Ten Things I'm Thankful For ~ a spring rose edition

Yep...I'm definitely awaiting the spring's roses yet to come... Aren't you?

Here are my "Ten Things I'm Thankful For"....

When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long,

and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,

just remember, in the winter,

far beneath the bitter snow,

lies the seed that with the sun's love

in the spring becomes the rose.

(The Rose, sung by Bette Midler)

Well, in the last blog post I did warn all about our strange weather patterns looming before us, and indeed the snow did visit to cover the earth once more, with its (once again) wintry white snowy blanket.

The air grew very damp, and a tornado bounced off a farm an hour away from us. The odd weather offered us more bitter cold for a 48 hour period, and then all began to thaw and warm up again. 

I'm happy to report we have only a little rain today, and the weather forecast to come for the rest of the week, is sun, sun, and more sun! The temperatures will rise, and with a steady increase of 20C+ of thermometer reading blissness, we will - at last, feel the effects of spring in our midst.

- 1 - I'm thankful for the gifts of spring. My husband gifted me with these lovely tulips yesterday. He too, felt the sun rounding the bend ahead.  

I'm happy to report our trees are filling up with tiny buds, a sure sign that we still require patience for spring to finally begin blasting in with full force. 

I am filled with great anticipation for a visible change of season to remain for more than a day, and having experienced one very beautiful day already as a teaser this past weekend, enabling doors open wide, and being able to sit for a bit and soak up the sun's rays while quietly listening to the multitudes of returning birdies, well now, that was so very wonderful.

- 2 - I'm thankful for the many blessings intentionally sought after day to day. Our world and personal circumstances still prove that there is so much to pray for, and still so much to be ever-thankful for. Always. 

There are important family dates filling up our calendar, ones we will highlight in bright yellowy hues, glowing radiant like the sun to provide some blessed excitement ahead. 

On May 19th, our future son-in-law will be baptized and receive his First Holy Communion. We will celebrate his and our daughter's wedding this August, and in both September and November, two more grandbabies (Yes now 2!) will make their welcomed entrances into our family. Other extended family events are dotted in between these ones, milestones for some and delights for others. So blessed!

 

- 3 - I'm thankful for the heart of our home - our kitchen! With Lent now behind us, and the Easter season in our midst, sporadic and impulsive baking moments are present in our kitchen. 

The goodies are becoming a habit, and I hate to spill the beans to one daughter that our traditional "Lenten Pie Sundays" are now over. Two pies this weekend, and happy faces resulting from serving those were quite funny. 

- 4 - I'm thankful that our schooling is rounding the bend, and the light at the end of the tunnel ahead is now (finally) beginning to brightly glow. 

At this time of year, there is a tattling with our teens showing definite preferrences for some subjects over others. The dawdling becomes quite remarkable when a least favorite subject is presented for the week's "catch-up" scheduling mode. Oh, but we all know, those essays, and assignments that they really aren't a fan of will still be there come Monday. Right? 

Seize the day children, for this part of schooling too shall pass...and then there will be many more challenges and learning opportunities ahead throughout your entire life. Real life-schooling never ends! Know that. :)

- 5 - I'm thankful for this old solid oak  "Wilson" piano, the one that is daily adorned with sheet music, or a favorite piano book. It's the one that fingers pass across the ebony keys, offering joyful song and rhythmic tunes enough to fill our home with the sounds of music. 

 

Thank you to our children who still love to play, we love to listen to your efforts, and thank you mom and dad for having it surprisingly dropped off that one day, now so long ago. This is the piano all of my siblings played tunes upon, the one we had in our home growing up.  

All eight of our children have been privy to piano lessons, in the hope that they would learn to especially, and simply love fine music down the road. It is my fondest hope that they all still appreciate having had the opportunity of being introduced to, and playing on this timeless musical instrument. Maybe they won't continue to play in the future, but it will remain here whenever they wish to sit and run the keys again in the future.

- 6 - I'm thankful for the opportunity and pleasure of having guests in our home at Easter, for the very first time since our move to Ontario almost seven years ago now. 

My sister and our friend spent many hours driving here from Cape Cod, arriving late on Good Friday, and not leaving until Easter Monday morning. It was very special to have them here with us, one of those really thankful things in life to have additional family around on a special weekend. Love to you sister!

A highlight was the men's pool table games, so neat to see them enjoy circling around it and having a great time. Our friend used to own his own billiard hall many, many years ago and really enjoyed revisiting that special former hobby of his.

