Day 278: Comfort

Hello again,
Today I am thankful for comfort. Do I need to even give a reason? lol I am thankful for comfort when I am sitting in an incredibly comfy chair that I don't want to move or get up. I am thankful for comfort when I first wake up in the morning and I am all comfortable wrapped in my warm blankets. I am thankful for it when there is a lack of pain and I am left feeling comfortable. I am thankful for emotional comfort too....when someone comforts me after something bad has happened. Comfort is a great feeling but I also know that I wouldn't know how wonderful it is without experiencing the opposite. The opposite would be pain and it is not good at all but it helps me to understand how desirable comfort is. It helps me be so thankful for those moments when I feel so comfortable.  I am thankful for comfort because in all these moments I feel good and I don't notice any pain. I am thankful because during these moments life doesn't feel so bad. For these reasons I am thankful for comfort.

Day 277: Respect

Hello again,
This post is for yesterday because I was unable to post. For this post I am thankful for respect. Too often people lack respect for others or other people's stuff so when I come across people who have respect for others, I am very thankful for them. I am able to recognize how special it is and it is special and wonderful to be respected. I don't think this needs a long post. I will keep it short and sweet. We all know the reasons why it is great to be shown respect and how hard it is to be treated badly and not respected. So for this post I am thankful for respect.

Day 276: my computer

Hello again,
Today I am thankful for my computer. My computer recently has begun to die a slow horrible death and it has good and bad days. lol So I suppose it is a good time to be thankful for it and the past 5-6 yrs I have had it. There have been numerous times I have wanted to throw it out a window because it does not want to co-operate but every computer is like that-it is nothing personal. Lately I have a unique perspective I think on the usefullness of a desktop computer. I have had a few times that I have had to use my phone to access the internet or type an email and realized how much I love having a desktop computer. I love the full keyboard and the large monitor (compared to a phone screen). Smaller is not always better! Even between a lap top and a desktop-I think the desktop still has good qualities that a laptop doesn't. In other ways, I have used this computer for so many things like editing photos that I take, emailing, working on documents, doing paperwork for my mom, etc. So many things that would be difficult or next to impossible without a computer. I am not sure how long it will hold out but I hope it holds out awhile longer. During my initial recovery after each back surgery, my computer was essentially my only link to the world around me. I could not get out of the house and it was the only thing linking me to everyone else. So I am definitely thankful for the computer. I have used it lots and it's funny how outdated a computer can get in 5yrs. lol For these reasons, I am thankful for my computer.

Day 275: broken dvds

Hello again
This post is for yesterday because I was unable to post. For this post I am thankful for broken dvds and cds because they are useful still after they are broken. I discovered they are apparently useful in scaring birds away from fruit trees! See I knew I had a reason to hold on to them. lol I am not sure yet if it works but I am really hoping it does. The birds are stealing our berries and I am wishing they would not. There is plenty of other food that they can eat so I don't think I am being unfair right? Anyways I think it is neat that something can have a second life beyond what it was intended for. I am also thankful that dvds and cds are shiny and keep birds away.... hopefully. :)

Day 274: my imagination

Hello again,
Today I am thankful for my imagination. I have a good imagination and it really came in handy so often as a kid. Imagination turns an ordinary cardboard box into an unlimited number of things. It helps me to imagine what an author is depicting in a book very clearly, it helps me to imagine things not yet created and it helps me be creative. It can be a problem for me though when I imagine different possibilities as to why a person is late or hasn't called or it can cause me to have really awful nightmares. It can also cause me to have wonderful vivid dreams and while I am awake I can close my eyes and daydream. Without an imagination, I don't think anything could be invented because people would not imagine the impossible and find ways to create it. The imagination is a very wonderful tool for young minds while playing, for inventors and artists who create and for people who love to read books. It helps possibilities become endless as well because we are able to see those possibilities. For all these reasons I am quite thankful for my imagination which is very strong. Thanks for reading my blog!

Day 273: A day with no rain!!!!

