“Know yourself. Be yourself. Love yourself. Seek goodness and be goodness. Seek beauty and be beauty. Seek love and be love.” ― Bryant McGill, Voice of Reason

25 November 2010

99 Things I Am Thankful For

1. God. I really struggled with what to call God. Man gives Him many names. Call him what you like, I believe in Him, I pray to Him, I talk to Him, I place hope in Him, and I am thankful to Him.
2. My children. James and Jessica. I love you both so much it makes my heart hurt. James, I'm so proud of my little man. Jessica, I pray for you everyday. I pray for many things but mostly that God protects you in all ways and that you could feel your mothers love embracing you each day.
3. My "step-monsters". Glenn and Alexa. I love you both more than you can imagine. I know you thought I was evil for making you brush your teeth and clean your room, but it was out of love, I swear.
4. My Honey. I am fortunate to have the love of a good and faithful man.
5. My dog. Cierra is seven years old, the best furry companion I could ask for. I treasure her every day.
6. My health. I am very fortunate to have good health.
7. My friends. All of my life, my friends have been few in numbers. What I lack in quantity, I make up for in quality.
8. My acquaintances. In my recent past, I would not have separated them from friends, but they are different, and I treasure them just the same.
9. My mom. My mom is golden, a real and pure treasure not to be taken for granted, and I cherish her.
10. My Honey's family. My Hon is one of seven siblings.
11. USA. I am thankful to be born in to the United States. How different life would be had I been born elsewhere.
12. The internet. Deep down, I have a love-hate relationship with the world wide web. But really, it has opened up whole new worlds for me.
13. My camera. Because I love to photograph my world. From the tallest tree to the smallest bug, I want to photograph them all.
14. My senses: hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste. How fortunate I am that I have all five, and they all still work correctly at 42 years of age.
15. Dyslexia. I have dyslexia. I embrace it, because frankly: it is what it is.
16. Music. We have a very large music collection. Music can make my soul soar, or it can bring me to tears. Music can make me smile, make me dance, and make me think.
17. My neighborhood. Sure, I wish my house was a little bigger, or my garage was a little less crowded, but overall, I love where I live, I have a great view of the mountains.
18. Ex-husband #1. With you I have a wonderful son, he's smart, motivated, driven and very clever. You know he didn't get any of that from either one of us.
19. Ex-husband #2. You used to say "what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger". Yes, you were right about that. I love your kids and your family, they are still a much-loved part of my life.
20. A mistake I call BS. Knowing him was heaven and hell. I found the strength to walk away from hell and in to the open arms of heaven. I now live in love and I am grateful for that every day.
21. Clarity. A recent situation left me dazed and confused. I'd been lied to and lied about. Thanks to clarity, I see that I live in the light of truth while the other persons life was built on lies.
22. Sunshine. It can be 30 degrees or 120 degrees. I revel in the sunshine and its warmth.
23. I was recently asked if I would trade lives with anyone. My answer: no. My life was built on the paths I have chosen to take, I am thankful I had the opportunity to chose each path that has brought me to where I am today.
24. Living debt free. I don't need a fancy house, fancy car or fancy furniture. I have a roof over my head, I have everything I need under that roof, and my Honey and I live debt free.
25. Friends in foreign countries. Norbert in Romaina. Silke in Germany. Linda in China. Hanna in Germany. Mustafa and Cuma from Turkey.
26. My cousins. I have no siblings, all of my cousins are cool and I'm proud to call them my family.
27. Wool socks.
28. My new necklaces. My Honey bought two necklaces for me, they are beautiful, sturdy, and I love them.
29. Fleece. Ahhh, fleece.
30. Being comfortable in my own skin.
31. Mountaintops. I may huff and puff getting there, but once I'm there, I'm thrilled to have a seat and a snack, and a good look around.
32. Water. I am grateful to live where water is clean and plentiful for basic survival, but also for rivers and lakes.
33. That I have the audacity to skinny dip.
34. Wildlife. I am fond of all the wild things.
35. Traveling. I love to travel, I would travel the world if I could. In the meantime, I am grateful for the places I have been to.
36. Four seasons. I don't live in an area that has four seasons, but I have traveled enough to see them all and while I value being warm, I appreciate the Fall colors and I like snow.
37. Sunrises and sunsets. I may forgo four seasons, but I live in an area with the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
38. Rain and rainbows.
39. Cloudy days, I often see shapes in the clouds - love it.
40. M&M's. Yum.
41. Sharp knives in my kitchen, I don't think there is a single greater necessity in the kitchen than a good, sharp knife.
42. Books and magazines. Reading takes me to new places and introduces me to new people, and I appreciate good photography in magazines.