- 7 - I'm thankful for the formal change of winter to spring sports. Our son is playing ball hockey again this year. He's made a move to a new venue, with the biggest change being that this particular new-to-him league is outdoors, snow or shine. 

He was over the moon crazy-happy to be able to grab his favorite number 10 again, one that he's had for most of his ice/ball hockey seasons thus far. 

Though these photos have the sun shining, it was freezing cold out there, hovering around a mere 3C degrees! So cold, the sun didn't even warm a body up, so these boys were wearing layers to keep warm, and working it out there to keep pumping up their circulation.

Team win of 6-1 was a hearty bonus for all the kids on his team, but all were happy to run for warmth as soon as they exited their arenas. 

I'd like to mention the incredible professional flooring they are able to play on, a formal floor used in roller hockey games, so there is a cushioning for joints moving about throughout the season, as opposed to playing in an indoor arena's concrete flooring. Bonus!

- 8 - I'm thankful for attempts at resolving issues with short cuts to cleaning hardwood floors. This "shark steamer" allowed me to make an unexpected happy dance when locating it locally and finding it on sale for almost half the price. Ohhhh, was I ever thankful when the cashier surprised me with that good news, as it was the night before the actual mark down event and she offered it to me early. Yay!

With the recent purchase of this steam cleaner, I worked and worked at cleaning for some additional super shine on our abundance of flooring in this house. My verdict? Perhaps the sales pitch is hailed by many to be fantastic, yes it did clean well, and I'm still thankful for having it, but honestly, I think I'm needing a commercial unit instead to perform for us here. 
  
Though the manufacturer claims it will disinfect at the same time as cleaning, even at its lowest steam setting, I found it left a rather dull streaked flooring as a result of all that abundance of cleaning. I still really like it though, specially on my tile flooring in the hallways, doorways and bathrooms, but one thing was sure - performing the task with such a large amount of flooring required several breaks when the motor obviously became too hot to continue. (Your thoughts, if you own one are most welcomed.)

- 9 - I'm thankful for this white frothy cuppa sweetness! I gave up these and other things for lent, and boy oh boy was I ever thankful for this special and unexpected serving placed before me! Yum! Yum! 

It's a ceremonial thing for me, not to be indulged in too often, but slowly savored when present. Bliss! 

- 10 - I'm thankful for daily cell phone reminders when viewing my newest photo placed on my cell phone's home screen. This was a photo I snapped a while back through my window, one that I love to check out daily that is graced with this window decal, which has become so special to me.

It makes me smile, when every single day my cell phone offers a little reminder not only to see the sunshine in my days, but to also fill my heart with gratitude for the many, many blessings given unto me. 

As this week's Sunday epistle bible reading details;

" Dearly beloved, Every best gift, and every perfect gift is from above: coming down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no change, nor shadow of alteration...."

~ 1 James 1:17

 And once again, ten - only ten out of hundreds of thankful things are offered for just a minor glimpse at some of my simple things in life ~ from me to you.

Grab a pen, grab something to jot down your favorite and thankful things today. Count your blessings and know they really do come down from the Father of lights.

Have a great week everyone! 
Blessings;
Renee 

"People from a planet without flowers would think 

we must be mad with joy the whole time 

to have such things about us."

~Iris Murdoch

An everlasting LOVE...

Yesterday we (like it or not) ushered in Ash Wednesday, the official beginning of Lent. 

 ...For I have loved you with an everlasting love...

~ Jeremiah 31:3

Along with its entry, one couldn't help notably sighting both adults and children, darkly crossed on their foreheads, with visible reminders of "ashes to ashes, and dust to dust". 

With Ash Wednesday falling where it has this year on our calendars, being able to have "St. Valentine's Day" love feasting in our midst the very day next day, make no mistake that (sacrificial) love reminders are warmly embracing us, both spiritually and emotionally, and have never occurred back to back this way, simply by coincidence.

 

"Teach us...

that we may feel the importance of every day,

of every hour, as it passes."  

 

~ Jane Austen

   Week 3 is steadily moving forward for my husband's respiratory rehabilitation. Once again, we have been offered an uncanny and timely reminder, on how this often crushing cross lung disease affects our family. With the timing too comes the occasional reminder to take a momentary step back, to grasp how fleeting our daily moments really are, and to begin taking the next necessary steps ahead - concentrating on keeping one foot pacing along in front of the other...go,go,go.