Hello again,
Today I am thankful for a day without rain!!! In all of July this is one of only 8 days (I think) it hasn't rained. I may have missed marking down rain for a couple of the days so it could actually only be 5-6 days with no rain. Of course it is only July 24 but still it has rained most of July. That is actually an improvement from June I think. Even more days in June had rain if I remember correctly. We are pretty soggy here and it was so nice to see the sunshine back and not see rain for an whole day!!! Though I do have to say it rained early this morning so technically not a complete day with no rain but it rained while it was still dark so I am not counting that. lol It was so nice to not have rain. Tomorrow is back to chance of rain but we were able to enjoy today. It was hot too! It got above 20!! Stuff didn't dry out completely but the puddles decreased a fair bit and the grass isn't under water for the most part!!! the lakes in the pasture are still there but I am not sure those will leave any time soon. Maybe the water will still be in the pasture in the winter and I will have a ready made skating rink!! lol Just trying to be positive here. Anyways I am thankful for the days without rain but I am thankful we have rain too. I wish we didn't have so much but we could also have none which would be bad.

Day 272: Change

Hello again
Today I am first thankful for catching up on my blog!! lol I am also thankful for change. I am someone who likes change-actually I crave change. I get bored with the same old stuff and I need change. I have found that lately some of the big life changes are not so exciting anymore but I can still handle them and adapt. But I love change. I don't like routine so much. Change is exciting and new and a learning experience. Like when you change to a new job it is different and exciting and definitely a learning experience. I remember as a child I would move my furniture in my room around every few months. I would get bored with how things were and change them. Change also offers a new perspective on things and that can often be a very good thing. Sometimes it isn't easy when it is a major life change but if it is good then there will be benefits that we wouldn't experience otherwise. This is why I am thankful for change.

Day 271: my hair keeps growing

Hello again
This post is for yesterday for reasons mentioned in the previous post. I would have loved to be thankful for the woodstove because it was so cold but I have already posted about that. I am definitely thankful that we had it lit though yesterday. So for this post I am thankful that my hair keeps growing. What I mean is, after a hair cut it grows back again if I want it to. I love to do different things with my hair and I love that I can cut it and have it short and then grow it out again when I want a change again. I also like that a bad hair cut is never permanent and it grows out again. I am happy with my hair but I do miss the length actually. So I am going to grow it out again until I want to cut it again. lol I like that my decisions how to have my hair are never permanent and I can change it if I want. Of course hair takes time to grow but that is ok. I guess it's the price of experimenting and I am thankful that it grows even if it is slow. I can't imagine having a permanent bad hair cut! lol I shudder at the thought! I think I would choose to be bald and wear a wig then. lol Anyways this is why I am thankful that my hair keeps growing.

Day 270: Camping

Hello again,
I had started this post on Thursday and thought I was going to be caught up but then the power went out and no more internet. No internet meant no updating on my blog. Then last night I was out and then unable to post because I was exhausted and in a fair bit of pain. I know I like to try to keep this positive but I am just being honest here. If you have stuck with me this long, you at least deserve my honesty on everything.
For this post I am thankful for something I haven't managed to do in awhile and still unable to do which is camping. I actually had planned to attempt it this weekend with my sister and brother in law but I am still not physically able to do it. If I go camping I want to enjoy it and be able to go hiking and be able to sleep on the hard ground in a tent without worrying about my back. I love camping and hiking and I have not been able to do it in a long time due to limitations. But it is something that I hold on to that I will be able to do again and it helps me keep moving forward with my recovery. One day it will happen again. I was hoping it would be this year but I guess not. Why am I thankful for camping? I love the outdoors and "roughing it".  There is something fun about it and waking up and stepping outside into the cool crisp morning mountain air. I love sitting around a fire and being free from all the devices that keep us occupied and keep our attention from the people right in front of us. I love hiking and getting to the top of the mountain and seeing the view. The view from a mountain is breathtaking and there is nothing like it that I have experienced so far. But I guess I will have to wait till next year. Hopefully next year I can do lots of camping! :) So this is why I am thankful for camping.

