A Rare Moment in Time

The days we are currently living in my friends, are truly the days that try men's souls.  We are living in a rare moment, watching the world break in two.  No not literally but fugitively as the divide has become so massive between good and pure evil, it can no long hide.  I was going to write this blog with up-lifting tidbits and ideas about moments, but the current world situation has begged me to think otherwise.  This month, I feel the need to reach out and express myself with hopefully a frank and honest discussion.  

I've been done with worrying about if others like or agree with me as we are living in dangerous times and it's time to take a stand.  The future of the country, if not the world, is at stake.  Our children and grandchildren will live as a result of the decisions made today.  Frankly I'm scared.  I'm scared for our freedoms, liberties and the republic our forefathers created 247 years ago.  The United States of America is and was a melting pot for all of those who felt oppressed and persecuted in their birth lands.  People want to come to this country to enjoy the freedoms Americans shared.  No one ever wants to leave America once they arrive, as America is and was a great place to live.  The American dream is alive and well and those with a work ethic, and a desire to succeed, can advance to a state of life they would not enjoy elsewhere.

We legally and ethically elected our leaders with logic and common sense.  Until around 70 years ago, those leaders loved America, what we stood for and wanted to advance the American idea beyond the time of their election.  Those leaders valued our American ideals and promised to expand them.  The leaders of yesterday kept America safe, secure and out of foreign entanglements that did not involve the United States.  Both world wars had an impact on the United States, we were attacked in 1941, therefore we needed to engage.  Our "American Will" became apparent but not before we lost many brave men and women to foreign enemies.  Americans were proud of their sons and daughters;  Americans were proud of their country and the freedoms we stood for.

Today, however; it's different.  Although most Americans value their country, there's a growing faction that has invaded our American way of life and are destroying us from within.  Frankly I could care less how one identifies or who one loves and sleeps with.  Frankly I do not care what religion one practices or believes.  Americans are free to choose, Americans love and respect all people or so I thought.  Today, in 2023, ideals that go against any kind of common sense are being shoved down our throats and we're being forced to swallow the rotgut.  Today if we mistakenly identify someone or speak out against say another's way of thinking, we could find ourselves in a lawsuit or worse.  Today those who peacefully march, are deemed as terrorists.  The true terrorist's riot, plunder and destroy and are left alone.  Our good and decent leaders are blackmailed into submission and are, in my humble opinion, left with no option but to go along with an idea no one would have thought about 40 years ago.  I truly believe blackmail and extortion is being used against once decent people, to force stupidity through the system.  Twenty years ago, no one in their right minds would have supported the mutilation of children or teaching our innocents that of which was once deemed pornography.

As I type, I feel afraid as I am using my free speech against the modern day left or shall I say communists, who have infiltrated our way of life.  I am using this platform to speak my truth as if we all rise up and say no, hell no, this garbage will stop.  I Will Not Comply is my new motto.  Yes, I took the first two jabs, as I wanted to travel and was being bullied by so called friends (who I avoid now at all costs) and social media that I paid too much attention to.  I will not comply to wearing a mask and when I travel now, I take Ivermectin and it works just fine.  Big Pharma has been found out and Dr. Fauci can go to hell.

I will not comply with the social pressure of accepting what is not truth.  Men are men and women are women, no matter how hard the left tries to tell us the opposite.  We cannot change our DNA or our chromosomes.   It's biologically impossible, no matter how much surgery one has had in order to carve up their bodies and mutilate themselves.  That's their right, however, to do with their bodies what they choose but biology cannot and will not change.  And for God's sake, leave our children and grandchildren alone.   Let them be young innocents as long as possible.  Let our children be who they are.  Trying to make a small child identify as anything other than what they were born as is wrong and it's CHILD ABUSE!