Perhaps, rather than thinking this cross as an unfathomable burden, I've been really pondering, why not make the attempt to slightly turn it around, and be grateful for this gift of timing instead.

 

It is a love offering option to try, no one said it would be easy, and of course it's lent for a double reminder of sacrifices being made, but think of it... if only we would choose instead to pray for eyes wide open, and for the courage to surrender to all of the wonderful possibilities life can offer us throughout the lenten season ahead.

 

Certainly every individual has their own personal crosses to carry, so may this early entry into Lent once again remind us to mindfully reflect on how we are honestly doing with that important task.  

The decision to re-enter into resp. rehab, wasn't something my hubby wanted to submit to when doctors insisted it to be so, especially the part about having to be away from his family as an inpatient in the confines of a hospital ward, along with some 28 others in his respiratory hospital wing, all of them also making the grueling attempt at working hard to continue battling various types of lung diseases like him. 

 

But, for the love (and begging pleas) of his wife and family, his affirming decision has consequently offered us all, an example of a very real and sacrificial kind of love.  

 

As St. Paul declared in Corinthians 28:19; 

"...real love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Love never fails." 

There are times when the weight of one's cross quickly becomes much lighter with the love and cheering of family and friends. 
 

Our children have all offered their father (sometimes daily) love within their cheery texting/emailing sentiments;

"Go, Dad, Go!"
"You're my hero"
"Keep up the great work!"
"You can do it!"
 "We love you!"

"You've got this!"

He has never been far from my own heart, and my spontaneous prayer offerings throughout the day, thoughts frequently visiting me over what he might be doing at that present timing, hoping he's breathing okay, praying yet another new round of medical tests don't produce further complications (like two did last week), and attempting all the while to keep up everyone's spirits around here.

 

 "You can't make up time; 
you can only use what's left, better." 

 

~ Oscar G. Darlington  

 

Today, and every day, I continue to cherish and celebrate the love I have for this man, still strong so many years later since that very first "Knights of Columbus" dance where we vividly noticed how cupid's arrows began darting at our hearts. 

 

I eagerly await and trust in the journey ahead, submitting totally to God's will for our lives...because "he loves us with an everlasting love".
 

  

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

"Keep a good heart.  That's the most important thing in life.

It's not how much money you make or what you can acquire.

The art of it is to keep a good heart."

  ~ Joni Mitchell      

Ten Things I'm Thankful For ~ Feb.4/2013

 Gratitude always manages to work its way through various stages in our lives.  We can't ignore it, it's just there for us to savor, embrace, and feel blessed to have hovering within us.

This week, I am so very, very grateful for healthier people living here, at least all are in so much better shape than last week. 

No one completely understands what life is like for a family when a loved one has a compromised immune system, and life always seems to feel as though it's tenderly hanging in the balance. Life is fragile. We constantly live with this loved one, for what seems like "borrowed time", blessed for every new sunrise morning when we are able to place our feet upon the floor.  It's a gift this thing we call life, a gift to be treasured, cherished, and thankful for.

We've become used to people shrugging to show their childlike ignorance at first, until the understood reality smacks them on the back of their heads, kind of likened to a thunder bolt flying through the air determined to have a bullseye mission.

We as a family attempt to bow out of all winter time activities where anyone may appear, or sound unwell, but we can't always live life walking on eggshells either. So we make huge attempts at balancing our lives with the here and now, well, as best we can anyway.

Today, while pondering my newest "ten things" to share with you, as usual, I am thankful for an entire shopping list of things, always very random and plucked out of no where after perusing my beloved myriad of photos providing the memory jolt for noting here.

Got your list of ten written up yet? If not, come on, get going...

How about a crisp new journal to begin your own daily ten things? Warning though, it's highly contagious, so once you pick up the pen, you'll always be picking it up!

May I present a few of my "TEN THINGS" to you today? Here they are below...

 

- 1 - I'm thankful for a freshly scrubbed and mopped flooring. 

In the still of the night, while all of of our unwell family members were tucked away in their beds recovering from a recent illness, this momma hoisted chairs up onto table and countertops, working row by row to completely scour all the flooring below. 