Day 269: plants are resiliant (to a point)

Hello again,
This post is for yesterday because I was unable to post. For this post I am thankful that plants are resiliant (to a point) and can bounce back after a near death experience. lol We ended up getting some plants that were destined for the dump and they were near death and I have coaxed plants back to life before so I knew they could be saved. A little tlc and water go a long way! Even for our plants that they can bounce back after getting pounded by hail or they get too dry on a hot day and wilt a bit before getting the water they need. It is amazing how much a plant can take and still bounce back. Of course there is a point of no return where a plant just doesn't have the ability to recover. There are also plants that are super finnicky that will not recover from the slightest set back. But alot of plants are very resiliant and I am thankful for that. Otherwise I would be screwed because the hail keeps hitting them. I am thankful that they regrow again. As I write this we are experiencing another thunder storm and I am hoping I don't jinx anything writing this and we end up with a huge hail storm that completely finishes them off. They do look a bit sad from the last 2 hail storms this week. But like I said, they can bounce back (if they are not hit so hard that they are pulverized) and I am thankful for that. Thanks for reading my blog. :)

Day 268: swabs

Hello again,
Today I am thankful for swabs. While I try to write about meaningful blessings, every so often I am just thankful for something like swabs or food so I post it. Swabs are commonly used to clean ears whether it is a safe practice or not but they are very useful for other jobs as well. I find them very multi purpose so I am quite thankful for them. The most obvious uses are for cleaning the outside of my ears (not the inside-don't worry) and cleaning cuts. But here are some other uses which may not be so common that I use swabs for. I use swabs for pollunating flowers by hand. I sometimes have to do this myself if the plant is inside or in the greenhouse away from bees. Swabs work wonderful to collect some of the pollen and add to another flower to cross pollunate them. I also use swabs to clean my computer keyboard sometimes if there is something spilled in a hard to reach spot. Yes sometimes I spill stuff on my keyboard-I am not perfect. I have read that they also work great for craft projects and make up removal and to apply it as well. I have used them to apply glue on occasion which works quite nicely. There are many uses for swabs which are useful to me because it makes my life easier which is why I am thankful for them!

Day 267: HEAT!!!

Hello again,
This post is for yesterday because I was unable to post. For this post I am thankful for heat!!! It got up to +27 yesterday and that is the hottest it has been ALL year!!!! It was sunny and hot and humid and normally that would cause me to complain some but I thoroughly enjoyed it! We have had so little heat this year and I have spent so much time shivering and cold that I could not possibly complain about the heat! Oh I enjoyed it! I am so thankful for it! Now for the rest of the week it seems we are back to struggling to get over 20 degrees. oh well. It could be colder but it could also be hotter too. I do admit I wish that the heat was not so concentrated in certain areas and the weather is too hot for people that they are suffering and we are here shivering in cool weather. I wish it could be more evenly spread out that there were not such extremes. But that is not how weather goes so I enjoyed the heat while we had it and I was not used to it at all but loved it. I am so thankful we got the heat that we did. :) I hope that the areas experiencing extreme heat can have some relief soon though and I hope we get some more hot days here still. I wonder if there has ever been a year where we don't hit 30 or hotter? I am thinking this year that it may happen but it isn't over yet. Anyways for this post I am thankful for heat. :)

Day 266: weeding tools

Hello again,
Today I am thankful for weeding tools. Today was a nice day and I decided to do some weeding. I can't do alot but I can do some and as far as I see it, every weed pulled is like 1000 seeds that don't grow. lol Each plant may not have 1000 seeds but each seed from that plant grows and makes seed and those seeds become plants that make seeds.... and so on. I was just rereading what I wrote and realized something I didn't see before. If I would have looked at it that every weed I don't pull is 1000 seeds that grow then I would have been depressed. lol Glad I have looked at it the way I have. :) Anyways to pull the weeds I use a hand tool to pull them out with because that is what works best for me. It is slow work but slow and steady wins the race right?! I am not getting paid so I can take as long as I want. lol But I go as quick as I can so I can get as many weeds as I can. without tools it would be near impossible to get the roots with the plant and would result in the weed growing back. So I love what ever help I can get to do a good job and get it done easier as well. The tools do make it much easier to pull weeds. Today I am thankful for weeding tools to help me to a better job at weeding. Thanks for reading my blog. :)

