Walking in the Rain

It is a rainy day in the neighborhood but that didn't stop me from doing something that I do each day...walking! I just pulled out my Wally-World umbrella and off I went. I have done this daily for a number of years (even when I worked, I would get up at 5:30 and off I would go) and it is one of my biggest daily BLESSINGS! Yes, it is great exercise and I do need that but it goes a lot deeper than that. This is my time to communicate with God, enjoy His beautiful world, and sort things out as I start my day. As I go down the mountain, I thank God for all of my blessings and the wonderful things going on in my life, and then when I come back up the mountain, I seek His wisdom and ask Him to be in charge of my day, going with me each step of the way. This seems like a one way conversation and it is, in that He doesn"t communicate with me the way you would. I can't hear His words spoken to me out loud but I do know that He is listening and that my life is BLESSED by starting my day this way.

My Mother

My mother has vascular dementia which is a slow, horrible disease that causes the brain to slowly die, due to strokes that deprive the brain of the much needed oxygen it needs to survive. It is hard to find a BLESSING in this disease but I have found that all things in life can be blessings, if you find something you can learn from the things that God puts in your path or to seek out the good that comes from the events. As I watch my mother's memory disappear, I treasure this time with her while she still recognizes me and still knows that I am her daughter... the daughter that is there with her to help her through this time in her life when she is totally dependent upon others for her care. I am sure that no matter what state your brain is in, it must be comforting to know that you have people/family in your life that love you enough to see that your final days on earth are happy, comfortable and safe. It is not always an easy task especially since I do not live in the same town as my mother, and I have to travel 120 miles round trip just to visit. But many BLESSINGS in my life are not easy, some take work, nurturing, planning, and perseverence. Then after all of the hard work they bring me surprise, joy, happiness, love, and recognition... recognition that I am her daughter, the daughter that she raised me to be... loyal, loving, caring, and with her when she needs me most. Recognition as her daughter , that is a blessing indeed! May each of you find at least one small blessing in your life each day.

SISTER CHERYL

This is my younger sister Cheryl (on the left) and her two children, Merideth (in front), Jordan (behind), and Scooter the dog in my lap. This was on my visit to St. Louis last week and what a blessing to spend time with all of them. Husband Mike had drill for the weekend so he missed out on the picture but I did get to visit with him for a few days before he flew to Michigan for drill. Cheryl being younger (by 12 years) has always had such neat, hip, young, and up to date things to keep her old lady sister in style and updated. She has the best ideas on saving time, storage, and cleaning items plus she introduced me to all the latest things like ipods, Project Runway, pedicures, uploading, Boise surround sound and how to do things on the computer. I always learn something new when I am with her. I love my sister and her family and treasure each minute that I spend with them. I can't wait until Thanksgiving to see them again.

Fall Flowers

My summer flowers continue to bless me even though it is fall. Looking at my flower garden you would never guess that it is October 20th! The rainbow of colors continues with very little work on my part. Frost has crept into our area twice and fortunately my flowers were not killed. This is my black eyed susan vine and it is one of my favorites because it comes back every year, producing an abundance of seeds each fall that I am able to share with my friends and family. I'm not sure how many more days I have left to enjoy my beautiful flowers but I am thankful for each moment that I have been given this gorgeous gift from God. Summer flowers in fall ... what a blessing!

Tikki Tikki Tembo

My church has an afterschool program for children at risk called The Friendship Club. Twice a month I have the opportunity to share a story hour with the children and my story today was Tikki Tikki Tembo. If you are not familiar with the story, please check it out and read it to your kids or grandkids. It is a fantastic story about two little boys that do not obey their mother. I also read Ephesians 5:12 and Colossians 2:19 to emphasize the importance of obeying your parents as stated in the Bible. After the story and scripture, we all enjoyed a snack of rice cakes just like the boys in the story. This program is such a BLESSING to me. The children are so full of energy, love and excitement and each visit renews my energy, love, and excitement. Children are our future and we need to do all that we can to provide a safe, loving environment for them to grow up in. Share a good book or story with a child you know, it will be a blessing for both of you. You can make a difference, one child at a time!

TIME

My trip to Saint Louis was fantastic, the weather was great (chilly), the arch was gigantic, the shopping was unique, and the food was delicous... but the biggest blessing of all was spending TIME with my two sisters. Laughter, love, smiles, hugs, and conversation flowed freely and we picked up right where we left off in July. Time is a precious gift... maybe one of the best gifts to give or receive. I have the two most wonderful sisters in the whole world and my life is richer after spending TIME with them. It just doesn't get better than this.

I get to fly to St. Louis to visit with my younger sister (by 12 years) on Wednesday and that indeed is a BLESSING! We were together in July for our family vacation at Holden Beach in North Carolina and this fall visit will be so special because I have never been to St. Louis. She moved with her husband and 2 daughters in April from Canton, Michigan. My older sister(by 2 years) from Cullowhee, North Carolina will meet me at the airport and we will fly together to see our baby sister. Both sisters are two of my biggest BLESSINGS in life and they are also my dearest friends. I often envy those that have their sisters close by and can visit almost daily but when it comes to times like this... I realize how special it is to have a far away sister. What a blessing! The excitement is now building and I can't wait! I will blog all about it when I get back.

LOL

A great laugh is definitely a daily blessing. In the paper today, I read about a new "cheeky thing" called jowling. It is an incredible new craze where you get a photograph of a person in the process of shaking their head from side to side with the muscles of their face loosened, and their mouth and eyes open. The persons face ends up in a state of gross distortion. Check it out for a great laugh and a look at a bunch of folks that have way too much time on their hands! http://www.jowlers.com I hope each of you have an abundantly blessed weekend.

Lice Check

Today was my volunteer day at the elementary school and since I have 32 years of experinece... one of my duties for the day was to do a lice check for a class. The blessing in this.... NO LICE! The system has very few nurses and the classroom teacher has to do periodic class checks and of course that takes away from the regular classroom teaching... so that is where I helped out. I also helped a young man with a writing activity. He has already shown improvement since the beginning of the year and I only go once a week. Now that indeed is a blessing! May all of your children have a lice free experience throughout their school years. BLESSINGS!

Porch Swings

The weather today was perfect for swinging in my porch swing and reading my latest book. That is a triple blessing, the weather, the porch swing, and a great book! The swing was a birthday gift from my wonderful husband, for my 54th birthday in July... and today was the perfect day for enjoying the warm sunshine, swinging, and reading. The book is great and I can not wait to get to the next chapter. It is Robin McGraw's (Dr. Phil's wife) new book, Inside My Heart. She is an awesome lady with some very insightful information. It's time to grill Halibut for supper... I hope your day has at least one great BLESSING in it!

A Beautiful Day

It is a beautiful fall day in North Carolina, the temperature is just right, and the leaves are starting to change colors and I am enjoying every minute of it. I want this blog to be about all of the "daily blessings" that I encounter and to reflect on all of the things in my life that got me to this point of satisfaction. I have been inspired by Nitty.Gritty over the last several months and my hope is to have fun creating my own blog by sharing the daily blessings that I recieve that keep me inspired and keep me going even when the going gets rough. God is good. Blessings, Nancy