43. My BBQ grill. That might sound silly but I have a large grill plumed in to the natural gas in the house, I love it and use it frequently.
44. Nail polish. I paint my own fingernails and toenails. Because I can.
45. Heart shaped rocks. I find them when hiking. Sometimes I carry them home and other times I photograph them and leave them there.
46. A full moon. I always look skyward to check the phases of the moon.
47. My tattoos. Each one has special meaning to me.
48. Harley-Davidson. One cool Harley has taken me thousands of miles and I have treasured every safe ride, every time my hair blows in the wind, every neat thing I have seen, and every person I have met on rides.
49. Those who I've lost to this world. While I grieve deeply at the loss of family and friends who no longer walk this earth, it reminds me to live my life to its fullest.
50. Sunflowers. I love all flowers, even flowering weeds, but my favorite is the sunflower.
51. Mud. I like to play in the mud.
52. A long warm shower. To wash off the mud.
53. Chocolate. Yum.
54. Bacon. So good yet so bad.
55. Scissors. Without them I couldn't cut the pesky tags off my clothes.
56. Giving of myself. Sometimes I have the opportunity to share my time, my voice, my ability to listen and show compassion, or do a favor for someone.
57. Thrift stores. Yes, I shop at thrift stores. You'd be amazed at the treasures one can find there.
58. Donations. I frequently weed out things I don't need or don't wear and take it with me to the thrift store. I believe in living lightly.
59. Little treasures. I have a soft, feminine handkerchief that belonged to my great grandmother. I remember as a child she put a handful of coins in it and gave it to me. I treasured the handkerchief more than the change.
60. My Honey's collectibles. I am happy to share his art and artifacts from his travels to foreign countries such as Africa, Germany and beyond.
61. Netflix. I've watched dozens of movies that I missed over the years.
62. Fritos scoops and hot bean dip.
63. The Second Amendment and ... "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed".
64. Cats. I don't currently have one as a pet, but I've always liked cats. And ferrets. And fish. And chickens. And...
65. Candles.
66. A cold coca-cola over ice.
67. A hot bubble bath.
68. My iPod. I guarantee you that no matter what size iPod you gave to me, I could fill it to capacity with music.
69. Other people's websites, blogs, and various internet sites. It is a window to someone else's world and I am grateful to each person who lets me view their world.
70. I have two favorite types of shoes 1) flip flops and...
71. 2) cowboy boots.
72. Men's Ribbed Tank Tops. Also known as a "wife beater". I wear them almost daily, they are cottony, soft, comfy.
73. My mom's horses. My mom has owned several of the most beautiful, white Arabians I have ever laid eyes on. To this day she continues to take in retired horses who live the rest of their lives in peace with her.
74. Ice cream. I eat my ice cream out of the container, holding it with a kitchen towel, and eating my ice cream with a fork. True story.
75. My favorite baseball cap. I actually have more than one fav, but each one serves a slightly different purpose. Ditto with my wool and fleece caps.
76. Down-filled pillows. I have the softest pillows.
77. Semi-secret places to hike. I've been on some lesser known trails and they each have their charms.
78. My recipe book. I find recipes that sound good, or that I think I'd like to try, while some recipes are necessities. I use recipes like suggestions, I usually follow the directions loosely and do my own thing.
79. My quilt. My dear friend Janice made a quilt for me. It is perfect in every way. I will treasure it always.
80. My dogs down-filled dog bed. Like me, my girl appreciates the softness of down.
81. Google translate. With GT I can translate just about any text.
82. Being open-minded. Being so gives me the ability to love it all without judgement.
83. My kitchen timer. It's reminded me of many things I may have forgotten about.
84. Never to have stepped on a land mine. (Thanks to my son for this one).
85. Dr. Oz TV show. I watch very little TV, but I like Dr. Oz, it's very informative. I also like PBS.
86. My favorite rocking patio chair on the back patio. My Honey, Cierra and I share time sitting in the morning sunshine in that chair.
87. My houseplants. They brighten my day, everyday.
88. The chance to fly: on the back of my favorite Harley and in airplanes and helicopters.
89. Geocaching. A little game of hide and seek I sometimes play while hiking.
90. The ability to say "no" to shopping on Black Friday.
91. My hummingbird feeders. In lieu of real flowering plants, they've been a treat for the little hummers who come every day for a snack.
92. My new earrings, they go along with the new necklaces my Honey bought for me. I never buy new jewelry for myself, this is a once and a lifetime treat for me.
93. Control Z - a little keyboard trick that undoes what I just did. It's saved me many times.
94. Knowing that less is more. I love my simple life.
95. The remote control for the ceiling fan.
96. Swimming, it does a body good.
97. Incense.
98. My son following his 7th grade Orchestra teachers instructions to teach his mom what he learned in class that day. I successfully made his violin sound like fingernails on a chalkboard.
99. I am thankful my list is done - hurray!

No comments: