I'm Thankful For...

Thanksgiving is here, the turkey is done.
     There's parades to watch, football games to be won.

Then, finally, everyone's out of the house; I've time to myself to ponder,
     the many things I'm thankful for- so many my mind starts to wander.

I'm thankful for my Savior and how he's blessed my life.
     He led me to the perfect man who loves me and made me his wife.

He gave me a son, whom I love very much, who now has a wife of his own.
     I'm proud of the way their lives have evolved, as older and wiser they've grown.

First came a grandson, my heart swelled with love.
    Then a granddaughter, a gift from above.

I'm blessed to have such caring friends, I know they're always near.
     Parents and sisters who'll share my joy or calm my deepest fear.

I'm thankful for my lovely home, I love to entertain.
     And for the food to nourish us, and help us to maintain.

My list of special blessings is too numerous to name.
     Not only on Thanksgiving Day, but every day the same.

With all my heart, I give my thanks for blessings from above.
     I praise my god, who guides my life, and saved me with His love.

 Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Until next time....that's my view.

Kat

Counting My Blessings - Family

     As Thanksgiving day approaches tomorrow, I am continuing my week of thankfulness.  Even though I am always grateful for the many blessings in my life, I don't always take the time to voice that gratitude.  Today I would like to tell my family just how thankful I am for them.  

      Since mom's unexpected death in July, I have been much more conscious of just how precious each day we have with our family is.  I am extremely blessed to have a close family whom I love very much.  Not to sound like one of those obnoxious, over exuberant people who sees everything and everyone through rose colored glasses, and makes it look like their family is perfect, we are far from it.  Like all families we laugh, we cry, we share good times and bad.  But even if we disagree, we always have each others backs.

     If you have followed my blogs for a while, you have met most of my family.  My immediate family consists of my husband, Kenneth, my son Tim, daughter-in-law Tracy, grandson Jacob and granddaughter Nicole.  I could sit here all night and extol their virtues but rather than bore you with all my sentimental ramblings, I will just say I couldn't be more blessed.  I can never thank God enough for the day I met Kenneth and the plan for this family was put into motion.

      One of my greatest blessings is to still have my 90 year old dad with us.  He has done extremely well since mom's death and for that I am truly thankful.    Also, in a previous blog, I introduced you to my 3 sisters, Jane, Brenda and Tina.  They are such a tremendous blessing in my life.  I see so many families where the siblings don't get along.  That has never been an issue with us.  We have been there for each other through the fun times, the hard times and the seemingly impossible times and have always come out stronger.  And while counting my sisters as blessings, I especially have to add an extra special dose of thankfulness for my sister Jane.  Jane is a walking miracle here on earth and an inspiration to many.     Three times we could have lost her.  Without going into a lot of medical jargon and scary memories, I'll just say she had a massive heart attack, a dissected aorta and an anuerism; all life threatening.  Thankfully, in God's grace and mercy, she is still with us.  Definitely a bonus blessing, three times over!

     As you sit around the Thanksgiving table tomorrow, I hope you will stop to count your blessings.  Even if it's not Thanksgiving for you tomorrow, take time to count your blessings anyway.  Friends and family are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the blessings I count, but they are definitely the most important.  God is good!

     Happy Thanksgiving to all!  May God's blessings be bountiful!

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

Laughter Among Friends

Written for Week #27 GBE2 prompt - Laughter    

     Since this is Thanksgiving week, I would like to elaborate on things I am thankful for during the next few days.  What better way to start than with this weeks GBE2 challenge word - laughter.  How could I not be thankful for the gift of laughter?

     When I think of laughter my mind immediately conjours up visions of the source of my most heart-felt, belly shaking, roll on the floor laughter - none other than my 5 best friends.  The 6 of us are as close to being the real life Ya-Ya sisters as any group of women ever could be.   Let me introduce you to my friends.

     Libby is our mother hen.  She keeps us in line and worries for all of us.  She is soft spoken, but we all tease her that when Libby speaks, everyone listens.   

     Next, we have Linda.  Linda is our classy lady-about-town.   She is always stylish and on the go.  She is a bundle of non-stop energy.   

     Now meet Kelly.  Kelly is our all-business career woman; always looking for that next opportunity. Afraid she might miss something, she can constantly be caught texting and reading emails from her Blackberry hidden under the table.  Besides business, she is the only one of the 6 of us that still has 2 teenagers at home to keep up with.  

     Ann is the good-natured one of the bunch.  She has the sweetest disposition and always has a smile on her face.    She's a lot of fun to be around.

     Last, but definitely not least, is Brenda.  Brenda is our resident comedian and storyteller.  I have never in my life met anyone like her.   She is a true walking example of "Murphy's Law"; anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.  But once it has, she will be the first one to make a funny story out of it, embellishing the details and making it into the most hilarious story you have ever heard.    She is the best storyteller ever, bar none, and will have you rolling in the floor with tears running down your face from laughing so hard.  She missed her calling by not being a professional comedian!

     As you can see, we are quite a diverse group.   In spite of our differences, or maybe because of them, we are the best group of friends anyone could wish for.  We love each other, always have each others backs and can always count on each other to be there when needed.  But most of all, we share laughter.  I've heard it said that laughter adds years to your life.  If so, we will all live to be at least 100 because when we are together it is non-stop laughter.  We enjoy each others company and laugh at the silliest things.  When we are out in public, such as in restaurants, other people usually are affected in one of 2 ways - they either look at us like we are crazy, or drunk, or, they want to join us because we are having so much fun.  We've actually had strangers tell us they want whatever we're having!

      I am truly thankful for laughter and for my girlfriends with whom I can share it.  I have recently been reading a daily inspirational book titled, "Moments of Laughter for Girlfriends", by Barbour Publishing.  To use a quote from it, "When we count the blessings God has given, we should count our friends twice - and those who bring us laughter, twice more".

     So this Thanksgiving I'm doing just that.  For my friends, Libby, Linda, Kelly, Ann and Brenda, I am counting my blessings twice and then twice more.  I could never adequately express my gratefulness for the positive things they bring to my life.  Their love, friendship and laughter are true blessings beyond measure.

Happy Thanksgiving Ya-Ya Sisters!  I love you all!

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat