TRAVELS WITH TAM

thankful

50 Things I am Grateful For: Bloggers Unite in a Flood of Gratitude

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Challenge: set a timer for 10 minutes and write 50 things you are grateful for, or that made you happy, during 2015.

Here’s my 10 minute list:

  1. Randy is alive.
  2. My kids are healthy.
  3. I am still moving and doing (after 2 back surgeries and psoriatic arthritis, it’s not always easy!)
  4. My darling rescue Goldens, Luke and Lucy.
  5. True friends.
  6. Family
  7. Traveling
  8. Christmas
  9. Christmas songs (I am a complete sucker!)
  10. Christmas movies
  11. My brother, Michael
  12. Looking at Christmas lights
  13. Parmesan Crisps from Whole Foods or Central Market! Yum!
  14. Greek Salad
  15. Healthy Food
  16. Not So Healthy food
  17. The ocean.
  18. Wildlife…on land or sea, wildlife makes me happy.
  19. Scuba diving
  20. Taking underwater photographs
  21. Getting a really good photo
  22. Instagram
  23. Reconnecting with friends on Facebook!
  24. Waking up in the morning and seeing Randy and two dogs by my side.
  25. A phone call or text from Alexandra.
  26. A phone call or text from Wesley.
  27. A visit with Alexandra.
  28. A visit with Wesley.
  29. Randy’s father being at both Alexandra’s and Wesley’s weddings this year.
  30. Getting comments, shares, likes on my blog or on HP or other site…I love these!!
  31. Hugs.
  32. Sunny days.
  33. Two beautiful weddings this year.
  34. Two new family members.
  35. Designing our holiday card.
  36. Making movies on AVID or GOPRO Studio.
  37. Watching (good) movies.
  38. Buying gifts for people.
  39. Holiday traditions.
  40. Contributing my time, energy or money to a good cause.
  41. Kindness in any form.
  42. Seeing love between people.
  43. Reading books.
  44. Sitting in front of a fire
  45. Hot Chocolate
  46. A REAL Coca Cola.
  47. Being adopted by wonderful people.
  48. My housekeeper, Irene. I don’t know what I’d do without her, my spine is not domestic friendly.
  49. Kitties and Puppies.
  50. Helping others.
  51. Support from those I love.
  52. Massage.
  53. Facials.
  54. Stretching.

Gratitude! And a wonderful excuse to post wedding photos!

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The four of us.
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We are now six!
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Rehearsal dinner with the Dons!
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Photo booth fun with the bride and groom!
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With their Popop!
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Family
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Friends
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My “boys”, the Fab Four!
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Friends
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Family! So happy they were at Ally’s wedding!
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Randy’s side of the family

 

 

IF YOU ARE A BLOGGER AND WANT TO JOIN IN:

If you’d like to join in, here’s how it works: set a timer for 10 minutes; timing this is critical. Once you start the timer, start your list. The goal is to write 50 things that made you happy in 2015, or 50 thing that you feel grateful for. The idea is to not think too hard; write what comes to mind in the time allotted. When the timer’s done, stop writing. If you haven’t written 50 things, that’s ok. If you have more than 50 things and still have time, keep writing; you can’t feel too happy or too grateful! When I finished my list, I took a few extra minutes to add links and photos.

To join the bloggers who have come together for this project: 1) Write your post and publish it (please copy and paste the instructions from this post, into yours) 2) Click on the blue frog at the bottom of this post. (the original post at http://talesfromthemotherland.me/ 3) That will take you to another window, where you can past the URL to your post. 4) Follow the prompts, and your post will be added to the Blog Party List.

Please note that only blog posts that include a list of 50 (or an attempt to write 50) things that made you feel Happy or 50 things that you are Grateful for, will be included. Please don’t add a link to a post that isn’t part of this exercise.

http://www.inlinkz.com/new/view.php?id=592585

Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep

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Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby from White Christmas
Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby from White Christmas

Do you remember Rosemary Clooney?  Yes, George Clooney’s aunt and famous singer from the 40s 50s 60s era.  In White Christmas, Bing Crosby sings to her, “if you’re troubled and you can’t sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep.”  I have so many blessings to count, I really do not know where to begin.

Lao-Tzu says that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  I don’t know how many steps our family has taken since August 2013, but I’m sure it has been more than a thousand miles. Last August, my husband of 33 years, Randy, was rushed to the hospital with respiratory distress, and to make a very long story short (the long story is in the category, LUNG TRANSPLANT, an Unexpected Journey, go to the first post, you’ll see the most recent) he spent 2 weeks on life support, followed by a miraculous double lung transplant.

The blessing of lungs for transplant is always bittersweet…yes, someone died in order to give Randy life. That person, unknown to us, saved several lives. While Randy was having the double lung transplant, the other operating rooms were busy transplanting his/her heart, kidneys, and liver. It is almost incomprehensible that Randy survived. At the time I never doubted that he would. A year later, I am much more familiar with the odds and the truths of transplant. It is nothing short of a miracle that he is here right now.

There are so many people who love him.  His friends rallied immediately, and stayed in touch, visiting, phoning, emailing, texting. Our friends sent meals, they sat with me in the hospital, they prayed for Randy, and I felt their presence in our lives every moment. During those dark days, I never felt alone.  You all know who you are, but do you know how much I love you? How much I appreciate everything you did? I felt the collective wishes and prayers of the people in our lives, and although I can’t say I know what lies beyond this existence, I can say with confidence that something does. Is it energy? God? Love? Goodness? I don’t know, but I know it exists. I felt it in the days surrounding his life saving surgery.

The nurses, doctors, and medical professionals at UT Southwestern are miracle makers. Beyond the technical medical abilities and technologies, they provided a steady, calm demeanor, much needed at the time. If you are looking for a worthy cause, the UT Southwestern Medical Center Annual Fund is going on right now.  The future of scientific research depends upon the philanthropy of the public. I would certainly never have guessed we would ever need the UT Southwestern Heart and Lung Transplant Team! 

My children were devastated. I am so grateful they had significant others to support them.  Those significant others will grow our family in 2015:  there will be two weddings in our family! We look forward to celebrating with them and with their families.  2015 will be a year of joy, and believe me, a year of joy is very welcome! Bring it on.

One year ago tomorrow, Randy took his first step alone since his ordeal, without a walker or any supports.  Today he is walking, working out every day, and feeling great. How fortunate, how lucky can one family be? The depth of my gratitude is bottomless.

“So when I’m troubled, and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep.  I fall asleep, counting my blessings.”

From my family to yours: Happy Holidays!
From my family to yours: Happy Holidays!

I wish you and yours a happy Thanksgiving, filled with gratitude and love!

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