And finally, those so call progressives in DC and in our state houses need to be voted out and expelled.  Good republicans and democrats need to be voted in.  We need to get rid of the stench in our government and fill it with good and decent people who want America to succeed and continue.  I'm done with the so-called "Squad" and the bullshit they continue to spew.  I'm done with the left-wing loons who want America to change into a Venezuelan type of country.  Trust me, they're not going to like it when they get it.  Communism sounds good to some until must live in it then they squeal like stuck pigs.  

Therefore, I'm done with my rant.  I love this country and pray for our survival.  If America falls, the world falls with it, and right now we're the laughingstock to the rest of the globe and this needs to change.  Rise up dear friends and fix this great country, it's worth saving.  May God bless America! 

Lessons Learned with Love

Once again, September is my birthday month, sixty-eight years around the sun.  This is my fourth birthday blog, as I've been expressing my thoughts for the world to read for four years.  I haven't sat down to write for a while as I've been busy with my new endeavors.  I have been thinking, pondering is more the word, as I tend to sit and think a lot about my life.  I also ponder current events and world affairs, but I need to stop that as my anxiety tends to build. I digress back to my original thought however, and that is I think about life lessons and those lessons I should have learned by now.   What can I say, I'm a slow learner and sometimes I need these lessons pounded into my soul to wake up and smell the coffee.  Therefore, this month, we're going to journey into the lessons we all were taught and sometimes forget. 

One of my biggest lessons learned was forgiveness.  I've delved into this subject more than once, but the lesson of forgiveness keeps coming back to remind me I need to have forgiveness in my heart.  We all need to learn how to forgive, forget and move on.  Releasing those hurt feelings and letting them go, is both freeing and lightens one's load.  Lesson learned, release and let go and give yourself to love.  

Don't sweat the small stuff is another lesson I tend to forget.  The small stuff of life is just what it is, small and inconsequential.  I tend to ruminate on insignificant details and wow, it sure does weigh me down.  The lesson learned is forget about the minutia and let go and let God.  Giving yourself to the love of the Divine make's life much easier and more peaceful!

Trust or not to trust is another life lesson we all need to learn at some point.  I am a very trusting person, bordering on naive sometimes.  I truly try to look into the heart and soul of all I meet and judge them for the content of their character.  I've been burned more times than I can count but, I look back on these situations as life lessons.  People are for the most part good, but as with any situation, there are a few "bad apples" that can spoil the barrel.  Don't let these apples dissuade you from those kind souls with pure intention. Lesson learned, don't judge a book by its cover.

You can't fix stupid. There is so much stupid to go around, one middle aged woman in Idaho cannot fix it all.   I recognize stupidity all the time while I'm pondering current affairs.  My gosh, where does this nonsense stop, and common sense take back over?  How the hell did we get to this place in our society?  The fall of the Roman Empire was much like what is happening in America in 2023!!  The lesson I've realized is that we need to speak out, stand in our truth and hope like hell God fixes the stupid soon.  Stupidity is destroying us, our society, country, and the world, quite frankly.  Pray, pray, pray, and pray some more and eventually the world will wake up and understand. Lesson learned once again, let go and let God and the love of the Divine will heal the world.

Birthdays are only a number, nothing more, but sixty-eight feels huge!  Holy crap, seventy is remarkably close and I'm not ready!  But then again, it's only a number and I am determined to live out the rest of my years with grace, a sense of humor and the stamina of a that once upon a time, forty-year-old!  I am currently living my dream existence.  The love shared with a wonderful person has helped me a lot but it's more than that, its attitude, lifestyle and frankly enjoying what I have accomplished.  My personal relationship with God is my redeeming quality. Hallelujah, I've finally arrived at the space in life where I've always wanted to be.  Waiting and working for this attitude for sixty-eight years was a journey but wait for it, IT WAS WORTH EVERY DROP OF BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS!

Therefore, my friends, happy birthday to me.  And happy birthday to all of those who are marching into our "mature" years!  Age is not a number but an attitude.  Sixty-eight is the new forty-eight and I wish for you to be in the space in your life as I am in mine.   Therefore, give yourself to the love from God and the world will open for you! 

Love is born in fire, its planted like a seed
Love can't give you everything, but it gives you what you need.
And Love comes when you're ready, Love comes when you're afraid.
It'll be your greatest teacher, the best friend you have made.
~Give Yourself to Love by Kate Wolf   

 The Blue Moon August 2023

 

 

 

 

 

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A Tale from the Past to the Present

 As I write this blog, I'm sitting on an airplane returning from an unforgettable weekend in Los Angeles.  I rarely travel to LA anymore, California holds memories that I love and some that I'd rather forget.  This trip after 5 years, was to attend my 50th high school reunion.  How fun the evening turned out and a wonderful time was had by all. We were all asking the same questions, as it seemed.  We were all older, so many had grey hair, tummies and reading glasses (me).  Are we really this old and who is that man, I can't remember his name (me probably)?  Where did the 50 years go?  Just yesterday we were sitting on the football field, receiving our diplomas and looking forward to the summer before adulthood was to begin.  But here we were, the class of '73, 50 years later, together again and celebrating life!

The stories we all recounted, the memories of the past and catching up on the present were just wonderful.  Seeing my old friends from girl scouts, Tri-Hi-Y and classes that we can't remember now, brought plenty of laughter to be sure.  Even Mr. Kanner was there and reminded me I was in his algebra prep class!  Figures, I was horrible at math.  Some of our other memories were dimmed with the passing of time. Who would have thought, 50 years ago, we'd be in the last third of life, celebrating together the times we live in now, once again.  

We all had a story to tell, and since this is my story, I'll lead you dear reader into the present.  Some know my story, most do not, as I keep my life off social media except for a joke, an inspirational quote or two, and a worthwhile news article.  I'll tell my story from my heart and through my fingers on the keyboard of life.

I always felt out of place, awkward, and very self-conscience growing up.  I never felt like I fit in, I was not in the in-crowd, nor did I live up in the first tier of San Marino.  I lived down on the bottom third tier, below Loraine Road, on Sycamore Drive.  My ride to school was my feet, my ten speed and in my senior year, I occasionally got to drive the family car.   Bob Dylan and John Denver posters were pinned on my bedroom wall, and we did have a swimming pool, which my dad had built in 1966.  I'd love to see the inside of that house now, the breakfast nook my dad designed and built, the swimming pool and the back fence line, where the Neville boys looked over at us when we went skinny-dipping.  Life was simple, normal, and sweet.

I went on to PCC after graduation, down to Long Beach State in 1975 and stayed in the South LA/North Orange County area for many years.  John got a job offer to move to Boeing in Seattle so for the next 20 years, I raised a family, worked hard, and settled into life in the PNW.  As so many of you know, ten years ago we lost daddy and husband to cancer, and I then recreated my life and began once again.  

Retirement came easy for me; I was burned out and exhausted, so I retired early 9 years ago.  I set my intentions to live well, travel and invest wisely.  I had attended our 40th reunion stressed out, worn out from the months prior, and frustrated at having to leave a terminally ill husband, a rebellious teenage daughter and two dogs without their circus ring master.  When the 45th reunion rolled around, yours truly decided to go once again, this time in a better frame of mind and twenty pounds lighter.

The 45th sounded fun.  I was ready to face the past, smack dab in the face.  I went with no preconceived ideas of how it would turn out, only I was ready for the party.  That April, I had been in the UK and broke the bone connecting my leg to my ankle bone.  Long story short, I fell down three narrow stairs in an old hotel in Berwick on Tweed.  For the rest of my UK journey, I walked on the blasted thing, pumped full of Advil and a pressure bandage.  I got home and went for my well check 3 weeks later.  What the heck, I had my foot x-rayed and got the diagnosis I did not expect.  Therefore, I walked into the 45th reunion wearing a foot boot and a smile. 

After the event, I was invited for drinks with a fun group of old friends at the old Huntington Hotel lobby bar.  The magical massage on my "war wound" not only touched my foot but my heart and soul as well.  My life changed for the better after that healing touch from strong hands and that pure soul.  This girl has never looked back again. Yes, there have been challenges, yes plenty of tears but they're only tears of joy now and my heart is full.  Saturday night, and the Class of '73 witnessed what a heart looks like healed, opened again and where the magic is allowed to happen. Yes, we know we caught most of our friends by surprise and many asked me; "how did this happen, when and are you really seeing each other?"  Yes, yes, and yes again and I am incredibly grateful.

Therefore, to end this tale of knowledge from the past, and present, cheers to the Class of 1973!  Cheers to the wonderful friendships that have endured and cheers towards the next 50 years.  Until the next reunion that I have named, "55 for 55's," may God bless and keep each one of you.  XXOO  

1985 Sycamore Drive, June 2023

 

Joke's On Me

The joke is clearly on me this month.  I realized several months ago I was becoming burned out trying to write a tome every month.  Here I am again, however, the month of May and it just so happens to be Mother's Day.  Being that I am a mother and had a wonderful mother and grandmother's, I thought I'd write about motherhood and the meaning it has in my own life.  You see, being a mother is my greatest blessing and the most profound experience I have ever had. 

Motherhood for me was somewhat of a joke because I really wasn't sure I ever wanted to raise children.  My motherly instincts in days of yore, was coddling cats and dreaming of puppies.  I lived vicariously through my friends who had children and followed the lives of my nieces and nephew closely.  Then, low and behold, there I was, the age of thirty-nine and expecting my one and only.  Yes, it was a shock but a good shock and one that I got over very quickly.  At the time I was worried that I was too old, too long in the tooth to handle a baby but yes I did and here we are 28 years later, looking back at the wonders of motherhood and thanking God for the greatest blessing of my life.

Over the last dozen years, I have studied my family genealogy.  My maternal grandmother was a younger mother when my own mother was born.  My paternal grandmother was an older mother at the time of my father's birth, but all four great grannies were all the same age as me, at the time my grandparents were all born.  Of course, my grandparents were all at the younger end of the line of siblings, but I can't imagine giving birth in my late 30's and early 40's in the late1800's.  No drugs, no hospitals, only midwives in the most primitive of conditions.  Yikes, I was a big baby when I gave birth to my kid, can you only imagine giving birth in a 2-room home in Victorian England, a ranch in the hills of rural California, or in a log home in the Ozarks?  NO!  These are women who should be revered and thanked profusely.  

Meanwhile, circling back to my life and my motherhood experience, it was challenging to say the least.  My one and only will always admit she was not always very cooperative.  She was a bit of a handful, but a sweeter, more beautiful baby will never be unless it's my future grandchild.  The lessons this handful taught me were about patience, pure love, and complete devotion.  She taught me how to give fully and completely and with love in my heart.  This is what motherhood is about.

Over the years, as I raised my handful, I wondered how my own mother had the stamina to raise the two of us.  I'd guess it was easier as we entertained ourselves.  But then I began to look back, and all my grandparents were part of 8 to 9 siblings.  I worked outside of my home all the years the one and only was growing up; can you just imagine raising 9 kids and trying to keep them all straight in your mind?  Imagine the arguments, squabbles, and expense it took to raise that many kids!  Yes, they were spaced out, yes, the oldest was usually gone by the time the last kid arrived, but just imagine!  I can't but I give my great grandparents plenty of accolades for raising fine, upstanding citizens who knew the value of hard work, dedication to their families and country.  These great grandparents were the backbone of their children's families.  They were and still are admired and loved.

