My Piece of Heaven

I am abundantly grateful for my piece of Heaven!

On weekday mornings, when I do not have to go to work, I get myself a hot cup of coffee, put a fire in the fireplace, sit down with my knitting or crocheting and watch Home and Family on the Hallmark channel. I am so happy! This is my piece of Heaven!

Due to several snow days, I have been delightfully blessed with this pleasure this winter. I finished this baby blanket while enjoying my piece of Heaven on Thursday.

 A year or so ago, I read in a Debbie Macomber book what she thought her job would be in Heaven. Right away, I thought about my job in Heaven. I immediately knew my job would be to knit/crochet angel wings. I see myself sitting outside a beautiful little country cottage, at a small round table with a yellow umbrella above it, knitting angel wings. When angels need new wings they will come to me, and I will make their wings. I also see a pitcher of lemonade and beautifully decorated cookies on the table to share with my angel visitors. The angels will sit, rest and have a treat, and I will knit and listen to their stories about their jobs in Heaven.

I am very grateful to be in my home, all warm and cozy, crocheting angel wings this winter. 

Thank You, God, for my piece of Heaven.

 

My Daily Commute

Today I am most grateful for my short commute to work. I work ten minutes from my home. I am grateful for that because my favorite place to be in the whole world is home, and my short commute blesses me with more time at Home Sweet Home. Thank You, God, for my commute to work.

Silence is Golden

Yesterday, the Internet was down all day at work, no Internet, no email, no calendar or task list. It was nice. There was a peacefulness to the day. The ability to focus on the task at hand was easier because the email chime was silent. There were personal visits from co-workers because instead of emailing they came to speak in person. Everyone seemed calmer, a little more peaceful. It was nice. Thank You, God.

I Love Snow Days!

Thank You, God, for snow days! 

I Am Blessed

Last Night I read theses words,

"If you  have one true friend in your life, you're richer than most. If that one true friend is your husband, you're blessed." 

Mitch Albom in The First Phone Call From Heaven

I am richer than most.

I am blessed.

Thank You, God.

My Son

This morning, as I was sitting in my green chair drinking my coffee, my son Rick was preparing to go surfing. He bounded up and down the stairs at least a half a dozen times. His phone was ringing at a volume I didn't know was an available option. He was gathering his surfing stuff, cooking waffles, and talking on the phone all at the same time. 

Usually all this activity, while I was drinking my first cup of coffee of the morning, would drive me crazy.

This morning was different.

It was different because I chose to see it with eyes of gratitude.

I saw a healthy young man preparing to go and do something that he is passionate about and brings him joy. For that I am grateful.

Before he left he told his dad and I that we may be able to go on the Internet and watch him surf today. Apparently there is a web cam where he hopes to surf today. He said that if he is there he will text us so we can pull it up on the computer and watch.

Ordinarily, I would be resistant to watching him surf because I worry about his safety. 

Not today.

Today, as I see with eyes of gratitude, I am hoping to be able to watch him surf. I will be filled with gratitude to watch him doing something that I know brings him joy. It will bring me joy too.

Thank You, God.

2013 Holidays Continued

Christmas! I am very grateful for a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas!

We have a Christmas Eve tradition of going out to dinner, then returning home for our children to exchange gifts with one another. This year our daughters' boyfriends joined us. There were nine of us in all.  We had a cozy table by the fireplace. The food was magnificent, the service outstanding, and the mood festive. 

After dinner two of our daughters went with their boyfriends to visit their families. So, while we waited for their return, my other daughter and I prepared out traditional Christmas breakfast, Mainstay French Toast, that needed to sit in the fridge overnight. This dish is the recipe from a bed and breakfast in Cape May, NJ. I got it from my dear friend Denise. It is scrumptious!

About ten o'clock the girls returned and the kids opened their gifts. I love watching them open their gifts from one another. I love that they started this tradition completely on their own. 

Finally, it was time for our "long winter's nap." 

Christmas morning comes a bit later now that the house is filled with adults, but by nine o'clock we were all up opening the gifts that Santa brought. I am grateful that my husband and I were raised with wonderful Christmas traditions that we have passed to our children, and I am grateful for the new traditions that we have begun. 

Another of our Christmas traditions is that my mother-in-law and father-in-law come over for brunch. When our children were little they would come over to watch the children open their gifts and for brunch, but now they just come for brunch. After brunch there are more gifts to open.

Two years ago I began another tradition - our annual Christmas Day Open House. At four o'clock we have an open house for our family and friends. We serve appetizers and dessert. Everyone can come and go as is best for them. Some come for the whole evening, while others stop by for a drink. I love every minute of our open house. I am grateful for the Divine Guidance that led us to decide to begin this tradition. I look forward to many more Christmases as our family grows and changes. 

