I am thankful for views like these that mean that I will soon be surrounded by those I love dearly.

Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!

…I’m taking Friday off.

Perhaps Saturday and Sunday, too.

Maybe.

We’ll see.

Have a safe and fun weekend!

Photo taken at Kanapaha Botanical Garden, Gainesville, FL on October 30, 2009

It had been my intent to spend the month of November focusing on that for which I am thankful. Not just the “big stuff” like my family (and precious Aiden!) and our health and home and the material things, but the little things, too. Here it is, Day 5, and I’ve seemingly failed at my own challenge!

Actually, I do have a list that I’ve been adding to each day, thinking of how I could write about this or that, and do I have an appropriate photo to share, and so on. I find myself going through my day thinking about stuff – the things I see, the people I know and the ones I meet, the places I go and the places I plan to go, and so on….just trying to think about being thankful for whatever I’m thinking of…

I guess, in a way, I haven’t failed. I just can’t corral my thoughts into words.  So, for today, I’m being thankful for having so much to think about. 

I will continue in this endeavor, but I may not succeed in getting something written each day. I plan to continue finding ways to appreciate all that God has blessed me with.

We are very blessed indeed!

Photo: “A Tangle of Live Oaks,” taken October 25, 2009 along the golf course behind our house.

I am blessed to be part of a family that enjoys a good laugh. We’ve all been part of practical jokes, whether instigator or victim, and we have shared many a laugh over a comical situation or misstatement or joke or action.  Laughter has gotten us through some difficult times and through some tense moments.  Some incidents were so funny, that it just takes a word or phrase to cause us to crack up at the memory – for instance, the inane phrase “hand on ceiling” will have us all laughing uncontrollably for hours (it’s a long story).  We learned long ago that being able to laugh at ourselves is a key to survival…and it can be healthy, too.  Laughter is a great exercise for the body, mind, and soul.

If I wasn’t able to laugh at myself, I wouldn’t be able to post this old photo that makes us all chuckle.

Yes, this is me, clowning around at a festival at my children’s grade school about 1994.

Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.
~ Mark Twain

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.
~ Yiddish proverb

Like so many others, our family (well, most of us, anyway!) enjoys reading. Some of us even keep books stashed in various places, all in various stages of being read.  I am thankful that our love of reading is even being passed down to the small ones.

I know I’m looking forward to cuddling up with Aiden and a good picture book later this month.  

Photo: “borrowed” from Laura’s blog

Sunrises, whether we see them or not, occur each day.

The sun always rises. It is consistent. It is often overlooked or ignored or hidden behind clouds.

For those who see, it is another small reminder that God is there, just as He promised.

Photo: Sunrise behind my house, October 27, 2009

My presence here has been scarce lately. Life seems to keep me busy elsewhere.  Not that I’m complaining or anything.   

I always look forward to getting Halloween over and done with and behind me.  My favorite time of year is a long one that passes too quickly.  I love November and December.  Those months signify “family” for me. 

My intent is to spend the month of November learning to focus more on the blessings in my life…those things for which I am so thankful…and not just the obvious things.  Those thoughts may show up here…and they may not.

In church this morning, in observation of All Saints’ Day, the names of those affiliated with our church who have died within the past year were read.  As the bell chimed for each name, I thought of how thankful I am to know that those friends and family members who have gone on before are experiencing an eternity that we cannot fathom.   Because of God’s ultimate sacrifice of His Son, and because Jesus so willingly gave everything for us, we have an amazing reassurance of eternal life with Him. 

Thank you, Lord, for Your Amazing Grace!

Photo: cross formed by intersecting contrails in the sky, October 25, 2009

…but I’m apparently taking a wee bit of a hiatus.

All is well and the renovation is nearing completion. Photos will be posted soon!!

Aiden turned six months old yesterday (Sept. 29).

It doesn’t seem possible that he is already that old!

He’s a happy and sweet baby…his mommy and daddy have it too easy!

(Sorry, kids!)

I hope Laura doesn’t mind that I want to share this…I simply cannot resist!

Busy, busy, busy…but what do I have to show for it? Nothing yet.  One day…soon, I hope, this house remodeling will be complete.

Meanwhile, I took Doc to work this morning in order to run a few errands.  The sun was just coming up about halfway through my little trip.  (I love this small town…everything is nearby and errands take hardly any time!)  The fog was still hanging over the fields and low spots and I couldn’t resist stopping a couple of times to get some photos.  (No, I did not use any filters or photoshop or anything to alter the pictures.)

I love the way the cattle appear ghostly in the fog.  This pasture is about half a mile from my house and directly across from the dry cleaners and bank (my first two stops this morning, after dropping Doc off, that is).

I loved the scene, but the billboard just visible to the right annoyed me.  To the immediate left and just out of the picture was a huge light pole and electrical lines were overhead.  Just a hop up the road is a church and I hoped the parking lot would provide a more unobstructed view.

Better, but there were barbed wire fences (because of the cattle) and a storage building and parking boundary markers in the way.  I guess I could have walked through the tall grass to get away from that but I wasn’t crazy about getting my feet wet and I really didn’t know what was in that grass!

I really like the way the sun and the fog looked through the fog and trees.

I took Doc to work, went to the dry cleaners, the bank, the gas station, and the water company, got these pictures, and I was home by 8:20 this morning!  I like mornings like that!