Howdy, quarantine queens and mask-eraders, it’s time for Thankful Thursday 09.2020. I am linking up with Rebecca Jo for her gratitude series, which she publishes every week. While I certainly have many things for which to be grateful, I try to do a Thankful Thursday post on the last Thursday of the month. However, I missed posting in August. So today’s post features twice the gratitude. Hate that I missed last month!! Thankful Thursdays give me a opportunity to reflect back over all the little blessings in the last few weeks, or in this case, months.
Just a reminder: Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After occasionally uses affiliate links. This means that if you click a link provided I may receive a very small commission. Thank you for your support!
THANKFUL THURSDAY 09.2020
Here are some of the things I have given thanks for in my Choose Gratitude: Blessings Journal. I write in it before going to sleep. Almost every night. When I feel totally defeated or exhausted (probably the days I need to write the most), I sometimes choose not to. Just keepin’ it real.
Over the last 2 months here are just some of the things I have been thankful for.
August
Last month I was grateful for:
- PC’s love for Lucia and Cami
- Mom called to hear my voice
- Frozen pizza for dinner
- Floating in the pool
- My Prince and I holding onto each other while watching TV
- Mustafa, Bren’s husband, tested negative for Covid
- El Paso community on the anniversary of the shooting
- Cady’s first orthodontist appointment went well
- Beautiful morning on the patio
- Running
- Having money for groceries
- Granddaughter cuddles
- All Brennyn did for a baby at work
- German sweet chocolate pie
- Good books
- My brother Kevin
- My sister Valerie’s overnight visit on our way to KY
- Cami and Cia loving my sister
- Dinner in KY with Valerie and Leeann, Kevin’s girlfriend
- The folks at Cedarhurst allowing us to see mom while we were there
- Mom making us laugh
- Scrapbooking with my sister
- First pumpkin spice of the season
- Safe travels to and from Kentucky
- Big hug from PC
September
This month I am grateful for:
- Lauren fixing dinner for us
- Donations to help Kathryn with her NICU photo booths
- Paul’s patience and kindness
- Cooking Hello Fresh together with a glass of wine
- Chili and cornbread
- Our backyard
- Rain
- The heroes of 9-11, our country
- Holding Fluffy, the stray kitty
- Seeing Ernest the goat
- Finishing my cactus mosaic
- Running
- Laughing at Bren’s back-to-school prank videos
- Bedtime walks
- Bible study
- Sleeping with the windows open
- Church at church
- Lauren’s creative shark and kitty watermelons
- Covid didn’t make my BFF and her hubs very sick
- Three girls together on the boom-boom (my 2 daughters and me)
- Dark days always followed by brighter mornings
So there you have it. My edition of thankful Thursday 09.2020. With a bonus month thrown in.
MY WORD OF THE YEAR
Still haven’t written much about my word of the year – believe. How crazy is it that before long, it will be time to think about a word for the new year. Even though I haven’t mentioned it much, believing has gotten me through on the darkest days of this year so far. That belief that in the end everything is going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay once this Covid pandemic is beyond us. And everything is going to okay with my mom. With our country.
This week, my daughters received some very difficult news from their father’s side of the family. They were both in tears and angry and disappointed all at once. My mama bear tendency was to jump into the middle of things to try to get them some answers, some clarification and understanding of the situation. Which didn’t help matters. On Monday night, we all 3 went to bed exhausted and drained. But even so, I believed the morning would bring clarity, light, answers. And it did.
Your Turn
For what things were you especially thankful this month? Did you get rain? Or maybe the change of season is becoming more evident where you live. Did you read an especially good book? Eat a delicious meal? Often times, those are the things that make life more enjoyable. Would love to hear what you are grateful for in a comment below. Then stop by Rebecca’s to check out her gratefuls.
Hoping you are winding up the week on a high note.
Hugs and kisses,
I don’t have a WOTY but I am definitely finding I believe so much more this year than ever before.
I haven’t written a lot about believing because at times I have struggled with doing so myself. But when I stop to think about life, the big picture, I do believe that all of this crazy will be worked for good.
HI, Leslie – You give a great reminder of just how much we have to be grateful for.
After smoke-filled weeks from the fires, we are now in the midst of heavy rains. I belive that everyone near and far are VERY, VERY grateful for this!
Warm hugs!
I am so sorry for the difficult time you guys have had with the smoke and now the rain. But glad that the rain is washing things clean and eliminating some of the smokiness. Our skies are particularly hazy again today which makes me wonder if the fires on the west coast are worse than ever.
Oh we most certainly did get rain! As I type this I can hear very heavy rain hitting the windows. Autumn has definitely arrived here and last night I came so close to turning on the heating! Instead I huddled under a quilt with Coco on my lap.
It is so good to concentrate on the things we have to be grateful for when other things are overwhelming our thoughts and you have picked some lovely things from the last couple of months. Lovely photos of your girls!
Oh, I would so enjoy a night of rain, with even a little lightning and thunder thrown in.
Thank you for the sweet compliments about my photos. I love my girls, mucho mucho.
Hi Leslie – I love all those small things you were grateful for. When you see a list as long as that you can’t help but be thankful and feel blessed. It’s so easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom, but with a small change of focus you begin to see the many, many little joys that form part of our days.
I love your WOTY and I can’t believe it’s nearly time to start thinking about a new one too. This year I struggled a bit to find the right one, so I’ll be interested to see what comes to mind for 2021.
You are so right…when we start looking for things to be thankful for, we discover they are in abundance.
Well, I’m always thankful for good books. The leaves are starting to change here, which I do love!
Good books and fall colors…the best!!
SO MUCH GOOD STUFF.
I’m loving sleeping with the windows open. I dont enjoy the clogged up head in the morning – but I still love it.
I love all the time on the porch with this cool weather too.
Your sweet momma.
What kind of frozen pizza do you enjoy? I need some extra’s to keep in the house for emergencies
Our sleeping with the windows open was short-lived. Has been too hot again!! And we woke up ‘snorky’ too.
We have been eating Newman’s pizzas (Paul Newman) because he donates the proceeds to charity. And they
really are pretty good. Sure a lot cheaper than Dominos and make for a quick supper.