Therefore, to end this diatribe on motherhood, I want to thank my mother, my grandmothers and the four great grannies and beyond.  Your love, devotion, hard work and worn-out bodies are all to be thanked.  My own mother, who I love and miss desperately, is remembered always and lives daily in my heart.  My grannies are always in my heart and when I look at my family trees, see the faces of the greats who in some cases, look similar to my own, I smile and say thank you.   You are all to be saluted and thanked.  Happy Mother's Day! 

"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.  She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness"    Proverbs 31: 26-27

My paternal grandmother Henrietta Lee Lancaster 1892-1963 She was a true southern belle 

My maternal grandmother, Gladys Mary Hawkins 1896-1991 An English Rose

      My mother Margaret Sinclair 1925-2014 The darling of Santa Catalina Island

 

 

I Am Who I Am

I missed posting my April blog at the beginning of the month, not from a Senior Moment or time not permitting me to do so; I simply had no interest in writing one.  My life has started in a new direction and frankly, I need to focus on what serves me currently.  It's not that I don't have anything to say, I have a lot to say but I'm not sure if I'm interested in sharing those thoughts and my life with the world any longer.    

Over time, I was a soul longing for more.  I can honestly say now, I have all I need.  My little house here in Boise will not be my last home but for now it serves me well.  I know once I have grandbabies, I'll head in their direction as I want to know and love my grandchildren and be close.  I can't blame anyone for wanting that, so I sit and wait patiently until the time arises, and I know where I'm heading off to.  No pressure to be applied on my one and only, but I will be Granny some day and will live up to the name when the time is right!

I've learned a valuable lesson, and that is not everyone is who or what they seem to be.  I'm sure I'm not either as we are all an enigma of sorts.  We are not everyone's cup of tea so with that, I move gracefully on with my life and no apologies will be offered for just being me.  I have a good heart, do most things out of love, therefore I am of clear conscience.  

I live with a forgiving heart.  I'm not a negative person but when negative people enter my space, negativity is mirrored back.  Therefore, I'm learning to eliminate negative, judgmental, and dark energies out of my existence and replace them with love and light.  I pray we all take this to heart and eliminate what is no longer serving our best interests and move on.  Life is too short.

I made the commitment to raise these two young dogs and I will do so with a heart full of love and devotion.  These two dudes are almost grown men, and they provide me with laughs beyond measure and devotion only true love offers.  My guys are funny, sweet, full of love and they love people.  I've learned a lesson from them about unconditional love.  The saying love me, love my dogs is true here.   If one can't stand the friendly open attitude in my humble abode, well then don't come over.  We are simply who we are.

I have also learned that prayer can be answered.  When one prays with a loving heart and is open to what God will give, we all can have whatever it is we truly desire.  I've been on my knees praying with earnest and my prayers have been answered, I thank God with a humble and thankful heart.  I am living proof of answered prayer.

And finally, after careful consideration, this will be my last monthly blog.  I'll write periodically when time permits and ideas come to me.   I've got plenty on my plate to keep me busy, travels planned to take me to the end of the year and new lessons to be learned.  You'll hear from me, my dear friends, but frankly, this engine has run out of steam. I'm going to regroup, grow in spirit and offer myself to the world when the time is right.  One can never be sure of when I'll publish something I feel is interesting and relevant.  I'm not gone, just on a sabbatical of sorts.  With that, blessings to all who have read these blogs over the last three years.  I love you all and thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart. XXOO

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His love endures forever.  Psalm 136:1

Best Friends

Heart to Heart

This month my friends, we're going to have a heart-to-heart chat.  I've worn my heart on my sleeve more than once these past three years and stepped out of my comfort zone more times than I care to remember.  Now it's time for me to lay it all on the line, stop pussy footing around and speak my truth as I see it.  This is not an easy blog for me to write as I'm sure I'll tick off more than a few but as Rhett said to Scarlet; "frankly my dear I don't give a damn."

