentioned that I have a fondness for the UK?

When did you last dine by candlelight?

Never have.

What do you have too much of?

Unfinished business...definitely.

The Hunger Games...are you a fan?  Did you read the book(s)?  Will you/have you seen the movie?  Will you/have you seen Catching Fire?  No spoilers please!

That would be a big fat NOPE on all counts.

Share your plans for Thanksgiving Day. The who, the where, the what...especially the what! As in what's for dinner?  If you're one of my International visitors, whose homeland doesn't celebrate American Thanksgiving (the whole world doesn't ya know!), then still tell us your plans for Thursday.

This year, I'm planning to do something I've never done before.  Our local Episcopal Church serves Thanksgiving dinner to the needy and those without somewhere to go for the holiday.  They've done this for years and I've never been able to help.  So, this year I'm going to help serve.  Afterwards, I've been invited to spend Thanksgiving with some friends.  Gonna be a goodn'.

Insert your own random thought here.

There are tons of Christmas songs, but not many Thanksgiving songs.  So, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites.

 Give Thanks - Mylon Lefevre & Friends

 

Thank You, Lord - Don Moen

 



'
Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

 

Oh Give Thanks - Paul Wilbur & Israel's Hope

 

 

Give Thanks to the Lord - by Israel's Hope (Audio only)