I was asked to state, for 7 days, things for which I’m thankful. I tried it and found there were more things of gratitude for which I’m thankful. One of them is my desire to learn and the knowledge I’ve already acquired. One needs to be thankful for their acquired knowledge and desire to learn more. One is NEVER too old to learn more. I, also, know that without learning and appreciating it, life can be very difficult. It can be extremely so if you’re stupid.
The average life span of a $50 is 5 years. (Not in my hands!) The jewelry industry uses about 1,000 tons of gold a year; the dentistry uses 87 tons. The longest alphabet is the Cambodian with 74 letters; the standard central dialect of Rotokas, is spoken by about 4000 people in Papua, New Guinea, a place known for its absurd language diversity. The largest desert in the world is Antarctica. Yes it is. Look up the definition of “desert”.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Kautilya -- Indian philosopher. I have used this quote before. It is very true; however, one needs to think it out. I didn’t realize its full-meaning until I was faced with a situation which made it very applicable. One of my special needs children was having a lot of difficulty adjusting to an environment they were in. The “head honcho” of the environment was pretty much knowledgeable of the special needs of this child, but was not heeding my information and knowledge of said child. I asked, “You have a degree in psychology and have studied about autism, don’t you?” They sat up straight, puffed themselves up and answered in the affirmative. I looked them straight in the eye and stated, “So, how’s that working out for you?” Two other people who knew my child, were professionals in the field of psychology had made many suggestions on how to help the child, were at the meeting, too. We were a team of advocates for my child, and we were friends. They had a lot of difficulty hiding their smiles of agreement.
Here are some fancy ways to say ordinary jobs: ENVIRONMENTAL WASTE SPECIALIST: garbage collector; domestic engineer: house keeper; domestic culinary expert: cook; custodial engineer: janitor; director of seating: hostess/host; multi-faceted, multi-profession, multi-status engineer: Mom.
“A home isn’t a shell you climb into. It’s the people who are there for you who leave the door open even when you’re at your worst.”
I’ve noticed my hearing is not as good as it was when I was younger. I know this is part of “maturing”, but it really gets annoying at times. Most of the time when I can’t hear, I smile or laugh and hope it wasn’t a question or statement of sadness. Then, there are times I think I hear the words correctly, but politely ask the person to repeat what they said. They do and then I tell them what I thought they said. Usually, laughter ensues. I’m trying to learn to read lips. Vacuum and the “F you” phrase are the same lip movement. Thus, I try not to talk about cleaning the house.
My friend and I were out and about at lunch time. She mentioned ordering some food and taking it to her house. She was having some trouble making up her mind about what to get. As I drove by PETSMART I said, “Why don’t we go in here and nibble on some kibble?” She laughed. After we ordered from HARDEE’S, she mentioned she thought all the fast food places probably order their food from the same supplier. I told her, “All but McDonald’s. They order their burger patties from a place which makes window glass……you can see right through them.” Another round of laughter ensued.
I was telling one of my grandchildren, “Today I'm thankful for the sun and its warmth. It burned-off the cloud which fell to Earth and now it is safer to drive.” "Grammy, what is fog?" asked the little one to me. "It is a cloud that fell to Earth," I told. "Oh no!!! Did it get hurt? I hope not; we don't have a big enough Band-aid to fix the boo-boo."
Perhaps you’re wondering what to be grateful for. Be thankful that you don’t have everything you desire. If you did, you would have nothing to look forward to. Be thankful for the difficult people you have to work with. They are improving your patience and understanding. Be thankful when you don’t know something, because it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for difficult times, because it’s in times of hardship that you grow. Be thankful when you’re exhausted at the end of a day, because you know you’ve accomplished something. So, readers, think about what you are grateful for. Make a list and read it often, as well as, add to it.
Where we love is home, Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.
~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., Homesick in Heaven
My Daddy went to Heaven in 1997. He’d lived a full life, loved my mother and was loved by her, loved his children (3 of us) and was loved by us. I was the only one who called him “Daddy”; it just fit the man. I miss him and my mother who went to Heaven to join him in 2001. There is no substitute for Daddy, and there never will be. My husband was my children’s step-father. He was a good “daddy” although he’d never had children of his own. Then, in 1999 along came my 2 grandchildren---special needs with multiple challenges, but he didn’t care. We adopted them in 2000; I was 55 and Beloved was 60. He loved them and guided them until he went to Heaven in 2011. Most any man can be a father, but it takes a very special one to be a daddy, especially to children who are not even your blood.
There was a time a few years ago, where I was severely criticized by some people. One of the brave ones, or stupid…you choose, asked me in front of the others, “Trudy, just what do you have to say to us.” I thought for a moment, knowing silence can scare your opponent, and said, “I have some words for each of you; however, they are in French, German, Spanish, Polish, American Sign, Webster and Roget. I don’t think any of you could translate them.” With that, I turned and walked out of the room leaving them to wonder what the words were. I’m certain those of you who know me are pretty sure they weren’t ones Mother taught me.
Peace, smiles, and blessings…………Trudy
