Pansies

Fortunately, I live in an area where pansies will bloom all winter long. Their velvet petals of many colors are like tiny faces smiling at me, as the days grow shorter and the cold, gloomy winter days overtake me. Their eager expressions peeking out at me remind me of the simple BLESSINGS in God's beautiful world and I want to soak in all of the beauty found in that tiny flower, enjoying every single moment... even on a gloomy day. I also like to press the pansies between heavy phone book pages and make bookmarks out of their smiling faces to share with others. Sharing and enjoying one of my favorite flowers, bringing sunshine to someone on a cloudy day, that is a BLESSING indeed!

TIME

Time is one of the most valuable gifts that I can share with others. Now that I am retired it is such a BLESSING to be able to have enough time to give back to others. Time to volunteer and make a difference in the lives of children, unhurried time spent with my children when they are home, time to do special things for my husband showing him how much I love him, and time to blog and get to know my blogger friends better (thanks for all of your kind comments). We all have the same amount of time in each day... but now I am free to choose how I will spend my 24 hours in each day. That is a great feeling, I pray that I choose wisely, and that I make a difference in the lives of others by sharing the valuable gift of time. TIME a BLESSING indeed!

My Top 10 List

I feel like each day of my life is a BLESSING but Thanksgiving is especially a time to acknowledge and reflect on the things/persons that BLESS my life( in no particular order... it's just what popped into my head). This is a very hectic time for me, so I am just going to make a top 10 list. I hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving and have a chance to enjoy time with your friends and family! 1. My handsome, loving, husband of 31 years 2. My two grown children Ben and Katherine and daughter-in-law Jenny 3. My two sisters Kathy and Cheryl 4. All other family members (Mom, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, etc...) 5. My friends (even all of my blogger friends) 6. A comfortable, happy, home 7. Elmo (my dog) 8. An excellent pastor and church family 9. My God given talents 10. Retirement

"SHE-BOSSES"

"SHE-BOSSES" are independent women that make decisions, openly express their opinions, and actively take leadership roles. This is a term that my Dad coined and used often when he was alive. He would jokingly say, "there is NO such thing as a SHE-BOSS"! Dad would usually make this statement when one of his three daughters (including me) would try to convince him that our opinion was right and his was wrong, or during times that we wanted to make decisions without consulting him. Using this sense of humor would always make us laugh and add humor to an otherwise difficult situation , allowing a calming down period to rethink the disagreement and then have a discussion without hostility. The result was three very independent daughters balanced enough to know that you can be anything you want to be in life... even if it is a "SHE-BOSS"! My Dad had many other "Pa-isms" ("isms" silly sayings or words of wisdom-"Pa" because that is what the grandchildren called him), which I hope to share in other posts. What a BLESSING he was to all of our lives with his special sense of humor, and to all of you reading this... always remember that a little humor can help even in difficult situations and that being a "SHE-BOSS" is a BLESSING indeed!

I'M RICH!

Amazingly, it does not take money to make me feel rich. I'm extremely content with the material things that I have in my life, I have a loving, hard working, (handsome too but that is another post) husband to share my life with, I have two precious children that are grown and daily make me proud, I have two sisters for best friends that are full of life and love, I attend a spirtually nourishing church with a loving church family, I have many long time friends that would drop everything if I needed them, I have the best dog (mutt) in the world that loves me unconditionally, and I am at a mature enough point in my life where I do not envy the neighbors new car or have to have the famous name brand clothes to prove my worth in life. There is a very interesting website that adjusts my attitude about how rich I really am http://www.globalrichlist.com. (I am not advocating the Care organization or its charities from this website... I don't even know anything about them, but I felt like the statistics here were worth sharing.) According to this, I am richer than 82% of the worlds population and I am the 49,322,169th richest person on earth. WOW! That really puts things into perspective indeed. This information humbles me and makes me realize how fortunate I am to live in the USA. It also reminds me to be even more thankful during this season of Thanksgiving (and all year long) and to remember those that are less fortunate (which evidently there are a lot more than I realized). Being rich is not important to me, having material things is not important either, but it is a BLESSING to know that God has been very generous to me and it is now my responsibility to be generous to others.

