Ten Things of Thankful - Brought to you by the Letter H

1. Health - as in good; after last week's bout with the flu I'm thankful for good health and only the normal aches and pains.

2. Humor - Saturday night I said to TopDad, "I missed you last week." He replied, "I didn't know you were aiming." It felt so good to laugh!

3. Heat - We are still in a deep freeze here in Iowa; I wear three or four layers and still shiver. I'm thankful I'm inside and not crossing the plains in a handcart.

4. Hairspray - It's the glue that helps me grow out my hair. I thought today of a way to motivate myself to keep going: I'm growing historic hair. I like to dress up in historic clothes and long hair looks more authentic hence the need for historic hair.

5. Handkerchiefs - My old linen hankies are so much softer on a sore nose than paper tissues. I love my pretty hankies!

6. Harmony - As in the boys getting along and laughing together; as in beautiful music too.

7. Hats - To cover my ears when the wind is blowing; however, I'm not so thankful for hat hair, but one tries not to think of that.

8. Georg Freidrich Handel and Franz Joseph Haydn - two of my favorite composers.

9. Hindsight - which, of course is 20 20; unlike my current sight which is almost legally blind.

10. Homemade - Just smell that fresh baked bread!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a look around and I hope you'll be back.

Now I'm Embarrassed

I guess I wrote my other post only in my mind. I was sure I had posted about this being November and I'd do the whole Count Your Blessings thing again. Oops!

Two years ago I did a month long series of gratitude posts. I enjoyed it and it was a good exercise for me to remember and record all the things I’m grateful for. I missed last year but have decided to do it again this year, even though I’m getting a late start.

So, having missed the first four days of November, I’ll come up with four things I’m grateful for:

1. I’m grateful for the health and strength I have. I have no chronic illnesses or conditions. I've been in the hospital only twice (I don’t count having babies as that’s not a disease!) once at age 5 or 6 to get my tonsils out, and again in 2005 to have an ovary removed. So pretty healthy here. I've never broken a bone, or had to have stitches (other than for the removal of a mole). I have had Influenza twice, the first time in 2008 I was in bed for a whole week and my family was scared I would die. The second time was the next year and I was in bed only three days, and then not again. (I think I've built up an immunity. I've never had a flu shot either.) So I count my blessings health-wise.

2. I’m really grateful for my five physical senses. I love hearing the sound of my family’s voices; beautiful music and singing; birds, the wind in the trees, water as in rivers, streams and waves of the ocean. I get great joy from seeing beautiful things like sunrises and sunsets, autumn leaves, spring flowers, majestic mountains, gorgeous lakes; I love to see my family and friends (and am so grateful for technology to do so); I find pleasure in smelling and tasting good food (sometimes too much), like bread and cheese, fresh summer fruits, thick soup on a frosty night. And I love to touch things, like smooth baby skin, silky fabrics, satiny flower petals, rough tree bark and boulders; I like the feel of beach sand running through my fingers, and kneading bread, and holding my husband’s work roughened hand. To me these senses are gifts from God to experience his goodness and tender mercies.

3. Technology is a huge blessing. With our adult children so far away physically I rely on technology to stay close emotionally. Skyping with them is so fun! Email, Facebook, blogs, IM’s, and cell phones keep up connected. We have so many blessing from God to help preserve families.

4. My own car! Again. We've been a one car family for a long time, about five years, I think. We finally got a cheap, economical, little car for me. TopDad drives a school provided car for work (he commutes between two schools), and Dr. Hair and Dandylion use the family car to get to school and work. Oh, it’s wonderful to have some freedom again, and driving a 5 speed manual is fun! (For those interested, it’s a 1999 Ford Escort, 2 door, 5 speed, red.)