I lost both my mother and my father at Christmas-time. I was only eight years old when I realized, on Christmas Day, that my mother was dying. Christmas has not always been happy for me. I am abundantly grateful that my children have had wonderful Christmases all of their lives. My husband and I have worked hard to bless them with wonderful Christmas memories filled with family and friends and love and laughter. I thank God that my husband and I have always shared a vision of what we want for our family. My husband is a very good man. He has blessed me with wonderful Christmas memories.

Thank You, God.

2013 Holidays

I am grateful for the 2013 holidays from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. 

Thanksgiving was at my in-laws, and it was a wonderful day. After a scrumptious meal we sat down to watch videos of my children. My father-in-law had taken all of the videos of my children to be put on CDs. There are 33 of them! We sat watching them until midnight. They brought me such joy! I thought that I would cry while watching them, but I laughed and smiled and loved every minute. 

We took them home with us, and the I spent all of the day after Thanksgiving watching them. I knitted as I watched so I didn't feel too guilty about getting absolutely nothing accomplished. The joy they brought me was abundant! 

I didn't finish watching them, but Grandma has them now, and I know they will bring her as much joy as they brought me. I will watch them again and again and again and again ... joy-filled memories.

Thank You, God, for technology that blesses all of us with joyful memories. Our memories are wonderful, and the technology that is available enhances those memories blessing us with more joy. Thank You, God, for all the people involved in bring those memories to my television and into my living room. It took many people, from the person who thought of the technology to the people who created the cameras to the man who created the CDs to my wonderful father-in-law who had the CDs made. There were many more people involved, in blessing me with such joy, and I am grateful for every single one of them.

 Thank you, God!

A Cat Cuddle

Today I am grateful for a Dory cuddle. A soft purring cat in my arms calms me and brings me joy. 

Thank You, God, for a cuddle with Dory this morning.

Undo Redo

I was upset. In the last upgrade Apple put an undo button on the keyboard of my iPad. I hit the undo button by mistake and all my writing disappeared. I didn't see the undo button so I had no idea how it all went away. I had actually done it, but I did not know it, and I was blaming Apple. The next day I discovered the undo button. Now I realized that I had done it myself. I was very upset that Apple had put an undo button on the keyboard without a way to undo the undo. This made me very nervous. Now I was very cautious when I used the keyboard, almost to the point that I did not want to use it. I was angry at Apple. I was frustrated. I was upset about the change. Today, I discovered the redo button. It was installed when the undo button was installed. Now, I am not so concerned about the undo button. Now the undo button is not threatening. Now, I might actually choose to use the undo button. I have yet to embrace it, but I may at some point. 

Changes. There are several changes in my life right now. I cannot see how I brought these changes about, but if I am to believe in the law of attraction, and I do, then I believe that I attracted these changes. Right now, I do not see how, perhaps at some point I will, perhaps I may never. But the key is that I attracted theses changes. I hit the undo button. I have big fears. My fears are tied to the thought that there is no redo button. That these changes are going to permanently take away what was. Poof. Gone. Yes, I have anger over that. Yes,I have frustration. Yes, I have fear. I want things to go back to what they were. I think if I complain loud enough that they will. (I thought of complaining about the undo button on Facebook or to Apple, but I didn't because somewhere inside of me I knew I was missing some information. Perhaps, if I had complained I would have been given the information, but then I would not have discovered the redo button myself and I would not be seeing this analogy.) So will there be a point that I will see that there is a redo button here among these changes in my life? That I might actually see the good in these changes? That I might choose to embrace these changes, and like the undo button? 

I don't see the redo button yet, but now I do believe that it is there. Now, I do believe that all is happening for my good and the good of all involved. Now, I do believe that a time will come when I will be grateful for these changes. So I choose to let go of my anger. I choose to let go of my frustration. I choose to let go of my fears. I choose to believe that I hit the undo button for a reason. I choose to believe that these changes are a blessing. I choose to be grateful for these changes now. I believe all is well.

Thank You, God.

Another Amazing Book

I love to read! I love books! 

I believe in The Law of Attraction.

The  Law of Attraction brought this fabulous book to me.

If you do not believe in The Law of Attraction you must read this book.

If you believe in The Law of Attraction you must read this book.

If you never heard of The Law of Attraction you must read this book.

In this book you will find simple experiments that will show you how The Law of Attraction works. 

I believe in The Law of Attraction, and this book helped me to understand more about it.

You really do have control over your life. This book will show you. 

Creativity

This morning I came downstairs, went to make a cup of coffee, and found this by the coffee pot.

A little morning gift from my daughter's boyfriend.

So creative.

It made me smile.

A beautiful morning blessing.

Thank You, God, for creativity.

Thank You, God, for those who use their creativity to bring a smile to others.

Lunch on the Lake

Saturday we had a wonderful lunch on Lake Hopatcong. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing, the food was delicious and the wine and beer was icy cold. It was a great afternoon!