Yes, this was part of the disinfecting, and home refreshing campaign I was swift to implement last week. The timing from this satisfying job completion was the best thing though, as I found myself smiling, almost chuckling over the fact the floor would truly remain clear and clean until morning.  All seemed calm, and so incredibly peaceful. No one would have guessed the action found here the night before, when I was up washing carpets from missed barf bowl deposits, and running washing machine loads, one after the other.

Ever find that the fruits of your labor feel mundane and completely wasted? I mean, check out the clean floors, and then engage your mind to realize how many people living here will quickly stroll across it again, perhaps forgetful with dirty shoes on, or with sweaty socks mucking it up, or worse - the strolling snacker attacking late evening cravings, dropping food bits as they pass towards another room. 

Nah, that never happens in your home, right? Here either, thus the reason to take a photo. Clean floors do exist, in photos. Grab your camera and shoot yours after your next floor wash session. You'll be glad you did. :)

- 2 - I'm thankful for lessons learned, hard lessons learned that is. 

Here lay Dad's ipod touch, the one his son borrowed to listen to music with while outdoors playing basketball. Of all the crazy things, when he removed the buds from his ears, he decided to place the ipod on top of my vehicle for the time being. And then, he forgot it there...

Later on, mom gets into vehicle to drive away for daughter's pick up at the barn. Mom doesn't realize what's going on, not at all. Once home again, son appears and announces that he had to rush outdoors because he forgot to bring in his father's ipod. Panic ensued for him once he realized his error, so with flashlight in hand, he sets off in the dark of the night to search for possible ipod along our long driveway, and then he began heading up the street. Whoa! 

Mom decides to drive up and pick up son, and together we drive in silence as sickened boy becomes incredibly humble in his search ahead in the vehicle's lighting on the road. One mile away, we spot the ipod in the middle of the road. Mom stops the vehicle. Son jumps out, picks up ipod, smiles very briefly, then jumps up and down doing a painful foot stomping dance. Quietly and somberly, he begins to walk toward the vehicle, he opens the door, and tearfully apologizes for the ipod having been run over and ruined. 

Hard lesson? You bet. Lesson learned as he is now required to make restitution and supply his father with a new one. 

- 3 - I'm thankful for former years old projects that are finally completed. 

Take this photo frame above, purchased about six years ago now, the one where the photos didn't quite fit and all it required was a black matting behind each to complete the framing properly. 

Perusing these four photos has done much for this mama's heart this week. Wow, all of these younger four children of ours are no longer so young. Instead of being ages; 8,10,14 and 15, they are now 14,15 (almost 16),20,21(almost 22). 

This photo frame was a one of a kind purchase for me, found at "Home Sense" in their photo's frame aisle, and one with the perfect quote which really spoke to me at that time. It still speaks to me. It's such a profound reality to remember... 

"HOME..is where your story begins." 

 

- 4 - I'm thankful for a wonderful rainbow of colors as I continue to pursue having this blog published into keepsake books. 

This past Christmas, my husband was gifted with blog book numbers 10 and 11, and every person here has spent many hours since, perusing the pages within them over and over again. 

How time flies when a family attempts to make memories along the way! 

How time flies when the family peruses these same memories, and passes their hands across the pages of photos and the written word, while in remembrance of them years later. 

Thinking of having your blog printed into a hardcover book? Just do it! You'll never regret it!

- 5 - I'm thankful for the last standing corner in our home, now completely finished. Yay!

This was the scene early last month when the cabinets and countertop were delivered and we awaited the arrival of the installation crew. We ordered everything last October which had to be custom made, such a long, LONG wait!

Yes, this is the perfect area for a wet bar in the future for our large rec room family entertainment events. We have a small sink already picked out, and in the near future my husband will complete the rest of the task at hand to install it. Voila! Perfect!  Now all we need is a huge popcorn maker machine to rest there. Yum!

- 6 - I'm thankful for a husband who has revisited and reunited with his musical passions from years gone by, the ones he fairly much gave up to concentrate on providing a living for his family, the one he previously sold all of his guitar collections so we could use the funds to help purchase our first home. 

Yes, he's a guitar player, but not only that. He enjoys the sounds of various types of guitars, noting their pickups, tones and unique characteristics. It's easy to accompany him to guitar shops because he's quite fussy about the kind he would enjoy playing on, so it's a fast window shop at the best of times.  

 

- 7 - I'm thankful for the world's BEST respiratory rehabilitation inpatient hospital program in Canada, for those who suffer from debilitating lung diseases with lousy future prognosis.  The entire staff provides a personalized wellness program for each patient individually, so as you can see in the photo above, all of those professionals work with every patient loving there for their designated timing. My husband's Week 2 of 5 (give or take), is here now! 

