Welcome dear friends-o-mine, so glad to spend a little time with you today. Linking-up again with my buddy Shaunacey for another of her “Monday Moments of Gratitude” posts. It has been a month since I blogged about the little miracles in my life. But I assure you, my life is sprinkled with blessings every day.
Here are some of my favorite special moments lately:
Let’s start with finding lost things. Seems like I am always looking for something. Most of the time it is my mind that I have lost. And that probably contributes to losing other things. The domino effect.
One time when I visited New Orleans with the girls, we bought these little cards with a painting of St. Anthony on one side and a prayer asking his intervention in finding lost items on the other side.
I feel guilty praying for insignificant things like a lost earring, or a receipt, or my mind. But it is comforting to know St. Anthony can be invoked to come to my rescue. Anyway, all of this to say, I lost and found two things in the past few days. So, you know I wrote about my fall bucket list and goals, here. And one of my goals is to swim once a month. I have a gym bag I take and at times need a lock for the lockers at a couple of the pools. This is the lock I had been using when I was swimming on a regular basis a couple of years ago. Guess what I lost?
Yup, the combo. I knew that PC has come up with an acronym (to help me remember the combo) but I couldn’t remember the acronym either. Yeah, it’s pretty sad over here. I did remember it started with the letter I.
Well, all of a sudden, in the midst of going into the theater to watch “Ben Hur”, I remembered the acronym and combination (of course). It-Does-Not-Compute (Will Robinson). You know, from “Lost in Space”, the ’60’s TV show?
Did that jog you memory? So, I don’t have to buy a new lock. Yay!
The other lost and found item were two metal rods that go to the Pack-n-Play I bought for Cady’s visits when she was teensy. And now I have set up for Lucia. I have the nicest bag to store everything in.
Yeah, but it was empty. The little bed wasn’t even in there. It was closed up and rolled under the guest bed. But the rods weren’t with the bed. In fact, I didn’t realize I was missing the rods - had forgotten all about them - until I couldn’t figure out why the mattress wasn’t very flat.
Then bam…St. Anthony suggested I check under the other guest bed. Obvious to you, maybe. But I thought I had all of the baby stuff shoved, make that stored under one bed. Apparently not.
Both rods. Lost and found. Pack-n-play stabilized and mattress flat. Little miracles like these make me smile.
Next moment of gratitude isn’t actually a singular moment. I am grateful to be working again. To have the opportunity to substitute in another library. The library where I first started my career 27 years ago. And so glad to be working with these two sweet gals.
Lorena, in the photo on the left, was my assistant at Moye Elementary, where I worked before I retired. She and I are splitting the substitute job at Jefferson while one of the librarians is out on maternity leave. Priscilla, in the photo on the left, is my daughter Lauren’s bff from high school and is the other librarian at Jeff. It is such a blessing to be working, and working at Jeff with these two dear ones.
My third little miracle might not be miraculous for those of you who can boil water and chew gum at the same time. If that’s you, feel free to skip ahead here. But trying to perfect the boiled egg has eluded me for…58 years. Enter Priscilla. Yes, the same Priscilla from the paragraph above. She introduced me to the handy, dandy Dash Go Rapid Egg Cooker, in black. And presto…
I give you the perfect boiled egg. Even peels easily. The 21 Day Fix and Weight Watchers programs both like boiled eggs. And now I can eat them. Grateful that there was some gadget inventor somewhere in the world who struggled to boil an egg like I did. Here’s a pic of that little miracle worker. So grateful that there are people in this world who see a need and do something about it for those of us who can’t.
That’s this week’s lunch in there.
Another of the items on my bucket list is to go hiking. And we did yesterday. More about the hike soon. But I was reminded of the beauty in our rugged west Texas landscape. Over and over I saw plants growing and thriving under the most unfavorable circumstances. But with our little bit of rain lately, the desert was green and alive.
That little guy was growing between two rocks (and a hard place?). I am reminded of an expression I have always liked.
