CYMB #14

Blessing #14 - My Husband

Happy birthday, dear hubby! I met him online a couple of decades ago, and now we've been together quite some time, enjoying each other for the most part.

I love his strong support and his kindness through my toughest times. Anyone who can put up with me for long deserves a great deal of praise. I love when he makes us breakfast, and adore him for doing most of the cooking.

I'm proud of how he just manages to get along, despite all the difficulties in life and despite all the disappointments. He's my joy and happiness.

I'm very blessed to have Eric as my husband.

CYMB #13

Blessing #13 - I made it to 40

So here I am, 40 years old. Who would've thunk it?

CYMB #12

Blessing #12 - Automobiles

Wow am I glad I don't have to walk everywhere. Admittedly, I probably could use more walking in my life, but there are a lot of places I wouldn't be able to get to in a day without a car. Especially here, where everything is spread out.

CYMB #11

Blessing #11 - Blankets

They are warm, sometimes fuzzy, they wrap around you, and you can snuggle in one with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book and rest. I really am blessed to have blankets to curl up in.

As an aside, I know I'm not going to keep up this daily pace forever, so don't be surprised when I miss a day.

CYMB #10

Blessing #10 - Word Processors

So, as I'm writing my articles today, I vaguely noticed how many changes I kept having to make. And at some point, later in the day, I started to think about typewriters and how it used to be, back in the day. Back when so many writers had to use whiteout instead of backspace.

And I realized that I'm really freakin' blessed to have word processors. My writing style tends to be: type it out, erase half of it, rewrite and type up the new, adjust three or four words, stare at it, then move on to the next paragraph. Then three paragraphs later rewrite the first paragraph and move the fourth paragraph up to the lead.

Anyway. It's really nice to have word processors.

CYMB #9

Blessing #9 - Fiction

I enjoy fiction, the imagination of others shared with me. I enjoy the ideas that people come up with, and the way they explain those ideas. I like having the ability to read those books and watch those movies. The world would be a much sadder place without the ability to disappear into a good book.

CYMB #8

Blessing #8 - Chocolate

There's a reason the scientific name of Chocolate actually means "food of the gods" and it fits well enough, I suppose. In any case, I'm very grateful to have chocolate in my life, and very happy that it's available to me on a regular basis.

I try not to overindulge as it's all the more sweeter when you haven't had any for a time. But again, availability makes that difficult.

When I was a child I needed sweetened chocolate, but as I got older I started to enjoy dark chocolate, and now a 70% blend is my favorite type.

CYMB #7

Blessing #7 - Sunshine

I'm from Seattle, and while the sun does shine there, much of the time the area is overcast. Since moving to Eastern Washington, I've really learned just how nice it is to have sunlight almost every day. It's not a small thing.

So, today my thoughts are with the beautiful sunshine flowing in the windows.

CYMB #6

Blessing #6 - Christmas Lights

Sorry, very silly one for today, but I can see my Christmas tree still sitting in the front window (I'll take it down soon, probably). The lights and the beauty make me happy.

So I'm thankful for Christmas lights, even in January.

CYMB #5

Blessing #5 - My job

I just want to emphasize that these are not in order of importance to me. Seriously, I'm going to be "saving" a few of my blessings for appropriate days. So I'll go to this one now instead of visiting some blessings that might be more important to me.

I only got my job this past August, and it's already by a LONG shot the best job I've ever had. It's also better than most of my days of education, which is saying something because I loved school.

I've done so much as a reporter. I've gone up in a balloon, I've interviewed various interesting people, I've attended meetings I never would have set foot in otherwise, and I've written a lot of words. And since I ALWAYS wanted to be a writer, since I was in first grade, this job really works for me. I'm not just doing writing, I'm doing interesting writing that pulls the world closer for people.

And I haven't even mentioned how much this job has assisted us with our finances. I mean, the job means that we don't have to move, it means that we can start paying off debts. It's stabilized our lives.

So, yeah, I'm really blessed to have my job.

CYMB #4

Blessing #4 - My Siblings

Well, I plan on going into each of them in greater detail a bit later, but let me get this out of the way. I have four sisters and two brothers, and despite some disputes and disagreements, I love 'em all and I'm pretty glad I grew up with them.

Growing up in a large family taught me a lot. Perhaps more than I'll ever realize. But as a group, I'm pretty happy with my family.

CYMB #3

Blessing #3 - My Mom

First off, Happy Birthday, Mom!

Ahem. My mother is a fantastic lady who managed to raise seven children in times that were tough. She did what she could, with the knowledge available to her at the time.

Mom taught me a number of important lessons in life, and started me out right. She was a great cook and her recipes still affect me today. She still quilts and knits and makes things, and that has led me to have a great respect for people who are Makers. I tend to admire folks who work with their hands, and much of that is due to my mother.

Mom used to make our clothes. We wore stuff that was sturdier than store-bought, and goodness knows there were times we needed it. My mother also made my wedding dress, including the lace.

Mom read to us rarely, but I still think of her as the scholarly one. In part because she subscribed to National Geographic and let us look through those magazines as kids. If I had a school assignment I was never afraid to ask her for help, because she always knew where to go to get more information. For a time she taught a class in church called "Cultural Refinement" (I think) in which she taught about other cultures. One of the things she would prepare was a dish from another country for the class members to eat. She had to try the dishes on someone, and having seven children to serve as test subjects meant that we got to try a lot of strange food as kids. I still appreciate that early experience in open-mindedness.

Mom read a lot. There were always books laying around the house, and they were usually mom's. If I brought a book home from the library, there was a good chance it would disappear for a couple of hours so mom could check it over. She wasn't overt about it, but she kept an eye on what her children did. She kept us out of trouble, as much as a mother could.

I could certainly go on, but I think I'll stop there... I'm extremely blessed to have my mother.

Count Your Many Blessing (CYMB) #2

Blessing #2 - My Dad

Now, I'm not cheating here. I did say yesterday that I was blessed with great parents, but that was more about how they work together. Today I'm gonna focus in on my father.

He's a gruff man with a sneaky sense of humor and a grin that lights up a room. He worked very hard all his life to provide for a large family, and somehow he made it through. The burden on his shoulders was great. He worked the swing-shift at Boeing, and he was gone for a lot of my childhood... except for Sundays. He was always there on Sunday to set a good example for his children.

I don't remember him as a big scholar-type, but I remember him reading to us children more than my mom. In fact, I can still recall curling up on his lap while he read big books to us over and over and over again. In fact, I'm not sure how he endured having to read the same books repeatedly. Again, he managed.

There were times I resented him. As a teenager my rebellion was passive-agressive, and there were occasional showdowns and arguments. But despite it all I still loved him. He continues to set an example to me today, even if he doesn't realize it.

I am extremely blessed to have my father.

Count Your Many Blessing (CYMB) #1

I've been challenged to think about the many blessings I have in life. So here's my first one.

Blessing #1 - My Parents

I've been remarkably blessed to have a great father and mother who have been together all my life, who raised seven children together, and who are still together today. They were not perfect, no one is, but they did their best given the circumstances and knowledge they had. Considering the parents some children must deal with, I'd say I'm pretty blessed with what I got.