Thankful Sunday--March 19, 2017

I live a good life and have so much to be thankful for. There are the big things like family, health, friends, security, etc. And there's the little things like the cold juice I just had from the fridge. Sometimes I forget to notice the little things and take them for granted. So here are five little things I'm thankful for. And because this is the way my mind works, there is going to be a theme--fabric.

1. A Throw--I bought a lot of things to stage the house we just sold. Some of them are finding a place in our new home and some of them are not. However, there is one thing that is used every day here. A soft, fuzzy throw. I originally bought it to bring a soft texture to a wooden chair. Now it is something everyone loves to wrap themselves in, including the cats. For this very soft, warm throw, I am thankful.

2. Sheets--I seem to always be on the conquest to find comfortable sheets. We have an older mattress and many sheets have pockets that are too deep to fit well. Combine that with a certain texture that I prefer and it's hard to find what I like. (I have been compared to the princess in the tale of The Princess and the Pea). However, a couple of weeks ago, Miss Landers gave me some sheets that no longer worked for her because the pockets weren't deep enough. And voila! They are just right for me. :) They fit well and are the soft cotton I like. For these "new", comfortable sheets I am thankful.

3. A Tote Bag--When Ward's grandmother moved to a nursing home, his father cleaned out her house and gave some of her things to the family. Although I am very much part of the family, I stepped back and waited for Ward and his siblings to get what they wanted. One of the things left was a canvas tote bag his grandmother had picked up when she visited South Africa. It had bright red and black guinea hens on it and I thought it was fun. However, I didn't use if for several years because I didn't want to get it dirty. Then one day, I told myself that that was silly, and I've used it every day since then. I use it to carry things back and forth to work and any other time when I have several things to to take with me. It's just the right size and always brings a nice compliment. For this useful and cheerful tote bag, I am thankful.

4. Sweat Pants--A few years ago, my mother had several trips to the emergency room with various crises all in the space of just one year. These events required a quick jump in the car and a drive 3 1/2 hours to be with her. To say the least, they were very stressful times. During one of these visits, I hadn't packed enough clothes, so I went to the store to get a few things to tide me over until I got home. One of the them was a comfortable, go-with-anything pair of sweat pants.  They were just what I needed then and just what I want now. Even though they came from a stressful time, for these practical and comfortable sweat pants, I am thankful.

5. Absorbent Dishtowel--One time when I was in my mother's attic trying to sort and clean out things (literally, a never-ending job), I found a new dish towel. It was in a box of things that came from my aunt's house after she passed away. I think it was a second because it was a bit misshapen and had several pulled threads, but I needed some dish towels at that point and I took it home. It worked great. It is now the most absorbent dish towel I have. So for this handy dish towel that I think of as a gift from my aunt, I am thankful.


There you have it. A few things that I took for granted that I am really blessed to have. Now you try it. Pick a category and look around for five things you are thankful for.