As we enter the spring of 2023, war is imminent, taxes are out of control, and the price of gasoline is once again going up.  Russia recently pulled out of the Nuclear Arms Treaty, and the idea of a nuclear attack is being bantered around in "thinking" circles.  Our power grids are weak, there's rolling black outs in some states and then the idiots in DC want to do away with gas heat and appliances!  How, if we are not repairing our basic electrical grids, can we rely on electric energy?  Of course, the Keystone Pipeline was stopped so natural energy is in question.  I swear, they're trying to starve us, freeze us, make us deathly ill, or destroy us in whatever way possible while making themselves look like heroes.  Please don't get me started on train derailments, food processing plants being burned to the ground, our electric transformer stations being shot up along with schools and shopping malls!  I'm honestly at a loss for words.

Our way of life as decent hardworking Americans is under attack and those of us with a faith-based system of living, are being slowly eliminated.  The truth of man and women is now being questioned, and basic biology is being undermined.  Children as young as kindergarten are being exposed to gender studies and told to question who and what they are!  What is happening to our society as a whole?  The United States of America is crumbling under this "woke" way of thinking.  Corruption at the highest levels is being revealed and nothing is being done to correct it! So many of our major cities are shitholes, criminals roam the streets without a thought, and no one seems to be punished anymore for their misdeeds and criminal offenses.  Fentanyl is coming in through our porous southern border and killing Americans daily. It's time we wake up, build the wall, and make it secure.  Enough is enough!

So, where are you going with this blog one may ask?  I have given this question much thought and the following are my eight remedies to fix the situation we now find ourselves in.

• Stop watching and listening to local and national news.  It's corrupt, it's biased (on both sides) and begin to read and study reasonable, well thought out, unbiased sources.  They're out there, look and find out for yourselves but not through the mainstream media.  The mainstream news is lying to us, and so many have been deceived.
• Social media is bull crap, plain and simple.  It's woke nonsense has permeated our society with lies and distortions.  Facebook, Tic Tock, Instagram, and other social media sites should be taken with a grain of salt and not relied upon for anything other than pictures of food, pets and family updates.  I do follow some awake people on Facebook and Twitter, but I check elsewhere for the truth.
• Criminals need to be taken off our streets and put away.  Rapists, murderers, child, and sex traffickers do not have a place in free society.  The punishment needs to fit the crime and be carried out with no allowance for good behavior. We should not be willing to sacrifice our children and future grandchildren to some pervert who happened to behave themselves while in prison.  I'm simply not forgiving anyone who would harm a child.  Lock them up and throw away the key or better in some cases...
• Arrest and prosecute those who have lied, cheated, and stolen from the American public.  This is on both sides of the aisle as neither side is free from corruption.  As Will Rogers said: "America has the best politician's money can buy." 
• Our government needs to listen to the people.  Many of us are wide awake to what is going on and are speaking out.  The elected officials work for us, not the other way around.  Make them do their job or vote out their sorry asses.
• Paper ballots need to be used in all fifty states, IMMEDIATELY!  It's becoming very apparent that the voting system in this country is a freaking nightmare.  Voter rolls need to be purged of dead people, who still have a voice even though they've gone to the great beyond.  After seeing the movie 2000 Mules, I'm convinced our election system is in a freefall.  When socialist/communists take over a country, they first gain control of the media and then the ballot boxes.  Fact, look it up if you don't believe me and do not use Wikipedia!
• Dr Fauci and his demonic group of lunatics need to be punished.  The Covid BS is over.  Take the therapeutics, Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine and enjoy life.  I can send you a link to buy these clinically proven harmless drugs, just ask.  They work, they're inexpensive and accessible.  No more booster shots, no more big pharma telling us what to do.  No more crazy loons like Fauci getting rich off the corpses of our relatives.  Sorry not sorry, I'm done with that demonic little monster.  He belongs in Gitmo for crimes against humanity.
• Finally, let our children be children again.  No more of trying to shove this woke BS down the throats of our babies.  No more gender reassigning ten-year-old's, no more basic pornography being taught in the public schools.  If I were to start over again, raising children, homeschool or faith-based schools would be the only way of instructing my child.  Kids are not learning the simple ABC's in public schools.  We are graduating uneducated, illiterate children from our public schools, with no idea how to read or write a simple sentence.  This is fact folks, and I'm not spinning right wing propaganda!  

