Thankful

Tonight my thoughts have turned to the many U.S. troops who are so very far from home right now. I sit here in my lovely little condo, all snug - with my electricity, air conditioning, lights, a soft bed, family and friends just a phone call or short drive away and, on this Memorial Day weekend, am so very aware of the many thousands of our troops who have none of those things tonight.

Through the years of my lifetime, there have been so many, many wars (and "conflicts"), and millions of men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives to keep our country free, and I just wanted to say, from the bottom of my heart, a huge thank you. For those troops far away from their homes and families, please know that you are in our prayers - for your safety and quick return home.

Back in the World

Whew! Didn't think I'd be "gone" this long.... No, no sabbatical, no South Sea adventure, didn't join a convent or a cult - just joined the ranks of the unemployed. Still seems so weird to see that in print - - - and even weirder to say that it took me 13 months to find another job!!

It was, at odd moments fun, terrifying, endless, sad, very personal, and a miriad of other emotions that showed up, but, thanks to family and friends, I made it through with my sanity intact (well, as intact as it was before getting laid off). Thanks to my daughter and her family for always being there to listen, cheer me up, have fun with; to my sister in California for providing me with a willing ear to listen, and an awesome place to run away to (3 times yet!) when things got too heavy; to my ex-husband and current friend for being there with occasional work and full-time support, and a special thanks to my friends Diane and Steve who, when I was about to lose my home, stepped up and bought it, and then I didn't have to pack up 3 years' accumulation of junk and move!!!

This was truly a learning experience for me (one I wouldn't care to repeat, by the way) and I'm deeply grateful that it's over! I have started a new job - in a completely different field - with an amazing boss, lots of new things to learn, a free hand to set things up the way I want, and a great bunch of coworkers who always smile and say "how are you" or "hi" when they pass you in the hall. What more could I ask??

#4, Health

Well, finally back home after hours at the in-laws for the big Thanksgiving dinner, and it was really wonderful - family, friends, food, fun, and laughter. Driving home tonight about 10:30, enjoying the crisp, cool evening, I was thinking about our day. We were all reminded today about how very blessed we have been with our health. In the middle of our celebration, my daughter Lori went to visit a friend whose husband is dealing with a very serious health issue right now, a young man in his late 30s/early 40s, with two children. It really wakes you up to the things that are important in this life.

I have friends and family who deal with health issues - high blood pressure, diabetes, heart conditions, learning disabilities, etc. - and then there's me, with no issues except arthritis in my knees (some days they're "crankier" than others), a tendency to eat too much (stress) and exercise too little (lazy), and that's basically it. I am so thankful each day to wake up (!) able to get out of bed, take care of myself, have a place to live that I love, family and friends close by, and be able to marvel at this beautiful world we live in.

#3, Friends

Friends - what a blessing they are! They sweeten the joy, lift a burden, bolster your courage, share our pride in accomplishments, commiserate on the failures, help us to laugh at ourselves, extend a hand when we fall, and enrich our lives. Of course, there are friends and then there are friends. My friend BJ (Bobbie Jo) is the best example of a true friend that I've ever known in my life. I have known her and her family for 22 years now, and I know without question that I can call her for anything and she'll be right there. Her husband Walter is a perfect match for her, and he shares her with me without restrictions and is right beside her in supporting and loving me as their friend.

My friend Diane and her husband Steve are more recently-acquired friends but it was a good fit right from the start. They're great fun to be around, ready to set off on an excursion at the drop of a hat, and I cherish their friendship.

There are friends that have faded into the past, friends that have passed on, even friends that walked away, but I am grateful for the time that our lives touched and the lessons they taught me.

#2, Teachers

Tuesday night, and we went to my grandson's grade school performance about the Nutcracker. Now, I'll have to admit that when I heard that, my first thought was, "That's a little ambitious for elementary school, for crying out loud!" The last one we went to was my granddaughter's program a couple of years ago at the same school, and the dance department did something, then the drama group did something (with badly- or not-working microphones) and it took f o r e v e r. This time, the dancers and drama kids did their thing while the choir sang music from The Nutcracker, and it was really fun! They did an amazing job, the dancers were so cute, ditto the drama kids, and it was over in about 45 minutes!! What more could you ask? Really, though, it was very cute and well done.

So, next on my list of things that I'm thankful for - I'm thankful that there are still school teachers who care, who want to broaden a child's horizon, who work long hours for not much pay, and really make a difference. And I'm thankful for the teachers that I had in school, the ones who names and faces I still remember as if it were yesterday, including my kindergarten teacher! (and that's going back some!!) Teachers like Mrs. Mitchell, Mr. Garside, Mrs. Garrett to name a few, who made learning fun, who encouraged, cajoled, threatened, and cheered us on!

A Week of Thanks - #1, Family

Okay, so I realize that my post last night had a little bit too much whi-i-i-i-ine to it, so I've decided to do a short post every night through Thanksgiving about things that I'm thankful for, triggered either by random thoughts or events of the day.

Today's blog is about family. Last night for a while I was doing some genealogy research, mostly about my mom's side of the family because my dad's family tree is complete pretty far back. My mom's family is another story, so I've decided to get back on the hunt for info on the Brandon and Woodmansee lines, plus fill in some blanks and verify info on my dad's Merrill and Lytle lines.

As I was working on it this morning, I decided to verify some info on my dad's brother Edgar. I put his name in, looking for "all" information, and when it came up, not only was his birth date there, so was his death date - five years ago!! I was really upset, not only because he was the last of the eight kids (seven boys and one girl) still living, but because not one had called to tell us!! I did some research and found the phone number for one of my cousins, wanting to find out why no one had told us; by the time I found her number and she began talking to me, I realized that from the last time I had talked to another one of the cousins (which didn't seem like that long ago) and the time that Edgar died, both my sister and I had gotten ride of our landline numbers and switched completely to cell phones - and nobody in Arizona had the new numbers! I remember when I was in high school my dad telling me that the older you get, the faster time goes - and man is that true. We get so caught up in the details of living, that it's way too easy to lose contact with the people we love.

So - back to the purpose of this blog. I am so very, very thankful for my family. I'm the youngest of three children - a girl (Gail), then a boy (Richard), and then (9 years later!!!) me. Mom and Dad are gone, our brother is gone, so there is only my sister and I, and I am really thankful that she and I are close and can get together often, and have such fun when we do.

I'm also very grateful for my daughter Lori - she's an amazing woman, braver than I ever was, not afraid to stand up for herself, and an incredible mother and wife. Her husband Kirk adores her and the kids, and after 15 years together, they're still good friends and very much in love. Their two kids Kaitlin, 13, and Payton, 9, and such cool kids, and they love hangin' out with grandma!

Well, I blew the "short" part about this post, but I wanted my familyto know how much I love them, and I am very thankful for their love and support.

Sunday Blues

It’s Sunday evening and, even though I’m currently sans job and don’t have to get up early tomorrow, I’m feeling kinda down, a little reminiscent of the old “where the heck did the weekend go” blues. Part of it is the job interview I had last week. Don’t get me wrong, it was great – great interview (at least from my side of the table) and an amazing job! If I had been put to the task of writing out my ideal job, eliminating making a living doing my GIS mapping or as an artist, of course, the kind of things this company does are, well, just what I love doing. The company does research and analysis, and they even have a GIS person on staff. To paraphrase what Matthew Perry says to Salma Hayek in Fools Rush In: “It’s everything I never knew I wanted”. The only catch is that I wouldn’t be doing the research and analysis part – I’d be the Admin Assistant, doing regular-type stuff for that position. Anyway, I think I’d be a good match for the company as an Admin, and I know that I’d love working there…I just have to wait until “next week” when I hear something from them one way or the other.

Maybe another part of the bluesy feeling is the holiday coming up. I’m at the point in my life that when I look around a holiday table, there are a lot of much-loved faces that are missing. Plus, for the last several years, I’ve lived in either an apartment or my small condo – kind of small to host a family dinner. So, it has kind of evolved into a set thing – we go to my son-in-law’s family’s home for Thanksgiving and then (because of the grandkids) everyone goes to my daughter (Lori) and son-in-law (Kirk’s) home for Christmas.

You know how it is when you mesh two families together – different traditions, different habits, different ways of doing things. My family has always liked, not a formal dinner, but a fancy table – you know, the good china, the sparkling glassware, shiny silverware, all of them handed down, with many fond memories attached. Kirk’s family is more laid back and casual - but Linda, Kirk’s mom, certainly sets a wonderful table – she’s a great cook!! They are also a family of game-players, so often they play cards or something after dinner. My favorite evening was when Kirk’s cousin Robin taught us how to play bunco, resulting in much silliness and laughter!!!

Kirk’s family always makes me feel welcome and included, it’s just, well….I miss getting to cook. I can hear all those gasps and/or guffaws out there from you women who cook every holiday meal. Sweet Kirk (who is the cook in their house) has shared the cooking with me at Christmas a couple of times, and that helps some. When my Lori was little, I couldn’t seem to get her interested much in learning to cook. So one day, I said “What are you doing to do about feeding your family when you get married?” and she replied (with all the wisdom of her 9 or so years) “I’m going to marry a man who cooks.” and that’s exactly what she did!

One thing that my daughter does cook is the pumpkin pies for the holiday dinners, and let me tell you, she definitely takes after my mom – amazing pies! One Thanksgiving (one of the first few years they were married) Kirk’s dad Gene said “Everybody’s always talking about how good your pumpkin pies are – mine are just as good or better, so this Thanksgiving I’ll make some of my own, and we’ll see whose pie everyone likes better!” So, the contest was on, and Lori took special care with her pies that year. After dinner, Gene went out into the garage to get his pie, and as we were cutting and serving the pies, Lori (who had come to know her father-in-law pretty well by now) kept saying “You didn’t make this pie. You did not make this pie.” But Gene kept insisting that he had baked the pie. As we were starting to taste the pies, one of the kids, Lori or Kirk, went out to the garage to get a soda out of the 2^nd refrigerator, and there on the counter was a Mrs. Smith’s Pumpkin Pie box!!!! What a teaser!