Happy Thanksgiving

It’s time for us all to remember to have an attitude of gratitude.  We have so many blessings in our lives, despite all the horrible things going on in the world today.  The news stations seem to have an endless supply of all the crazy and stupid things that people do.  I could go on and on about this subject because there are so many things that I have opinions about, as I imagine all of you do.  Sometimes we need to vent those feelings and using a blog to do so is a good way to do it.  There will always be people on both sides of any issue that comes to light because that’s just human nature.  We aren’t all alike.

But it’s Thanksgiving, one of the most important holidays of the year.  I want to look past all the allegations of sexual misconduct coming out in the news daily and all the ungrateful athletes and other people who dishonor the flag.  I really think this country pays these people more than they’re worth anyway and if they don’t like things here, or respect this country, they should go home.  If I was an owner of these sports teams they’d be fired in a heartbeat.  Where is the gratitude for all the blessings that all these people have?  Why did they want to come to the USA in the first place?  They have nothing to complain about because there are many people that are far worse off than they are.  I guess I’ll never understand their way of thinking.

We should all be grateful for the simple things that a lot of these people take for granted.  We have food on the table and a roof over our heads and warm clothing to protect us from the cold.  We have jobs and are willing to work for the small necessities of life.  There are so many in this country that are less fortunate than that. 

 This includes our pets too and not just the people in our lives.

As we sit down with friends and family let us all be thankful for the fellowship and the food we can share.  Nothing is for certain and next year can always be different than today.  None of us make it out of this world alive.  Let’s try to be nice to our fellow man while we’re here and can make a small difference in someone’s life. 

We were always taught growing up that things could always be worse and today I realize they can be.  I grew up on a cotton farm with my siblings and we did live in poverty at the time, although we all had each other and parents who loved us and we made the best of the situation we were in.  I don’t think any of us would go back to that time today, but we know we can make it if we have to and growing up like that makes you grateful for your blessings and more tolerant of things that life can dish out.

A pumpkin full of kittens

Go forth everyone and cherish this time with your family and friends.  Put your differences aside and be grateful for all your blessings.  Happy Thanksgiving to all.

As a side note, my father would have been 93 on the 22^nd.  But he passed away at age 55.  None of us knows how long we have in this life, so we should make every minute count.

Be thankful everyday for all your blessings

I really can’t stress this enough as we enter the frenzy of the holiday season.  Things may not always turn out the way we think they should but things can ALWAYS be much worse.  Most of us can see, hear, have our wits about us, walk around unaided, and drive to where we want to go.  All these things are blessings because there are many people who don’t even have these small overlooked luxuries we all take for granted.

I try to be mindful daily and not just during the holiday season when it’s more prevalent to think in this frame of mind.  We never know when some of these things will fail us down the road making us dependent on others for our daily needs.  My mother comes to mind.  She has dementia and is now living in a nursing home.  I always wonder if I’ll end up that way, but then I see people that age that are my co-workers and they are spry and full of life and have all their wits.  I would never know they’re as old as they are because there’s nothing wrong with them in mind or body, only gray hair giving them away.  So how did my mother end up with the short straw?

I don’t know what makes a person susceptible to dementia and then eventually Alzheimer’s.  I imagine the genes you inherit are partially to blame.  I make sure I exercise daily and use my mind to read, write, work puzzles, etc.  I’m too independent to end up at the mercy of others in my old age.  My mother is lucky to be well taken care of with lots of family visitors, but I still don’t want to see a nursing home in my future.

I’m always reading up on all the latest research I can find on keeping your mind sharp.  I don’t know of any other relative that had dementia so that leads me to believe that maybe it’s lifestyle that’s part of the culprit.  My mother had a rough life.  All of my siblings will agree with that.  I wouldn’t have wanted to be in her shoes for all the money in the world.  But she always made the best of the situation and instilled that in all of us.  Even in poverty there are good things and lessons to be learned.

Some very famous people also ended up battling this disease.  So maybe lifestyle is a wrong choice of words.  Look at Ronald Reagan, an actor and then our president who ended up with this and also Robert Falk, the actor who played Columbo in the TV mystery series.  I’m sure neither of them had to raise a big family on a remote cotton farm making due with the bare necessities of life.

So everyone out there be thankful for all your blessings however small they may be.  If you have your health, a roof over your head and clothes and food, what else do you really need?

Happy early Thanksgiving to all.  Please take time for this important holiday that seems to be overshadowed by Christmas this year.  The Yule decorations go up earlier each year.  It makes me want to scream, “What’s the matter with all you people?  How dare you put up a Christmas tree before Thanksgiving.”

I was in a thrift store last week and they had a Christmas tree covered with decorations and lights.  I was appalled and told the girl it was shameful to put that up before Thanksgiving.  She told me “everyone else does it” to which I replied. “Does that make it right?”  I guess I’ll never understand this way of thinking.

A ray of sunshine in the dark clouds

I’m still plagued by car problems and now hubby also has to have a windshield replaced in his vehicle.  It had a pit in it from his trip to Oregon in October and a few days ago it split all the way across due to the cold weather. We had to scrape a quarter inch of ice off the windshield before we could get on the road.

I just got my car back out of the shop again, this time for an electrical problem that the mechanic thinks is in the front door panel.  This could be up to a $700 repair but he replaced a fuse and so far it’s working.  I’m crossing my fingers it continues to do so for the long term.  The tech told me he didn’t know how long it would last, a week, a month or a year or longer.  There was no way to know since everything showed up fine when he scoped the car on the machine they use.

The ray of sunshine in all this is that the guy came to my house to get my car and take it to the shop about ten miles away.  That evening he gave me a loaner car that he delivered to my house at 8:30 PM.  I would like to know what other mechanic does this?  He made sure the car was an automatic too and had gas so I could get to work and back while he had my car in the shop. 

 This is the loaner car, which reminded me of a demolition derby car

 

Now I have to say this loaner car was like driving a tank and not the prettiest thing in the world but it was wheels and got me where I needed to go.  Beggars can’t be choosy, right?  Also the car was definitely a smoker’s vehicle.  It about knocked me over to stick my head in there so I emptied half a bottle of Fabreeze in the car and let it sit overnight so I could breathe driving to work and back. But again, beggars can’t be choosy.  I was extremely grateful he loaned me the car because he didn’t have to do that.

 This thing had dings everywhere and you could view the trunk from inside the car

 

Be thankful for all your blessings, big or small.  There’s always something to be grateful for, even when a dark cloud hovers over your head.

Happy Thanksgiving

It’s so important to be thankful for all our blessings everyday.  I’m glad there’s a day set aside to do just that. 

I know many times life hands us lemons, but that’s just part of living.  Heaven knows I’ve had my share lately, but I believe all these set backs make us stronger and we enjoy the good times more with those lemons thrown in there occasionally.  But remember, even when things are crappy, we all still have many things to be thankful for.  Think about this.  Many people in the world are in wheelchairs, deaf or blind, or impaired in some other way.  Perhaps they don’t even have clothing or shelter and little food. 

My heart goes out to all those folks because anyone of us could be in that position.  We should never take anything for granted in this life because things happen and these established things could be taken away in an instant.  We all have to meet challenges because that what life’s all about.  How we handle those challenges is what counts.

I have great respect for people who are handicapped and not letting it get them down.  They do the best they can with what they’ve got.  We could all learn from this.

So today, as everyone sits down with family and friends to enjoy a meal together, take a moment to give thanks for all we have.  We still live in a free country, so far, and can enjoy independence many don’t have.  We have the Earth’s bounty before us, a roof over our heads, a closet full of clothes and we enjoy the privilege to drive wherever we want to go.  Give thanks for your health because without that, you’re greatly limited and any endeavor is harder to achieve. 

Things can always be worse in almost any situation, so we must always strive to look on the bright side when dark clouds hang over our heads.  The storm eventually moves away and we’re in the light again.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone other there.  Be safe, healthy and happy.

Happy Valentine’s Day

However you celebrate the day, have a great time.  If you’re alone for this holiday, don’t despair for there are worse things than not being in a relationship.  Count your blessings if you have your health because without that nothing can be accomplished.

If you’d like to read about the origins of Valentine’s Day, please go here.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my posts.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is essentially a harvest festival and in that way is celebrated around the world, but at different times than it’s celebrated in the United States.  Canada also celebrates Thanksgiving, but they hold the celebration in October instead of November, probably due to the harvest taking place earlier because of cold weather.

I love this holiday and not because we get to pig out on various food dishes, but because it’s a special day to actually give thanks for all we have.  I think most people are so busy living their lives that sometimes we forget to be thankful for all of our blessings.

It’s nice to have a special day to get together with family and friends and enjoy a good meal and stories together.  Camaraderie and laughter is good for the soul and wonderful when you have others around to share this special day.  We can all be free of work (once the meal is ready) and can enjoy each others company until it’s time to clean up.  But this will go fast if you have helpers and they aren’t stretched out on the couch watching sports.

If you have pets, make sure you’re furry friends are having some turkey too.  It’s lean and good for them, as long as you remove any skin, bones, and spices first.  My cats love turkey cut up into bite sized pieces.  After all, they’ve smelled it cook all day.

So go and be merry and be grateful we have so much because there are lots of places in the world that aren’t as fortunate.

To read 20 fun facts about wild turkeys click here:

WildTurkey Species Trivia and Fun Facts

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Isn't this picture beautiful?

Thanks to all my readers and my blog followers who put up with me and read the crazy cat stories and adventures in my life. A happy holiday time to all of you and to my family and friends. It's great to have all of you in my life. I hope 2014 is wonderful, bringing you much happiness, good health, and many blessings.

Sunni