Thankful Thursday - 54

My dad pointed out the other day that our family seems to have a gift of seeking out and noting the positives around us even when things are tough. He mentioned my Thankful Thursday posts I continued to do even while we were struggling to get pregnant and were going through a rather dark/hard time. I had never really thought about it... This is just the way I was raised; what was modeled for us. He's right though, taking a moment every day (even on the hard days) to think about what you have to be grateful for is such an important exercise. He shared this little story with us:

A famous writer was in his study. He picked up his pen and began writing:

·        Last year, my gall bladder was removed. I was stuck in bed due to this surgery for a long time.
·        The same year I reached the age of 60 and had to give up my favorite job. I had spent 30 years of my life with this publishing company.
·        The same year I experienced the death of my father.
·        In the same year my son failed in his medical exam because he had a car accident. He had to stay in the hospital with a cast on his leg for several days.
·        And the destruction of the car was a second loss.

His concluding statement “Alas! It was such bad year!!”

When the writer's wife entered the room, she found her husband looking dejected, sad and lost in his thoughts. She carefully and surreptitiously read what he had written, and silently left the room and came back shortly with another piece of paper on which she had written her summary of the year’s events and placed it beside her husband’s paper.

When her husband saw that she had written something in response – he read her “take” on the year’s events. She wrote:

·        Last year I finally got rid of my gall bladder which had given me many years of pain.
·        I turned 60 with sound health and retired from my job. Now I can utilize my time to write better and with more focus and peace.
·        The same year my father, at the age of 95 without depending on anyone and without any critical conditions, met his Creator.
·        The same year, God blessed my son with life. My car was destroyed, but my son was alive and without permanent disability.

At the end she wrote: This year was an immense blessing and it passed well!!

See!! The same incidents but different viewpoints.

In daily lives we must see that it's not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. There is always, always, always something to be

thankful for.  ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING....  And attitude is the one thing that we always, in every circumstance, have control over.

**DORK MOMENT** - As Hermione says in the Deathly Hallows Part I, "Right... Perspective..."

1. A surprise/spontaneous visit from Juanita. Juanita booked flights last Thursday to fly to Vancouver on Saturday! She is here for a week, and it's been great to see her and reconnect with her a bit. 

SUSHI!!! I love sushi, but being pregnant you have to be extra careful if you're going to eat it. I trust this place though - Hanako in Surrey. Yummy!

I am so bad at remembering to take photos with people... I'm not much for selfies, and I feel creepy taking candid shots with my phone "just for the blog". Here I am pretending to take a picture of Sherlock, but I just so happened to catch Juanita in there too! :)

2. Toller Walk. Shel organized a Toller walk for her dogs as well as some of her puppies and friends. We all went to Noel Booth in Langley to let the dogs swim their hearts out! It's always fun to see them all together with their unique personalities/quirks.

This is Ranger. A 4 month old pup that joined the family for the day. Such a sweetheart!!

Some of the 9 Tollers that came out!

Rebel hiding in David's legs.

Goodness me... Makes me want another puppy!

3. Afternoon at Cultus. David's parents went up to Cultus last Sunday for a few days, and invited us to join them for Sunday lunch out there. Traffic was horrifying there and back, but the few hours we spent at the campsite was so wonderful. I always relax as soon as I get out there (as long as I'm not in charge of setting up tents/tarps, etc.). They had a great spot backing onto the forest, and it was a quiet, warm day. Sherlock was a perfect gentleman the whole time. We didn't even have to tie him up! That's a first!

Checking out his parents' new digs!

Sherlock & Matthias enjoying nature

My phone takes crappy photos, but it was so green and beautiful!!

4. Dating. A very common piece of advice David and I get is...

Continue to date each other. 

We have always enjoyed spending time together, but we're trying to get into the habit of making "dating" each other a little more intentional. Even if it just means playing a game of crib before bed instead of perusing Facebook. This past weekend David brought our guest mattress downstairs and set it up in the living room. It fit perfectly in the couch nook. We stayed up late watching documentaries and hanging out with Sherlock. How fun!
My idea of the best dates right now... Eating delicious food, and enjoying each other's company without spending large amounts of money. Wow I sound like a real hoot! Haha...

Sherlock thinks he gets to be a part of date night if he hides well enough

Slumber party!! I love our living room... so cozy.

Yummy example of another recent date at Moxies.

I've been having a rough go at work lately, and things have been very stressful. The other day I came home and took a nap and decided I wanted something... REALLY NOT GOOD FOR ME for dinner. Time to commit some carbicide! And commit we did...

Obviously that brings us to Olive Garden for Zuppa Toscana & a Tour of Italy (the dish pictured below)

Lasagna, Fettuccine Alfredo, & Chicken Parm... I hate committing to one dish, so this is perfect for me! And it provided lunch for the next day :)

Even if you don't blog about it, take a minute out of your day to consider what you have to be thankful for! Even if it's just all this sun turning our grass brown, or the fact that it's supposed to rain next week to bring it back to life!