Day 265: learning not to compare myself to others

Hello again,
Lately physically I have not been doing so well. Today I am quite thankful for having a better day physically than I have in awhile. It was definitely a nice change. I also took full advantage of it and got a fair bit done compared to what I have been accomplishing lately. Is it as much as a normal person might do? no but for me it was good. This is partly why today I am thankful for being in the process of learning to not compare myself to others. Some days are easier than others and it is sort of up and down but I think I am slowly getting better at it. I know we all have struggles and we all have to overcome them but in a way our struggles are unique yet the same. I am learning that I am physically not able to do as much as other people can for now and I should not use someone else's ruler (so to speak) to measure how much I have accomplished. I need to use my own ruler so to speak. While using the ruler analogy, I would like to add that I am learning that it changes from day to day as well. Some days are bad days and I can't do as much as other days and I am attempting to learn that and accept that as well. We can only do as much as we can do and accept it and move on. Because I am learning these lessons, I was able to feel good about what I managed to accomplish today and not feel like I should have done more. If I compare it to someone who is physically fit then what I accomplished would have been very little. But I am learning to not do that. I feel better about myself when I can allow myself to feel good about what I accomplish. I am also less likely to push myself too hard which only ends in me overdoing it and lots of extra pain. I don't know if this makes sense or not to other people but I know I am not the only one who does this...who looks at what others get done and put myself down because I didn't get as much done. Thanks for reading my blog and this is what I am thankful for today.

Day 264: earplugs

Hello again,
Today I am thankful for earplugs. It is funny because what actually caused me to think about this is someone playing loud music somewhere and all I can hear is the boom boom boom. no music. it isn't too loud here but I imagine it's too loud somewhere to hear it like that over here. Of course earplugs come in handy for times when I have had to share a room with people who snore. :) oh they are a life saver. They don't completely block the noise though but enough to sometimes get to sleep. Then there is the safety benefits of earplugs to save one's ears from loud noises. Earplugs are nice because you know it's something safe to stuff in your ear vs what ever you can find. lol sometimes earplugs come in handy to block other noises you don't want to hear as well-not just snoring. Today I am thankful for earplugs.

Day 263: Rainbows

Hello again,
Finally I am caught up!!! lol For today's post I am thankful for rainbows. We got yet another thunder storm tonight but the difference was that there was an amazing double rainbow afterwards that made my jaw drop. It was absolutely beautiful!!! I love double rainbows and this one was one of the best I have seen in awhile. The second rainbow is usually kind of faded and not as visible but tonight it was quite visible as well as the first one. It was incredible. I suppose the main reason I am thankful for them is just the beauty of them. Also rainbows to me signify hope. Hope for a better tomorrow and that storms do not last forever. It's a reminder that the dark stormy days of my life won't last forever either. Rainbows do not mean anything in terms of my life but I see them as a reminder for that if it makes any sense. When I see them, I tell myself that no storm lasts forever that there is an end and it is the same for our lives too. Anyways this is why I am thankful for rainbows.

Day 262: tech support

Hello again,
This post is for Wednesday and for this post I am thankful for tech support. Why? Because as much as I love technology, I do not always understand what is going on when things go wrong. That is where the tech guys come in and help. Our internet has been on the fritz and we have been having difficulty trying to get it to work again. Yesterday (Wednesday) I phoned the tech guys from the internet company and he walked me through how to find out what was wrong. Without his help- I was helplessly lost. With his help, we were able to discover that the router was the problem so we got a new router and now we have internet again! It actually was not the internet that was the problem which is good I suppose. It sucks that we had to get a new router but everything only lasts so long and I guess this was the week the old router could no longer keep working and died. So with the help of tech support, I was able to discover the problem and be able to fix it!! Yay! It is weird how I feel so lost without internet even though I spent most of my life without internet. I love tech support for all the problems I need help fixing. :)