Thank You, God!

Motherhood

There's a saying, "A mother is only as happy as her least happy child." 

Thank You, God, for blessing my children with peace, joy, love and laughter.

Thank You, God, for blessing me with abundant happiness.

A Morning Walk

Nearly everyday this summer I have met my friend Denise to walk. We are blessed with a beautiful and safe place to walk. Today, I am grateful for my friend Denise and the path we walk together.

Stolen Kisses

My husband and I have been married for 32 years. Last night we went food shopping at BJs, and still, after all these years, he stopped what he was doing, a few times while shopping, to give me a kiss. I love that!

Thank You, God, for a wonderful marriage! I am eternally grateful!

The Law of Attraction

I love to write. I may not be published, or paid for my work, or even considered by others to be very good at it. That does not matter to me. I love to write. I need to write like I need to breathe. 

I would love to be able to draw. I want to learn how to draw. I try to draw all the time, but drawing, I admit, I am really bad at.

I dream of writing a beautiful book and embellishing it with my drawings. 

Yesterday, I received in the mail, a catalog for some classes. I did not request this catalog. It simply arrived, and guess what was in it?

A writing workshop taught by Julia Cameron at a time and place that works with my life, and at a price I can afford!

And

A drawing workshop! However, this workshop does not fit into my schedule or budget ... right now. 

What excites me, what I am abundantly grateful for, is that I attracted these workshops into my life. That God is blessing me with Divine Guidance to attract into my life what I want. 

Thank You, God!

Dream Accomplished

"I am independent! I can live alone and I love to work." -Mary Cassatt 

I read this quote this morning. I had no idea who Mary Cassatt was so I googled her and found out that she was an artist in the late 1800's - early 1900's. Like Louisa May Alcott, whom I've been recently reading about, she was determined to be independent.

This morning I realized that I had accomplished a dream I had in my early twenties - to be able to support myself. 

I am a teacher. When I began teaching, in the early 80's, I did not make enough money to support myself. Although I dreamed of having such an income, I married and my husband and I combined our incomes.

We had children, and I stopped working and stayed home with them. I am eternally grateful to have been able to stay home with my children. I observed, however, that my husband made enough money to support our family of six, and when I had stopped working I was yet earning enough to support myself.

I remained home with my children (quadruplets) until they were in second grade, then I returned to teaching part time. Still not earning enough money to support myself.

Several years later, when my children were in eighth grade, I returned to full time teaching. My salary was combined with my husband's to support our family. I no longer considered if my income was enough to support myself.

Now, let me make myself clear, I did not have any intention to go off and live alone. My biggest dream was to be married and have a family. However, for some reason it was important to me to earn an income that could support myself. The independent part of me was still there.

Just this morning, as I read Mary Cassatt's quote, I realized that at this point in my life, at age 55 with 25 years of teaching, I make enough money to support support myself and live comfortably.  I accomplished my dream, and hadn't even realized it.

Today, I am grateful for this accomplished dream. I am grateful that while I was living the life I dreamed of I was accomplishing a dream I had forgotten about. Or had I? 

I love my life! I am living the life of my dreams. I still have dreams. I am so excited for the future!

Thank You, God, for an abundant life!

Shop till You Drop

Yesterday, I had a wonderful day shopping with two of my daughters. We went, with grateful hearts, with the money God blessed us to spend. We went with grateful hearts that God blessed us with the day together. We literally shopped until our bodies said,"No more!" We came home joyfully exhausted.

Later that evening, my daughter who was not able to join us, asked each of us to show her what we bought. She was so happy for us that we had such a nice day. Although we all would have loved for her to be able to join us, she too had a very nice day. 

Today, I am grateful for being blessed with three daughters and the abundant love that we share. Thank You, God!

P.S. I have a son whom I love abundantly too. 

The Many People Who Serve and Bless Me

God, has placed many people in my life to serve and bless me. 

There are people I see: my mailman, the cashier at the supermarket, the gas attendant, the ladies who dry clean my clothes, my hair dresser, my manicurist, the UPS and Fed Ex drivers who deliver packages to my home, the waiter/waitress serving my food,... This list goes on. I am abundantly grateful for all these people whom God has placed in my life.

There are many others who are serving and blessing me that I will never see: the people who work everyday to make the clothes and shoes I wear, the accessories I carry, the appliances I use, my car, my iPhone, computer, iPad, pens, books, yarn, the furniture in my home, the tires on my car, the food I eat, the wine I drink, the laundry detergent I use, ... Everything I use everyday comes to me via another person. The roads I drive on, the stores I shop in, the electricity in my home all are there for me because of someone else. I am abundantly grateful for all these people God has placed in my life.

Today, I say, "Thank You, God, for every single person who is serving and blessing me."

Bless them abundantly.