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10 Things of Thankful – March 22

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1. April 15 is getting closer.

2. Spring is here.

3. I wrote this in 6 Sentence Story as an experiment, go see: “Henpecked”

I also have been playing around with some other writing challenges such as the Wordle

4. There is such a variety of vegetables that my salad days are far from boring. And I need salad days.

spinach chicken pomegranate salad
Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com

5. I lost 2.5# this past week, because of #4.

6. My dentist called and will see me next week which makes me smile to know my teeth will be better soon.

7. We went to the JC Raulston Arboretum yesterday and enjoyed the new blooms. I have used one of the pictures as my header picture today.

8. I got new walking shoes for a good price and am very grateful as the others were getting slickery.

9. I got maybe 3 of 7 nights of good sleeps, which is good for me.

10. Yesterday, I finished reading this book and it made me smile. It’s about family, to me, and adoption of the heart. As an adoptive parent, I liked the message. Here’s the LINK 

Want to join in with your gratitudes? Go to this LINK

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Ten Things of Thankful – March 8

 

1. So, I did this for another challenge called The Six Sentence Challenge. I had a very busy week and am grateful I was able to keep to my goal of getting this written. You can hop over to read my actual post on my blog.  You can read it HERE

2. Gratitude for the counsel of others to help me stay on the right track with mindfulness. It seems like when I get to the point of need, an answer always comes.

3. My Mother. She was one in a million and as this is the month she left this side of the world, I am grateful to have had her in my life and that she’s always around whenever I feel the need to talk to her. Here are some sweet pictures of her.

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I’m sitting on the couch by mom

mom

4. This is a SPACE available for YOU!! I am thankful for YOU!!

5. I made great strides in my newest project and am proud of myself and very grateful!

6. Successful with my tax return, I am now officially filed!

7. Humor! I’m fortunate to have met a wonderful blogging group and one of my favorite blogs is THIS ONE! Go look and you will LOL

8. Jodi (daughter) came to see us and it’s always a great time to be grateful for her company and just her sweet being!

9. I finished reading a couple of good books. One was called Close Enough to Touch and the other was Alchemy of Grief: Your Journey to Wholeness. I found both to be very beneficial. I may write more about this on another post.

10. April 15th. I am still grateful that it’s 45 days after today when that day comes.
Here’s the Blog Hop LINK FOR TTOT

Why not take a look?

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10 Things of Thankful – March 1

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Artwork by my niece whose work can be viewed on Instagram: ks_montgomeryartist

It’s that time again to express my 10 Things of Thankful or TTOT.

1. So, I did this for another challenge called The Six Sentence Challenge. I thought it fit in the theme of gratitude. You can hop over to read my actual post on my blog. Today, I wrote about the word “Clear” and I am grateful to have memories to work with to tell my story.  You can read it HERE

2. Gratitude for the gift of second opinions and that this has moved me on the right track with medications.

3. My two nephews who were in accidents and are on the other side. I did a post about Cardinals and I am grateful for the signs of those who have passed. Here’s the LINK

4. Winning! I won a contest called “First Sentence Challenge” and I received my winning poster yesterday. You can see what it looks like HERE and my winning poem. Yay me!

5. I met a goal in my professional life and it’s going to help me do better.

6. I am almost done with taxes. The price mysteriously increased while I was doing them and I am not having that! So…time to call the tax people.

7. My blog friend, Jacki, who advises about finances. This is a huge interest of mine, since we have changed our lives to be more minimal and it’s really helped. Here’s her WEBSITE and I think it’s awesome! We used her website for a class in a meetup last week.

8. Humor! I turned on NetFlix the other day just to get relief from all the crazy! What a fun time just listening to comedy.

9. Connecting with people. It makes a big difference when we find people we truly connect with. This week I received a message from my friend who I promptly called, because texting was not going to work. I am happy that I chose to do so.

10. April 15th. I am grateful that it’s 45 days after today when that day comes.
Here’s the Blog Hop LINK FOR TTOT Why not take a look?

 

 

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6 Sentences – Clear

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Artwork by my niece may be viewed on Instagram: @ks_montgomeryartist

Clear

Clear as the ocean’s water in Maine, when I felt the cool water and the fish swimming by my legs, knowing a solid foundation, but loving the free feeling of the ocean’s sandy field.
Clear as the day when I decided to spring out on my own, knowing the risks and taking the chance to fall.

Clear as my mother’s blue eyes when she thought I was lost, only to find me poring over a book of patterns in the fabric shop, knowing then that, yes, this was her daughter and she was okay.

Clear as the natural part of life when I can just simply enjoy watching dolphins at play, coming close to the shores in the cool of spring, when horses trotted on the ocean’s sands, knowing the feeling of the breeze.

Clear as the moment when I just knew, beyond anything, that I was ready to be the person I was meant to be and succumbed to the joy of being.

Clearly, I see the ways of life and how they ebb and flow and how fortunate that in all the movements of life; I am still a part of the things that matter.

…..
Rules of the hop:
Write 6 Sentences. No more. No less.
Use the current week’s prompt word.
Come back here on Thursday, link your post…
Spread the word and put in a good one to your fellow writers.
PROMPT WORD: CLEAR

Here’s the LINK!

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Cardinals As A Sign of Loved Ones

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Artwork by my niece given to her grandmother. See more works at ks_montgomeryartist on Instagram.

This seems to be the chosen season for many, not all, but many of those who have departed to be either having a birthday or death date. When I come upon certain dates, I look for signs that they may be saying “hello.”

One of the signs often seen are cardinals. Ironically, both of my nephews who passed away were big St. Louis Cardinals baseball fans. Keith, whose birthday is February 28, loved the Cardinals so much that his family wore Albert Pujols shirts for the funeral.

My other nephew has a birthday coming up in March. Michael was fortunate to get to have his picture taken at the Cardinals site in St. Louis. Every year, his mother would make the trek across Iowa to put a flag on his grave. If she could not make it for weather’s sake, there have always been close friends to help her decorate the grave. She is now resting with Michael. When going to the gravesite, it has not been unusual to see a cardinal paying a visit.

When I have gone for walks, I have seen cardinals and always say “hello.” You never know if it might be a sign from someone who has passed on.
I was reading up on this and found out that many times spirits come to visit in winged form. Remember the feather in Forrest Gump? You just never know, do you?

As I was searching online for significant information I came across this POST by Craig McManus I think he has valid points here.

Here are some facts about the cardinal bird. In looking at these, I can see how they would relate to those I have lost. How about you?

Cardinals mate for all their lives.

Cardinals do not migrate, which is why I saw the female hanging out at the pool in winter.

Both the male and female of the couple look out for the well-being of their young.

I wrote two poems about my nephews who both left too soon. They are in my book Heart Sounds, but I will share them here.

Keith

Little baby

Came so early

Such a tiny bit

Then he grew and grew and grew

Such a treasure

Such a joy

Such a talent

Such a boy

Trying and learning

Practicing and succeeding

Putting forth and taking hold

Like a man

Too short

Too, too short

To leave and not be known

Will not be the truth

Always, always alive

To those who love you

Michael

A little toy car in his pocket

A rock, a stick, and always dirt

A smile to blast rockets

A tree not unclimbed

A green apple chewed up and spat

A frog, a fish, a cricket knew their boy

Sleepovers many a weekend

Staying up late with music videos

Sharing pickle juice with your sister

Studying to know your knots

Sharing laughter about life itself

Sticking close to your sister

Turn around

Take a bow

Take a test

Take a vow

Try and try

To be the best that you can be

Then…

Then…

Then…

That’s the way the world spins

That’s the way the world ends

Turn around

Take a bow

Take a vow

Try and try

To be the best that you can be

My dearly departed sister, Michael’s mother, holding the cardinal painting received from my niece:

Paula with Cardinal