Giving Thanks Challenge – December’s List

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of December.  I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because.

1. for this new day and the opportunities it presents to each of us to live life richly & fully through freedom of choice

2. I found a Motorola Portable Bluetooth Car Speakerphone at Best Buy (encountering no crowds) & figured out how to make it work … all by myself.

3. gasoline prices were down to $1.79/gallon at Costco yesterday and I got $4 off the 2.5 lb bag of Starbucks Winter Blend coffee beans.

4. finding some interesting links at Schmutzie’s Milkmoney that led to a series of posts on all 4 of my blogs … but the funniest of all is this doggie playing in the snow.

5. for the changes in the WordPress Dashboard that appear to make everything a bit simpler & faster to navigate.

6. for the timely arrival of the inspirational ‘Eat the Frog‘ mini-clip from Simple Truths that I’ve shared in today’s post here are Small Reflections.

7. fond memories of my Dad on what would have been his 105th birthday today.

8. my friend Jackie sent email this morning reminding me of ‘Retired Ladies Lunch’ so I didn’t miss it!

9. Clara of Coming Back to Life selected me as a recipient of the Lemonade Award! She thinks I’m a ‘wonderful encourager’ and she enjoys seeing my name in her comment section.

10. I managed to get online for a little while yesterday despite some ‘connectivity’ issues and several ‘blue screen crashes’ of my new Dell …sigh! Hopefully tech support can help solve these continuing issues.

11. for cards & notes from family members and friends arriving in the mail each day … (though they’re definitely reminders that I do need to stop blogging long enough to create, print, write notes on, address & send Holiday Greetings of my own).

12. for the amazing view of the ‘larger than usual’ full moon this morning and the possibility of a meteor shower tonight.

13. for a pleasant afternoon spent with friends having lunch together … then attending The Masters of Harmony Christmas Concert at Carpenter Theater in Long Beach. It was WONDERFUL and methinks I’m feeling the holiday spirit finally.

14. Hootin’ Anni’s comment on Wednesday’s ‘One Hundred Things’ meme here caused me to send her a link to my 101 Things About Me post (created last January on my 101st post), because her email this morning prompted ME to read my list (and visitor’s comments again). I see kernels of ‘stories’ (or reflections) contained within … and suspect I’ll return to it for ‘motivational reminders’ in the days, weeks, and months ahead. If you’re curious about any aspect of what’s there, feel free to add a question to comments or send email and I’ll make those a priority.

15. it’s raining in Southern California … finally! I’m grateful that the hillsides in burn areas are ‘holding’ & I pray there will be no mudslides.

16. for the generosity of virtual friends generously sharing blog awards to enjoy & pass along to others.

17. to sit by the warmth of the living room fireplace as the rain continues here in Southern California, gently & steadily falling in my neighborhood after a brief ‘break’ yesterday & the snow covers the mountains down to 3000 feet, falling in places that seldom if ever see the white stuph creating a winter wonderland … delighting kids of all ages.

18. I finished all the holiday projects in my PSE6 class … finally. I’m 3rd on a waiting list for the next computer class I’m hoping to take in January, and have signed up for a Writer’s Workshop beginning February 19th, and I’m finished with classes until January.

19. The pansies I planted a few weeks ago are all alive & well after the recent downpours so I bought some more to plant this weekend.

20. My sister and I finally connected for a ‘real phone chat’ catching up as she & her husband drove down a Texas highway after having no cell service for the past 7-8 days.

21. for beautiful clear blue skies with fluffy thin white clouds moving through … a ‘break’ before the rains descend again for the next 5 days … giving me LOTS of material for future Sky Watch posts.

22. I spent the day sitting by the fireplace, listening to holiday music, watching the rain while writing personal notes on my Christmas Cards … addressed, stamped, stuphed, & sealed and dropped them off at the Post Office, so they’re in the mail to family & friends and will hopefully arrive BEFORE Christmas.

23. catching up with a few friends on the phone, more regular contact with my sister now that she’s in New Mexico with better cell service, and finding Starbucks coffee beans on sale for 20% off this morning so I could ‘stock up’ on Christmas Blend at more reasonable prices … getting an additional 10% off with my Starbuck’s card.

24. Lynne invited me to spend Christmas Eve at her beautifully decorated home … enjoying laughter, love, good food … shared with new friends & old. An added blessing was that the predicted deluge of rain that didn’t materialize after all so driving there & back was no problem.

25. for a lovely Christmas dinner & evening with friends at Dennis & Carol’s … over delicious food in a festive atmosphere … topped off with coffee and Pecan Pie or Peppermint Ice Cream from Baskin-Robbins (a long-standing tradition for them).

26. clearing skies … a toasty fire after a chilly walk with Molly on this windy beach day … hot tea & gingerbread cookies as I visited blogs and caught up with my sister on the phone as she did laundry while her husband searched the Internet for good buys.

27. I was able to spend a restful day around home in an attempt to stave off the cold symptoms threatening my body, after taking Z-cam & Vitamin C then drinking lots of water and hot tea … retiring very early last night to get extra sleep.

28. for sleeping more than ten hours last night and awakening with the belief that I might be able to remain healthy if I continue my ‘isolation’ and usual ‘healthy’ eating & exercise regime.

29. for the beautiful roses blooming in my yard right now even though it’s time to cut them back. I shared one red rose at Happily Retired Gal for Ruby Tuesday this week.

30. for a 2nd week of ‘vacation’ from Adult School so I can be around home with Ms. Kitty and Molly … accomplishing things & crossing them off my list.

31. Blog 365 has ended … though I suspect I’ll continue to post daily on at least ONE of my blogs just as I’ve done since entering this ‘virtual’ world in late October of 2007. Happy New Year to everyone. If you’ve not yet visited ‘Tut’s New Year’s Note from the Universe’ at Sacred Ruminations … I hope you’ll do so when time permits.

FYI – My November Gratitude List can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly.

Thought for Today
“Something that has always puzzled me all my life is why, when I am in special need of help, the good deed is usually done by somebody on whom I have no claim.”
William Feather

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