I am thankful to the Lord, my God, for:
December
- celebrating the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ
- family and friends
- a warm, cozy home
- dinner with my former co-workers
- that kindness is "in season" in December (we should all try harder the rest of the year)
- Christmas Day church service
- our family's December birthdays
- our annual tradition: an evening trip to the zoo
- an overabundance of leaves to add to my compost pile over the next year
- being physically able to rake those leaves and having a place to store them
- our neighbors
- chocolate and gingerbread
- the fourth Sunday of Advent: JOY
- raking leaves for my compost pile
- watching squirrels searching for acorns
- our cat and puppy playing
- a night at the OKC Zoo Safari Lights
- our son offering to drive so we didn't have to drive in the dark
- the Advent season
- Christmas hymns and carols
- overnight rain
- a peppermint chip milkshake
- surprise packages
November
- hosting our local family's Thanksgiving meal
- an oven large enough to roast a turkey in
- cherry pie for breakfast the next day
- a day-long soaking rain
- the Lord's forgiveness and mercy
- catching up with a friend
- phone calls with our children
- spending the day with our grandson
- canning the last of the garden produce
- planning Thanksgiving
- a skiff of snow on the grass
- a hard freeze that means no more mosquitoes!
- getting the garlic and strawberry plants mulched before the freeze
- falling leaves
- pumpkin bread and hot cocoa
- falling leaves and autumn colors
- birdsong in the morning
- pink clouds
- a request for prayer
- school photos
October
- cooler mornings
- sitting on the porch swing, watching the darkness turn into day
- birdsong at daybreak
- a glimpse of a female painted bunting songbird
- flowers in the garden
- pink and gold sunrises
- a certain bird in a certain tree that sings as dawn breaks
- spending the day with family
- a visit from a friend
- cooler weather and even a cold morning
- rain!
- deep conversations
- harvesting the last of the garden before an upcoming freeze
- housebreaking progress with our puppy
- migrating monarch butterflies
- the many October birthdays in our family
- more rain in the forecast
- leaves falling from the trees
- a fuzzy green caterpillar
- our patio swing
- more rain!
- that the injury to the Chief's thumb wasn't serious
- spending a day with our son and his family
- the last of the onions and peppers in the dehydrator
- favorite hymns
September
- early mornings in the patio swing
- a light sprinkle of rain after another hot, dry month
- cantaloupe from the garden
- grandchildren's birthdays
- the privilige of praying for others
- geese honking as they flew across the sky at dawn
- dinner with my former coworkers and boss
- our grandson's birthday
- family anniversaries
- a loaf of pumpkin bread
- those who gave their lives on this date 21 years ago
- the way we all came together back then, united and determined
- my youngest daughter making bead bracelets to sell to our neighbors and friends so she could donate the money to the Red Cross
- iconic photos of our nation's flags on porches and bridges and ... everywhere
- freedom
- a little boy and a puppy
- tail wags
- lots and lots of rain
- thunder and lightning
- hubby standing my tomato trellis and plants back up after a storm, before I woke up
August
- safe travel
- dinner with a good friend
- visiting with faraway family for a few days
- the friend who watered the garden while we were gone
- coming home
- lettuce and tomatoes from the garden
- a new puppy
- lunch with family
- church
- our local-ish peach orchard, fresh peaches & peach lemonade, and homemade peach cobbler
- a bit of rain
- two lovely days with much cooler temperatures
- a hint of the end of summer
- hearing from an old friend
- a quiet life
- puppy love
- laughter
- a big bowlful of my favorite cherry tomatoes
- visiting former coworkers and friends
- familiar, much-loved hymns
July
- freedom
- talking with someone we hadn't heard from in awhile
- fresh fruit and vegetables in season
- our sweet pets
- and I'm always thankful for air conditioning in the summer!
- a splash-and-dash thunderstorm
- running water
- air conditioning
- ice cream
- hugs from our grandson
- good news from the Chief's doctor
- we're not under water restrictions like other towns nearby
- so far the garden is surviving the intense heat
- having the ingredients for a homemade organic bug spray
- fresh cherry tomatoes
- a brief rain shower that dropped one-tenth of an inch on the garden. I am thankful for every drop!
- a visit from our just-graduated granddaughter
- fresh, ripe tomatoes
- visiting my former coworkers
- anticipating cooler weather this week
- lovely rain!