Kentucky Kids

I visited my "Kentucky Kids" this weekend (a 5 hour drive) and had the opportunity to go to Churchill Downs for the first time. It was a very cold, windy day but I loved observing the excitement during each race. I can only imagine the enthusiasm during the Kentucky Derby! My "Kentucky Kids" are my son Ben and his beautiful new bride of 6 months, Jenny (I will post a picture soon). They are such a BLESSING to me and my husband. I burst with pride when I admire their calling in life... they are both in seminary at Wimore, Kentucky with plans for Ben to be a Methodist Pastor upon completion of his Masters of Divinity and Jenny already has her masters in missions and evangelism. What a precious pair they are and so much in love... it is just refreshing to see their enthusiasm, devotion, and zest for life as they prepare to answer God's call for their lives! Just being in their presence and sharing time with them is a BLESSING... and I am so honored to be their MOM.

Positive Mental Attitude

I think you can really tell a lot about a person by observing their attitude. Their attitude during stress, during tragedy, or just when things are absolutely wonderful... reveals so much about that individual. I like to look on the sunny side of life with my glass always being half full. My brother-in-law calls this a positive Mental Attitude... PMA! I prefer to surround myself with PMA kinda folks. The ones that lift you up instead of drag you down. We all could use a little more PMA in our lives, especially with all of the negative things in the news, gossip in our neighborhoods, and election slander. I have a quote that has been a BLESSING to me for many years and I want to share it today hoping that it will be a blessing to you. "It's your attitude and not your aptitude that will determine your altitude in life" by Jim Davidson. May each of you have a Positive Mental Attitude... PMA, that will help you reach the highest altitude possible in your life. Now that would be a BLESSING indeed!

Kindergarten Teacher

This is my precious, princess Katherine! She has to be the best daughter any mom could have. She is a Kindergarten teacher with 19 adorable children in her class. I had the privilege of spending the day in her classroom last week and what a BLESSING it was. After spending 32 years teaching, it was a joy to return to the classroom and watch Katherine share her knowledge and love with each eager 5 year old. She is like me in so many ways and it really makes my heart swell with pride and joy. Teaching for her is a calling and it is so heart warming to see her doing exactly what God intended for her life. This is only her 2nd year teaching but she performed with such wisdom and natural talent that you would think she has been in that classroom for decades. Katherine is and has been... a BLESSING to me her entire life and my love for her grows daily. I have to be the proudest mom alive as I watch Katherine change the lives of children one day at a time... one child at a time! PRICELESS!

Proverbs

I have been studying the book of Proverbs this week for my Tuesday morning Bible Study. This is a 32 week Bible Study called Disciple Bible IV and it has been such a BLESSING to me. The talented leaders, the participants, and the time spent during the week preparing for class have all enriched my life. A verse from Proverbs stood out this week that I wanted to share... "Blessed is he who is kind to the needy..." Proverbs 14:21. With Thanksgiving approaching, it is a perfect time to be thankful for what we have and to share with the needy. If you do not have extra material things or money to share, perhaps you could volunteer your time at a soup kitchen or women's shelter. You will be BLESSED indeed!

My life has been turned upside down this week and I did not get to update this blog at all. I have had two funerals (an aunt and an uncle not related to each other) in two different states, in 3 days and today I travel to Rural Hall (Winston-Salem area) NC , to help my daughter in her kindergarten classroom while her assistant has surgery. (Is that a run on sentence????) So stick with me, I will be back, and hopefully I will still have some blogger friends when I get back. Oh by the way, the BLESSING in all of this... I have been able to visit with relatives that I have not seen in years and even meet some second cousins that I had never met, plus the beautiful fall colors and weather made the travel time such a blessing. Have a great weekend.... may God bless each of you in ways that you never imagined.