Day 261: words/language

Hello again,
This post is for Tuesday July 12. For this post I am thankful for language. I find it so fascinating how we communicate and all the languages that exist around the world. Each language is so complex with so many words for pretty much anything you can possibly think of. Then there are sometimes multiple words to describe one thing... like snow. lol But the vast amount of words that we use every single day to communicate feelings, events, situations etc is amazing. Our words/language are a tool to get ideas across to others and to take people places through books. Stringing several words together get ideas and visions across to others and ignite our imaginations when used to describe something. It would be very difficult to write books without our wonderful language that we have. If we could only tell stories through pictures, some of us would have difficulty communicating if we can't draw well. I think about the amount of words I use in a single day and all the talking I do and it's pretty amazing. This may seem odd to be thankful for to some but this is something I am thankful for. Without words or language-I would have a very hard time writing a blog. lol I find I can be creative even with words. Depending how you put them together, it sends across different messages and feelings. Anyways this is why I am thankful for words/language.

Day 260: moss

Hello again,
Wow this week has been interesting in terms of connecting to the internet. lol I am now quite a bit behind so I think I have alot of catching up to do. This post is for Monday and for this post I am thankful for moss. Why you may ask? First, it looks so neat the way it grows on the ground and makes the ground green. Forests look so beautiful with moss along the ground. Second, I love the way it feels under my bare feet. If you have never stepped on moss bare foot-you should! My goodness it is the softest neatest feeling. We have moss growing several places around our home so I can step on it without worry of stepping on anything I shouldn't. :) There are benefits of moss too. Apparently birds like to use moss as nesting material which I can see since it's so soft. One neat fact is that there are about 15,000 species of moss!!! Apparently you can actually grow a moss garden as well. I am just learning this as I google moss. lol With it being so wet this year-I could probably grow it in our rock garden. lol Anyways these are the reasons why I am thankful for moss.

Day 259:new recipes that taste great

Hello again, I am attempting to send this post via email from my phone because the internet stopped working yesterday. This post is actually for Sunday because I was unable to post because I was babysitting my nephew. I planned to catch up yesterday but the internet stopped working. For some strange reason I can visit my blog on my phone but can't sign in and post directly to it. I can however apparently send an email to a special address and it is supposed to post on my blog. So here it goes! Hopefully it shows up correctly. For this post I am thankful for new recipes that work but more specifically ones that I have created or my family has. We have Honeyberry bushes which have lots of berries finally but are rather new so there are not a lot of recipes for them. They are more sour than saskatoons and blueberries but not by a ton. They are not quite a berry you eat right off the tree however. I wanted to make some sauce from them and threw some stuff together just roughly guessing what might taste right. It turned out really really good and I wonder if it was partly luck. Lol Anyways I was really thankful it turned out so good because it is more enjoyable to eat that way. It is a recipe that we will definitely use again! It feels good to have people compliment something you have made- especially when it is something you have come up with on your own! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Day 258: pain easing up

Hello again,
Wow I am finally caught up again! lol Today I am thankful for pain easing up. This week has been difficult and today it was not so bad. It is so weird when pain eases up or even when it goes away completely. After I have had a migraine and it is gone, I feel so wonderful because the pain isn't there anymore. Pain can really wear a person down and I think there is not one person who has not dealt with pain so everyone can relate. What ever pain it is, when it goes away don't you feel lighter and happier? You are in the same state as you were before the pain started (or got worse) but because of the pain then you are more thankful for less pain. Or is it just me that feels that way? Another way I am thankful for pain easing up is that it isn't so hard to deal with and it seems more managable and I am able to face it better. Anyways I should be going because my bed is calling to me. :) Thanks for reading my blog.