[source]
I know that isn’t always possible. To flourish where we’re planted. But I like to think of this little cactus and this dandelion as reminders that there is beauty and goodness everywhere. For that, I am thankful to God.
I am blessed by my loving family. Still basking in the glow from this little girl’s recent visit. Does my heart good seeing my Prince snuggling this princess.
And we received great news about Lucia from her doctor. This new pediatrician in Albuquerque has agreed with her doctor in Houston, that baby girl’s torticollis has been resolved.
Which means she is going to start day care tomorrow so her mommy can work. The daycare was originally a little reticent to accept Lucia with some of her health issues but she has been approved and will start tomorrow. Babies with torticollis can be delayed so we are hopeful that Lucia will start knocking those milestones - sitting up, rolling over, crawling - out of the ball park. Thank You, God, for this miracle.
It is a blessing the way this little one, my Cady Coo, sends me the sweetest messages on her Pink (iPad).
Felt like a mean ole Mimi last week. Had told Cady that I would Facetime with her on Monday morning and T-totally forgot all about it. Brennyn said that angel was waiting for me, smiling into the screen of her Pink, ready for my call. But we did Facetime on Wednesday morning before school.
My last blessing comes as a form of a realization and apology. You might remember all that blubbering and whining and complaining I did recently over my haircut. I wrote a post full of grumbling and few suggestions for how to handle (not well apparently) a bad haircut, take a peek here. I decided to take some of my own advice, and tried on a hat. More for fun than anything.
But when I looked at my photo, I was ashamed of myself. Appalled that I made such a huge deal about a haircut. Because when I look at this picture, I am reminded that I could be dealing with hairlessness due to illness or chemotherapy. I might have to wear a hat to cover a bald head or hair that is slipping away in patches. I am blessed with good health. And a questionable haircut. I have absolutely nothing to complain about. I am so grateful for all of the goodness in my life and I apologize for being a big old baby. You won’t have to deal with my blubbering again.
Finally, I am grateful to Shaunacey, who hosts this link-up every week. Thank you, sweet friend, for helping me to see the many, many blessings and little miracles in my life. Love you!
And I consider each of you a blessing. Thank you for giving me someone to write to! Thank you for leaving me an occasional comment. Or following me on Pinterest or Instagram. Thank you for giving me a reason to write.
Have a blessed week.
Hugs and kisses,
Oh your sweet Kady waiting for your facetime, so sweet and so sad, I am so grateful for kids who are quick to forgive. OH the pack and play, yay to St. Anthony…many a times have I prayed to him.
That St. Anthony is pretty amazing. He is lead me to lost items for years. Need to Facetime with baby girl again this week. Precious memory-making.
Shaunacey says
is it crazy that I’m crying at the end of this post?
I’ve been such a crappy blogger (and friend) lately but my gosh this reminds me why I miss it and why I always come back.
So many amazing things I’m not quite sure where to start. Yes for finding (or remembering) things you thought you lost. I’m so so glad your sweet grandbaby’s torticolis has resolved. For what it’s worth, a few of the moms in my mommy group had babies with torticolis and they’re’ brilliant!!! 🙂
I think what got me most was your reflection about your hair, because it reminded me so much of my sweet friend Nicole (and I know you’ll know exactly who I mean). Thank you for resetting some of my negative thinking. I needed that.
Oh, Shaunacey! You have a full plate and we all do the best we can with the time we have. Things will settle down and you will find time again to do what you miss doing.
So encouraging to read that you know of babies with torticollis that are brilliant. I am just positive Miss Lucia is, too! We are so thankful that she was accepted at daycare and has an opportunity to be around other little ones a few hours a day.
I truly thought of Nicole when I saw myself in that Reds cap. Nicole was beautiful with and without hair. And maintained such grace throughout her illness. That’s when I realized how very fortunate I am to just have a bad haircut. And what a big baby I am. I think of Nicole and others who have battled that dreaded disease and I know I have nothing to complain about. Nothing.
Anxious to hear about your run in Nicole’s memory. Big love to you, my sweet one.