- cooler temperatures
- a friend's help
- time with family
- lettuce and tomatoes from our garden
June
- our spring rains haven't stopped yet
- growth in the vegetable garden
- a visit from a friend who moved away
- making headway on an organizing project
- "new" refinished furniture
- lunch with my brother
- more rain
- tiny tomatoes and cucumbers in the garden
- harvesting beets and the first onions
- the sweet fragrance of ripe cantaloupe
- a friend walked away from a bad car accident
- the "fathers" in my life - my Dad, my husband, my son and sons-in-law
- air conditioning
- ice cream on a hot summer day
- good neighbors
- a gorgeously cool day to work in the garden
- little butterflies in the garden
- birdsong while I'm watering
- finishing a big project
- and starting a new one
May
- forecasted tornadic storms that did not materialize
- good, soaking rain that will help to relieve our drought conditions
- strawberries in the garden
- the first bloom on my new rosebush
- meeting a new neighbor
- my Grandma, Grandmother and Mom
- phone calls from children and grandchildren
- messages and emails from friends and family
- an hour spent in the garden before it got too hot
- dinner date
- our granddaughter's graduation
- spending the weekend with family
- ripe strawberries, the first harvest from our new garden
- the wild rabbit throwing a temper tantrum because it couldn't get through the fence into our yard
- summer's variety of fresh fruit and vegetables
- safe travels
- coming home
- looking forward to a week of cooler temperatures and some rain
- a continuing harvest of strawberries
- little peppers on the pepper plants
- a good soaking multi-day rain
- getting the rest of the garden planted during a cool spell
- spending time in the garden daily
- new friends and old friends
- finishing a project
April
- watching four-year-olds play soccer
- lunch with extended family
- a good soaking rain
- the first-ever flowers on the weigela bushes
- moving the transplants out of the kitchen
- Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for me, even me - and for you
- apple blossoms on our new little tree
- the first rosebud
- flowers on the strawberry plants
- finding a clump of wild yarrow
- watching 4-year-olds play soccer
- visiting with a neighbor
- sunny afternoons
- my planner, I'd be lost without it
- an exciting opportunity
- family get-togethers
- daffodils waving in the [stiff] breeze
- pizza
- sprouting carrot seeds
March
- lovely, warm weather this week
- working in the garden after a long winter
- turning the compost pile and feelin' the heat
- visiting my former co-workers
- petting a baby kangaroo
- a variety of birds at and under the bird feeder after a snow storm
- all 36 daffodil bulbs have sprouted up through the snow
- finishing building another raised garden bed
- planting onions, the first crop in our new garden
- warmer mornings with no frost in the 10-day forecast
- the first day of spring
- time spent in the garden, planting, watering and planning
- still no frost in the forecast!
- dandelions and henbit
- an improvement in a health concern
February
- the quiet beauty of a snowfall, with no need to leave home
- songbirds in the snow under the bird feeder
- our housecat watching the birds through the window
- daffodils breaking through the snowy ground
- lunch with family and a big hug from our grandson
- a double date for dinner
- attending the 2022 Launch Bloggers conference in Tulsa
- meeting new friends
- catching the enthusiasm and excitement of the day
- safe travel
- going through some of the storage boxes we've been storing forever
- finding some treasures inside, but tossing a lot of stuff
- seeing sparrows at our bird feeder, after they'd been ignoring us for weeks
- the daffodil spears springing up through the earth
- a thunderstorm that brought lots of rain, which we needed very badly
- sleet and snow that will contribute to the water table
- high temperatures above freezing this week
- rosebushes and hydrangeas waiting in the garage to be planted
- finishing a project I've been working on for a long time
- re-planning the garden
January
- a brand new year
- new goals and new opportunities
- retiring from my part-time job
- a season of rest
- fuzzy blankets and thick socks
- chili lunch with family on a cold winter day
- finishing a big project, finally
- sleeping in
- watching my cat watching a squirrel through the window
- blooms on the amaryllis from my grandson
- snow flurries - and there's nowhere we need to go
- a bird sheltering from the cold weather in my container garden
- realizing that spring will arrive in less than two months
- a beautiful orange and pink winter sunset
- the little greenhouse stood strong in the windstorm
- a cold week but it will warm up again tomorrow
- our grandson spending the night
- finding an item at a local resale shop that I've been looking for for several months
- our daughters and their families are all on the mend after being sick
- birthday cake for breakfast! (After all, it's just once a year)
- birthday cards and dinner with family
- daffodils breaking through the ground
- the Chief busy at work on our grandson's playhouse
- taking healthy steps forward
- visiting with friends on the phone
Silver Sundays
My mission is to inspire and encourage you to live a simple, joyful life,
no matter your circumstances or where you live. Join me here:
Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Subscribe