Day 257: encouragment

Hello again,
This post is for yesterday because I was unable to post. For this post I am thankful for encouragment. This week has been difficult for me physically (which affects me emotionally) and I can begin to feel discouraged. When this happens, it is very helpful to have encouragment and for friends/family to encourage me to keep going and that I can get through this stuff. Yesterday I had gotten to a point I needed that encouragment and I recieved it from a few people. It helps me to have the courage to keep moving forward and a reminder that this too will pass and nothing lasts forever. I am also reminded I have the strength and ability to get through what ever it is I am facing. I am also given strength to face obstacles through the encouragment of others. Encouragment from others is also nice because to me it shows other people care enough to take the time to say even a few words. Some people have more to say than others but I think all encouragment is good-even when it is short and sweet. So this is why I am thankful for encouragment.

Day 256: sleep

Hello again,
This post is actually for Thursday because I have been unable to post due to physical pain and not being able to sit at the computer very long. I apologize for that.
For this post I am thankful for good restful sleep because it helps me deal with the day that much better if I am rested. Sleep is nice. When the physical pain gets really bad, I get so tired and worn out so easily and sleep is so good. Sleep is one thing that can help me to get through pain if I can manage to drift off. The reason is that while I am asleep, I am not feeling the pain. Sleep is important to be able to function properly. We can also dream while sleeping and I think that dreams help us sometimes to sort things out subconsciously. Anyways it is very important and also very nice to have a good sleep. This is why I am thankful for sleep.

Day 255: Google maps

Hello again,
I am thinking I may have been thankful for something similar but today I am thankful for google maps and especially having it on my phone! I am someone who gets lost easily and if it could be considered a gift to get lost easily-I may have that one. lol But I like to think of it as enjoying the scenic route. lol I like to take the long way to get to where I have to go. lol It totally isn't by accident and I totally mean to get lost. haha Well that is if I don't have a map. I find google maps the best of the map sites I have tried. I remember one time I tried something other than google maps and tried to find my way to a theatre and it tried to take me clear across the country. lol No I am sure that is a nice theatre but I would rather stay in Alberta thank you. I don't know what it is about some map sites that they don't get it when I type Alberta and send me to Nova Scotia. lol how does that even happen? Anyways I have had the best luck with google maps by far. It is also handy to have on my phone so that I can look at it when I am lost. Then I can be like ooohhhh I am on this street and I need to be on that street. Usually if I look at a map good beforehand and memorize it then I am good. :) But it needs to be a good map and one that has me going to the correct location in the correct town and province. lol So I am not saying oohhhh I am in this province and totally need to be in that province. I am not that bad with directions though-I would figure it out before leaving Alberta. :) So I am thankful for google maps because it helps me take less scenic routes when I need to be somewhere at a specific time and not be late. :)

Day 254: first strawberries of the season

Hello again,
This post is for yesterday because I was unable to post. For this post I am thankful for having the first strawberries of the season from our strawberry plants. Strawberries right out of the garden are so much better than the berries from the store. There is absolutely no comparison in any way. Strawberries from the store are white in the middle and picked way too soon and not as sweet. If you have room in your garden-plant some strawberries. You will not regret it. I started growing my own patch years ago and it has continued to grow and last year I had over 100 plants. There is alot of space here for fruit trees and strawberry plants though so that is so nice. Anyways I had picked a few and sliced them on a slice of bread and it was so good! So thankful for that.