So, back to the talk of guitar shopping...last month my hubby found a second electric one he pined over, and eventually hoped to add to his newly growing collection. I laughed, as I figured he couldn't possibly be serious! He was. I wasn't. But he was. And was he ever! 

Even though we've been married for 36 years, I never knew how long he had been bridling his desire and passion to become reacquainted with owning a similar type of guitar collection he once owned, played, and used in a popular (now famous) band before we married? I guess that potential thought has been there, growing, lingering long and hard as other physical energy things aren't working out any longer, and the list of "I can" does include playing guitar. I realized there was just no denying his humble desire of being able to pursue his retirement years of guitar playing to come over the crest of the horizon nearby.

We didn't mean to, but we did walk out of the store with another guitar, rather I walked from the store with one. I bought it, not him. You see, there was a promise attached to it, that he would listen to his doctors and freely attend an upcoming respiratory rehabilitation refresher for the length of time they wanted him there for his personalized term. Always the gentleman, he has stepped aside to allow others before him the past two years, but this year, he very much requires this refresher, big time himself. 

The deal was, no playing the new guitar until home after his first week of resp. rehab. That was last weekend. He was especially thrilled to have his new instrument in hand, to become familiar with, especially after returning for his weekend home recovery, only to find himself confined to our bedroom for the entire weekend, due to the importance of not being exposed to a (throwing up kind of) flu (recently visiting) our home. 

Yes, that guitar has been well used already, and once more, our home is definitely alive with the sound of music these days.

 

- 8 - I'm thankful for night tables slowly ridden of telltale signs of folks unwell within our home. Those were two doozies back to back, and the "throwing up kind of flu" had not been in our home for ten years. It was not fun to revisit those times, although I never did get that one myself, nor did my husband, thank you God. 

I think forcefully jumping into mother servant mode, washing bedroom carpets from people who missed their barf bowls, changing sheets and towels, insisting on daily washing and airing out bedrooms, well, maybe I became immuned to it somehow. Having to wear a surgical mask around the sickies, and then change it to wear a separate more sterile mask around my hubby to protect him from what I'd been up to, well, I found it extremely trying this past weekend to say the least. I needed all of yesterday to decompress.

Between an unwell baby, and my hubby on leave to recover in between resp. rehab weeks who had to remain well, that was so not fun. Here's hoping this week improves and this mama can relax a bit more and roll with the times ahead. 

Is it Lent yet? It sure feels like we've been in it already.

- 9 - I'm thankful for the ambiance and comfort of apres ski moments with our children. Shortly before the second illness arrived in our home, we took to the slopes with our younger ones and two neighbors, all opting for a later evening ski/snowboarding time. 

The large picturesque windows allowed us the visibility for the action on the slopes, while we hung back and enjoyed the coziness of a wooden fire nearby, and hot drink in hand. 

 

Once the gang was finished for the night, we surprised them with some delectable hot chocolate hot drinks, topped with fresh whip cream and a cherry on top. They were very grateful, so relaxed, and it was the perfect end to a great night for all.

- 10 - I'm thankful for our little trinkets, those particular Delft blue things from Holland. 

In my cleaning moments, since replacing all of our Christmas decorations into storage, I was able to remove each item from my curio treasure area, to wash and buff them up for spring. 

There were beloved rushes of memories attached to each and every item resting there, all warming my heart in tender ways which words cannot even eloquently describe. 

My mother in law (may she rest in eternal peace) purchased quite a few of these items for me/us each time she returned from a trip to her native Holland. I've had most of them for over 30 some years, so naturally all have been around for some time to physically grace our space. I thought of her then, as I was lovingly buffing them up, before replacing again in some sort of renewed semblance upon my antique buffet shelving. 

 (Circa 1991)

It's hard to believe she's been gone for quite some time. I can still hear her thick accent in my head, the one I learned about when I first met her, and the one that sometimes got her a bit of a pickle when her attempt at her Dutch to English translation offered unintended strange choice wording insults. 

How we laughed at those awkward times over time, and how I came to love that accent. I'll never not giggle in the future when I hear the word hotdog, and not think of her dutch pronunciation of  "Haahaatdaaaag". 

Ik ben ble - Yes Mom B, I am happy! 

Miss you!