Therefore, wake up America and see the truth.  This is a great country; we need to accept ALL people for who and what they are.  Basic good manners, common sense, and logic all but seem to have disappeared.  We're left with a crazy society hanging on by a thread. What I have detailed above is just a brief overview of the basic issues.  We are losing our country to a mob of woke, corrupt, and evil people who are trying to bring down the greatest country in the history of the world. It's time we wake up, it's not too late but getting close to it.  As I say, repeatedly, may God bless America.

"Never lose hope, my heart, miracles dwell in the invisible." 

~Rumi

Gifts of Gratitude

The attitude of gratitude is a gift and one of which we should constantly practice.  Recognizing this gift daily is one we all need for peace of mind, love, grace, and frankly, it gives our lives more meaning.  Being that the month of February is the month of love, I'd like this blog to be my love letter to you, my dear reader, as I'm incredibly grateful for the support this blog has had over the last three years. 

Gratitude is a practice embraced by all the world's major religions.  It has been proven that those who express gratitude are both happier and healthier.  Gratitude will bring great comfort and peace daily to those who practice the art of saying thank you.  Professor Jeff Wilson, an ordained teacher in Shin Buddhism and who is also a professor of Asian Studies at the University of Waterloo professes: "We practice simply to give thanks for what we have received.  It's a small shift in one's perspective, but when pursued, it can be transformative."  This is correct in my humble opinion and those who keep gratitude journals will confirm this to be true.  To give thanks daily for even the most mundane of things keeps us honest and true to the lives we lead.

I do not necessarily keep a gratitude journal.  I journal my thoughts, ideas, challenges, and deepest desires daily.  At the end of every entry, I always express what I am grateful for and give thanks to God for allowing it to be.  Therefore, listed below are six items that I am grateful for.  I could list more but frankly; it would be pages upon pages of reading, and I try to keep my readers from getting bored.

First, I'm grateful to know God.  God, you see, is the ultimate universal power.  God started and will end everything.  God is our one source; God is omnipresent and all encompassing.  God is all there is.  "Do not be conformed to this world, be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2).  I am grateful, thank you.

Second, I'm grateful for the family I grew up with.  I had lovely parents and if I were to choose once again, I would pick them.  My childhood was what it was, and I moved forward many years ago.  I am grateful for all the rocky patches, unhappy experiences, and stressful situations.  These life lessons made me stronger, wiser, and able to successfully navigate my way today.  I am grateful, thank you.

Third, I'm grateful I had the opportunity to marriage a try.  Although it was not perfect, although we had our trials and tribulations, although we had our sad times, I would not have my greatest blessing, nor would I have the lifestyle I currently enjoy.  Yes, that part of my life is over, and I've moved forward, but I look back and only see now, the happy times, memories and the life that was shared.  I am grateful, thank you.

Fourth, I'm eternally grateful to have reestablished a relationship I thought was lost.  I will not go into detail about this other than to say what was lost has been found.  What I perceived was gone, is still intact.  What was easy, uncomplicated, and comfortable, still is. Jesus said:  "Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matthew 7:7).   I am grateful, thank you.

Fifth, the life I currently live is perfect.  I have made lifelong friends in these past two- and one-half years and I treasure them along with those who stayed with me along life's journey.  I am grateful, thank you.

Sixth and finally, I'm grateful to God for all that I have, all that I can give and all that comes to me with love.  I am grateful, thank you.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!  For his mercy endures forever.

1Chronicles 16:34

 February 2019 - Pearl Harbour