Day 253: Strength

Hello again,
I have to admit I am beginning to struggle with coming up with new blessings to be thankful for. I know there are so many I have yet to mention but I can't always think of them, I don't always see them or I feel that they don't fit with that particular day. Then there are some that I know I should be thankful for but I struggle with feeling blessed by them. I have a list I am always adding to so I can look at it for inspiration and I have added blessings that I sometimes feel I don't posess but added them anyways, like strength. I add them hoping that someday I will feel I can be truly thankful for them. I must have about 50 that I look at and they don't fit with the day but I am still thankful for them. Things like walking on the beach and I hope that at some point this summer I will be able to visit a beach so I am holding off on that one. :) Sometimes I start writing the post not even sure what I will write about and it comes to me as I go. I mentioned that I feel I am having a hard time being thankful for strength because I feel I don't posess it. It may seem odd because the title of this post is strength. So now I would like to explain why I am thankful for strength.
Today I chose to write about the blessing of strength. This isn't easy because all too often I am reminded through out the day how I lack the physical strength others have and what I used to have. But as I thought about it, I realized I may not have the physical strength I wish to have but I have strength I didn't have a year ago or 3yrs ago. So I do have some obviously. It's funny that with strength I often look at what I don't have and still need to get back but neglect to see what I have gained. When I begin to look at where I started after my first surgery and where I am now, I can see I have a considerable amount of strength I didn't have then. I look at how I could not lift a full glass of water and I had to gain strength to be able to walk again. I remember how much effort and determination it took just to turn over and push myself out of bed. Something I have started to take for granted again. Yes I can't lift as much or sit up as I used to before the surgeries, or walk as far as I used to before the surgeries but I can do so much more than I could just after the surgeries. I know that I have strength that other people don't have and I need to be thankful for it. There is always someone worse off right? So I am thankful for the strength I do have as well as the strength I have yet to gain back. :) I feel I should apologize for the length of this post. I try to keep them short but sometimes they get kind of long. Sorry about that. Anyways this is why I am thankful for strength.

A poem that I love

Hello again,
I know this is a blog for things I am thankful for but I want to share a poem that I would like to dedicate to loved ones who have passed on and to those of us still here. So essentially this poem is for everyone. But I am sharing this poem today because of the loss of a friend. We all have loved ones who we have lost and I suppose this is more for us than them because we can still change how we spend our "dash". But this poem causes me to reflect on the lives of loved ones I have lost and see all the good in them. I first heard this poem at my cousin's funeral years ago. I love the poem and I am thankful for this poem as well. So I suppose this is something I am thankful for so it fits on the blog. lol

The '-' Dash
Words by Linda Ellis

I read of a Reverend who stood to speak,
At the funeral of his friend,
He referred to the dates on (his) tombstone
From the beginning ... to the end.

He noted that first came the date of (his) birth
And spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
That (he) spent alive on earth
and now only those who loved (him)
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend out the dash.

So think about this long and hard;
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
(You could be at "dash mid-range").

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more,
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So when your Eulogy is being read
With your life's actions to rehash ...
Would you be pleased with the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

I would like to say that I think my friend who passed away spent her dash very well even if it was a dash that was way too short. She touched so many lives-even those who she never physically met and made lives better as a result. She was very caring and funny and sweet. She will live on in the hearts of many who's lives have been made better because of knowing her.
I try to keep this poem close by to remind myself about my "dash" and how I am spending it. I don't know that I always do the best job but I try. Thanks for reading this post of mine and I hope you enjoy the poem and it touches you like it did to me.

Day 252: seeing friends I haven't seen in awhile

Hello again,
Today I am thankful for getting the chance to see friends I haven't seen in quite awhile. About 3yrs to be exact. They moved to BC three yrs ago and are here for awhile visiting with friends they haven't seen in awhile and today they came by to see us. It was so nice to see them in person and catch up. Another reason I am so thankful for this is that I realized (once again) how short life can be. I found out this morning that a friend of mine passed away of cancer and she wasn't even 40 yet. It hit me pretty hard. So to be able to visit with friends I haven't seen but have been intending to-it was really good. You get in this mode where you plan to visit sometime but there is always something to do or work to do and it gets put off because there will be time later. But there is not always time later because things can happen. I don't mean to be depressing but I am just saying that it is important to catch up now and not put it off. It is important to make time for the important people in your life because we won't always be here. So I am so very thankful for the time spent visiting and catching up with friends today because I know I am guilty of planning to come see them but never making it happen. I would like to say there have been obstacles in the way at times but not all the time. So I am thankful that they came here and we could catch up. I feel bad because I hadn't talked to my friend (who passed away recently) in awhile because I got busy. I didn't know how sick she was and it was a shock to me to learn she died. It shouldn't be like that. I suppose this is a mixed post and I apologize if it isn't quite completely positive but I am struggling here with lots of emotions. I am just being honest here. I am thankful for my friends and thankful for seeing them and catching up with them. Life is so very short. I am thankful for the time I have to be with those who are important to me. Work will always be there but people won't. Anyways I am really thankful for the time I got to spend with friends of my family and mine. Thanks for reading this post and don't forget to tell those you love that you love them. :)

