Five Wonderful Things

Friday Fave Fives

Piano tuner

Model train show

Snow blower

Birthday

Haircut

This is what I wrote first.  My ideas for what to post for Friday Fave Fives. (Follow the link to Susanne's blog to join in.) Sometimes, this is how I formulate my thoughts.  And, really, do you need any more detail that this?

Well, I'll give you more details, anyway.

1.  After so many moves in vans and pods, my wonderful piano has needed extra care.  So what does The Professor do?  He gives me the Christmas gift of having my sweet strings tuned. My piano was bought by my dad for my mom in 1983, and I inherited it.  And now it sounds wonderful.

2.  The Professor wanted to attend the model train show with our younger grandson, our Little Warrior.  Younger Daughter and I tagged along.  Best part?  Watching how much fun the guys had.

3.  The Professor decided that a snow blower was the best answer to clearing our driveway and front walk of snow.  He's been excitedly watching the weather, waiting for a chance to use it.  Finally, this week, it snowed!  And as he brought that snow blower out for its first time, he was greeted by our neighbor and his brother who were clearing his and our sidewalks.  Bonding over snow blowing.

4.   Younger Son's birthday was this week.  Since he lives a long long way away, we called and chatted with him.  Oh, he was so cute! (he still is)

5.  Because of being stuck at home for two weeks in isolation,  I missed my appointment for my haircut.  Finally, this week, I was able to get in for a new appointment.  Haircuts may be boring, but, oh my, they are so wonderful.

Small Blessings

 Good afternoon!  I had such great plans to post a couple of times during the week, mostly about my knitting projects.  Obviously, that didn't happen.  But here I am on Friday to post my Friday Fave Fives.  If I do nothing else all week on my blog, I make sure I write about the five blessings I noticed this past week.  Friday Fave Fives is really important to me and I hope it is to you, too, and it encourages you to look for events of gratitude in your life.

1.  Walks outside.  I know, I know.  I post something like this EVERY WEEK.  But being outside and walking or hiking is one of my happy things.

2.  The reason for being able to walk--mild-er weather this week.  I'm not holding my breath.  Snow is coming.  But in the between times, I appreciate the respite.

3.  Another happy thing.  Sitting in a comfy chair reading and sipping tea.  This week's book choice is The Bird in the Tree by Elizabeth Goudge.  And the tea is spearmint--from my own garden.

4.  There is a new member of the family!  Meet Fritz Sawyer Winston ok, maybe Fritz.  Younger Daughter's neighbor offered her a very sweet and adorable puppy.  Now there's a debate discussion about what to name him.  Isn't he just the cutest?

5.  Trail Life for the grandsons.  Both boys are part of the local Trail Life troop.  This is like Boy Scouts but with a strong Christian faith based emphasis.  The Professor has been a leader since we moved here and it's a great activity for them to enjoy together.  This week there was a ceremony to celebrate those who have earned badges.  Both grandsons received at least one.  The photos are very blurry, but you can tell how pleased they are.

I hope you have found small blessings in your week, too.  Sometimes, we have to look around for them.  But they are always there.

Choosing Gratitude

"When it comes to life the critical thing is whether your take things for granted or take them with gratitude."

G.K. Chesterton

I try to align my thoughts with gratitude and not take things for granted.  So often, we assume we deserve everything to be just the way we want.  We assume we deserve health, wealth and success.  But, everything is a gift of grace.  This is why I join Friday Fave Fives every week--to remind myself and others to take everything 'with gratitude'.

1.  I am grateful for a warm home.  As I write, the temperature outside is frightful 15F.  I know Susanne is thinking, "Is that all?", but this sunny Cal girl is turning into an icicle!  Instead of focusing on COLD,  I choose to think, "WARM house".

2.  I am grateful for health.  As I mentioned last week in FFF, The Professor tested positive for the big bag virus.  Well, in the afternoon, Younger Daughter, granddaughter, and I started feeling yucky.  Yep.  Positive.  Two things to be grateful for--- our symptoms were fairly mild.  And we had been able to procure home test kits.

3.  We are all fine, now.

4. Outdoor wear is wonderful.  I am grateful for warm layers, hats, jackets, gloves and scarves.  Yesterday, we took a very short walk.  It was (almost) pleasant because we were well layered in warm clothing.

5. I am grateful for time confined to the house.  Yes, really.  I was able to tackle the paperwork pile.  I love a tidy home, and a home with papers all over is not tidy.  So I spent a day just filing and shredding papers.  Since I enjoy filing, it was actually pleasant and not physically taxing work for me.  But I'm grateful it's done now for awhile.

Let us not take anything in our lives for granted.  Let's be grateful.  Every day.

Recapping 2021 Blessings

 Ringing out the year.  How are you doing it?  New Year's Eve party?  Staying home cuddled up in blankets watching the ball drop in London so you can go to bed early?

One way I want to celebrate saying 'bye to 2021 is to reflect on the blessings from this past year.  Willows' Week Year with Friday Fave Fives.

1.  Our family has survived the big bad virus.  Some of us have had it, but we are all ok.  Right now, we are home because The Professor tested positive with very mild symptoms, but we don't want to expose anyone else.

2.  This year, The Professor and I have made progress on making our house our home.  Projects have been putting on a new roof, building a pergola on our back patio, removing the above ground pool and prepping the area for a new use (coming in 2022), installing a fence around our back area, establishing a vegetable and herb garden area.

3.  We have spent every holiday with our family and celebrated every birthday.  For us, this is the reason we moved 2,400 miles across the US in 2020.

4.  We've been sinking our roots in to the community, getting to know people and places.

5.  My love of knitting continues.  I've created baby sweaters and hats for two new little ones in our new circle of friends.  I've made a couple of warm blankets to add to the stash here at home.  My favorite project, though, was the vest I knitted for a friend, the couple we call our coffee buddies because we try to meet every week for coffee and conversation somewhere in the county.

On to 2022 and new adventures!  Happy New Year, friends!

December Wrapping Up

The fourth week of Advent happened.  PEACE.

And then so did Christmas!

Where did the time go?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Was yours white?  Ours wasn't, but I have enjoyed the snowy photos my sister-in-law in Oregon has shared with me.

Now it is that week between Christmas and New Years when we pause, take a breath, and eat all the leftover cookies.

Third Friday in December

Happy Friday!  And Happy Fave Fives Day!  Christmas is fast approaching.  Are you ready?  I am pausing and taking a deep breath to focus my attention on the blessings of this past week.  Here are just Five.  (Friday Fave Fives link.)

1.   Third week of Advent.  Joy.

2.  An older missionary colleague asked me about photos I might have of the national missionaries we worked with in our tribal area.  She and her husband had been mentors and teachers to the Hatam pastors before sending them to the Moskona tribe where we were assigned a couple of years later.  I have scanned many of the photos and was able to send them on to her.  Here are three of the Hatam missionaries praying for a newly appointed Moskona church leader.  These men (Bahar, Pete, and Abner) were mentored and then passed on their learning to others.

3.  Browsing the pictures brought back so many wonderful memories-- my younger son and his friend Simson (the son of one of the Hatam missionaries).

Our first village, Meyokda

Wow, this picture brings back memories!  Our Christmas card!

Yes, we are sitting in front of a MAF helicopter--our only means of transportation in and out of our village.

4.  Christmas cards and letters have been arriving in the mailbox!  I love receiving and sending those greetings and updates.

5.  Is it true that it isn't really Christmas until you post a picture of your Christmas tree?  Just in case, here is our tree this year.  Just lights.  No ornaments.  We looked at the tree and decided we liked it the way it is.  (the fave?  super easy)

May you continue to have a JOYous December!

Second Friday of December

Friday Fave Fives coming to you from Willow's Week here at my cottage.

 1.  Second week of Advent.  Peace.

2.  I am recovering quickly from the surgery and no longer need to wear a bandage on my face.  AND the Harry Potter scar is uncovered and noticeable.  (This is the fun part:  "What happened?"  "Voldemort attacked me, but fortunately he was a terrible shot.")

3.  Warm home.  We have had some frigid days and nights this past week.  Every time I walk into the house, I think how blessed I am to have a warm and safe sanctuary.

4.  Cook stove.  On that same theme, I am thankful to be blessed with stove and oven to use for cooking and even heating water to make tea.  Sometimes, I take things like that for granted.

5.Availability.  One of my daughters has needed lots of driving help this week.  I am thankful we can provide that help.  We are healthy and capable to drive.  We have a car.  This is why we moved here.

This week it seems that most of my faves are 'mundane' items.   But maybe the best blessings are the mundane, the simple blessings of the week.