Day 251: sd cards

Hello again,
Today I am thankful for sd cards. They make transfering photos to the computer so easy. I remember with our first digital camera (years ago) we had to use a cable to get photos on to the computer and somehow the cable sometimes had legs. lol Sd cards also hold so much data-it's really quite amazing! that little sd card can hold up to 32gb!!! I remember when computers didn't even hold that much data. They are so easy to pop in and out as well so it's really easy to change them while on the go. You can have extra cards handy for those times when you are out and about that you need more storage than one card can offer. They are reasonably priced as well so it is possible to carry along one or two extra cards. I love that they can fit into different devices also and can add storage for photos, ebooks, music, etc. I am quite thankful for sd cards!

Day 250: Canada

Hello again,
This post is for yesterday. For this post I am obviously thankful for our great country Canada. I am very proud to be Canadian and very thankful to live here. Of course my roots come from Holland but I consider Canada my home. I was born and raised here and I am thankful for that. We have so many privilages in Canada like freedom, clean drinking water and a healthcare system even if it isn't that great-it's still alot better than what other countries around the world have access to. There is much to be thankful for and proud of when it comes to all that Canada has to offer. :) So for this post I am very thankful for living in Canada and being Canadian.

Day 249: a good memory

Hello again,
This post is for today! hehe. My back is bothering me from being up alot today but I am on a roll so I shall keep going. :) As I look at the clock and notice it's past midnight, I guess I should be saying it is for yesterday but to me it's still June 30. Today I am thankful for having a good memory. Well I suppose it depends what I am trying to remember. I usually remember something I read very well or an event or something that happened on a specific day. Though I tend to forget things like what I need to get at the grocery store or what I was intending to do when I reach a room where I had to do or get something. I hate that part-going to a certain part of the house and forgetting why I went there. lol I think it has little to do with old age and is very common actually. :) But I like being able to remember stuff I read and retain it in my head- especially when it's information that I can recall when it's be useful to remember. What I mean is, when I read a book on gardening and I read a whole chapter on pests-it is very useful to remember that info when I encounter those pests! Otherwise it seems kind of pointless to read huh? So I appreciate being able to have a good memory along with a love of reading because I think the two go hand in hand in terms of reading being useful. Anyways it is late so I should go to sleep and rest. Thanks for reading my blog!

Day 248: Cool breeze

Hello again,
Well this post is for yesterday because the darn blog wouldn't let me post. lol Good reason right? Well yesterday was actually hot in my standards and it is really the first hot day of the year in my opinion. I enjoyed it soooo much! But when it's hot, it's nice to be able to cool down and yesterday there was such a nice cool breeze in the shade and I enjoyed it so much. I do get rather hot and I am not complaining but I do like to be able to cool down as well. Feeling the cool breeze is like a nice cold drink of water I suppose... it just feels so good. I should mention that lately I consider hot to be like 20 degrees. lol It has been so cold that 20 is begginning to feel hot I guess. lol Yesterday it was 25 and I love hot days and being able to enjoy a cool breeze and not feel cold. A cool breeze on a cool day is not very welcome but on a hot day I love it. I don't know if it was actually very cool but it felt cool. It is all relative I think in terms of what one is used to. Right now, 5 degrees would feel cold but during the winter it is a hot balmy day! It's all relative. Anyways a cool breeze on a hot day is so lovely. It enables me to be able to cool down and go back and enjoy the sunshine or make it possible to continue to be out in the sunshine and not get too hot. This is why I am thankful for a cool breeze.