Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursdays – The Year of Thanksgiving

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Awareness, consciousness, Experience, family, Friends, Karma, spiritual growth, Thankful, Thanksgiving

My religion labels every year with a theme that runs in 12-year cycles. This year’s theme is The Year of Thanksgiving. We place special emphasis on being grateful for the gifts of God. These gifts are awareness, consciousness, and spiritual freedom.

My gratitude is boundless for the blessings of this life. The people I have met, those that took the time to teach me something, and especially for those that called me friend. I’m grateful for my family, friends, and every person who has given me some of their time.

I’m also grateful for every win and loss. They are both necessary for growth. We grow when we lose. We grow when we struggle. We grow when we have to search for answers to our problems.

I’m also grateful to be an ECKist. The spiritual insights I have gained have been wondrous. It’s hard to put these things in words. It is the knowingness that is most precious.

For these things I am grateful. Life is a gift. Life is precious. Life is a privilege.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursdays – Sister

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family, Friends, Fun, Grateful, Humor, Sister, Thankful, Thankful Thursday

My sister just changed jobs and decided to move back home to get herself set up for the new position. It has been a great time so far. We hang out, we talk, we watch shows on TV, and we get to hang out more then when she was living a couple hours away.

It’s nice to have her home. I missed most of her life, while I was in the service, and living in different states after I retired. I know her, but really don’t. Now’s the time to get reacquainted and get to know her as an adult woman.

So today, I am grateful for my sister. She’s got a great sense of humor, works hard, and always contributing to the family. I couldn’t be happier that she is home. It’s a great thing.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Mom

Tags

Birthday, caretaker, cheerleader, consistent, dependable, family, listener, Mom, Mother

Today is my Mother’s birthday. She had me when she was 20. Throughout my life, Mom has been a supporter. She attended every concert, sporting event, and ceremony. She always got my birthday cards and presents to me, regardless of where I was in college or the Army. She is very much the busy-body today that she was when I was growing up. She gardens, cooks, takes care of my Dad, and is constantly on the move. It is amazing, considering she is 77 today.

She is also a caretaker. She took care of my Dad’s Dad when he had a stroke and was all by himself. She took care of her Mother when dementia struck. Now she takes care of my Dad, who is also a victim of dementia. She is a listening ear to friends, my brother and sister, and me, when life tosses us a curve ball.

So today, I am grateful for my Mom. Happy Birthday! Here’s to many more.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Weekly Challenge

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Challenges, family, Lockdown, Reading, Relaxation, Spread Your Wings, Sunday, Writing

Challenge: This week’s challenge involves some exploration. I’m going to offer another challenge below in case some of your lockdown conditions are just too hard to pull this off. The challenge is to take a walk in the woods, a beach, or a park. The challenge doesn’t require a certain distance, just that you go to one of these locations and take a stroll.

Challenge (alternate): Some of you live in areas where the lockdown is tough to overcome. One of my friends in Melbourne, Australia appears to be in an area that is suffering from a resurgence of the virus and is back under lockdown condition. This challenge is for you. This week, read about, look at pictures, or attend a virtual tour of one of your country’s or state’s national parks.

If you participate, tell me how you feel when you return from your little excursion.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursdays – Grateful for Sis

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Enjoyable, family, Fun, Grateful, Movies, Shows, Sister, Talking, Thankful

My Dad had a hernia surgery this week and is recovering nicely. In light of this, my sister wanted to come up and stay with the family to help out when and where needed. Since she, like most folks, is working remotely for her company, it didn’t matter whether she was here or at her place.

My sister is always bringing some humor to the place. She likes to laugh and enjoys watching good movies, hanging out with the family and friends, and talking with friends on the phone. One of her endearing qualities is being so excited to watch a movie together and then falling asleep partway through. This happened when she was over, as we watched Joker for the first time.

So today, I’m grateful for my sister. She’s a good soul who loves life, loves to have fun, and loves to talk. Thanks for coming over, sis. It was a great few days together.

Have a great Thursday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Giving

Tags

family, Friends, Gifts, Giving, Good memories, Good times, Togetherness

As we give of ourselves, of our patience and love, to someone else who needs it more, something changes inside us. Something flows in, a flow of good feeling. A spiritual upliftment occurs both in us and in the person receiving the love.

—Harold Klemp
The Language of Soul

Have you ever thought about your favorite moments in life? I do from time-to time, and none of them involve money, an award, or anything else material. My best memories are with family.

I remember playing Scrabble with the family when I was a kid. I remember learning how to play card games. I remember my grandfather teaching how to play chess. The best memories I have are those where I spent time with someone else.

When we give of ourselves, we open ourselves up. It is an expanding practice. It makes us feel good and the person receiving the gift to feel good. Sometimes, just giving someone the time of day on the phone is enough. Maybe they’re having a rough time of it and need to vent. Maybe they just did something terrific and don’t have anyone else to tell. These little moments are the most precious to most people.

There is one circumstance when I was thrilled when I received something. It was when my late grandmother sent me a gift in the mail, while I was in the Army. What meant a lot to me is she never missed a birthday–ever. I also knew she didn’t make a lot of money from Social Security and other things, and it meant so much that she would still take the time to get me something. Toward the end of her life, she used to send homemade chocolate peanut butter cups. Sometimes they would show up all melted, but it was truly the thought that mattered.

My mother is the same way. She never, ever, misses a birthday. Even when I was deployed in the Middle East, she got me birthday and Christmas presents. Another time, my wife and I decided to put together a cheese and meat plate and sit behind our home next to the pool and listen to jazz. We didn’t say anything to one another. We just sat there, enjoyed the music, nibbled on cheese, meat, and crackers, and enjoyed our moment together in complete silence.

I hope each of you has a terrific Saturday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Friends

Tags

Buddies, family, Friend, Friends, Friendship, Saturday, Spiritual

As I write this post, one of my Mother’s friends is visiting. It’s great to see her hang out with other women, because frankly, hanging out with two guys all the time (Dad and I) is boring. Guys don’t talk like women do, at least Dad and I don’t.

Friends are those folks who know us. They know who we are, how we tick. Friendship lasts a lifetime, or they fade when we move, and forget to stay in touch. Today, that seems impossible, but I imagine it happens, particularly when a friendship really wasn’t to begin with.

I don’t have many friends, but the ones I have are lifers. My best friend is my wife, but I also have a significant group of folks in AZ that I stay in touch with. Our society is very mobile today. I moved back home to help my folks. One friend moved to Boston, another to Las Vegas. Still another moved to AZ as I was leaving. Things change, people change, but friendship remains.

Friendship is the best, isn’t it?

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Grateful for My Dad

Tags

Dad, Dementia, family, Good life, Reading, Retirement, YouTube

Dad’s got Dementia. I returned home in January 2017 to come home to help out the folks. Since coming back home, I have seen first-hand how devastating this disease is. Dad loved TV for most of his life. He was born in 1939, so he was part of the first TV generation, growing up on radio initially. Within a year of my return, he forgot how to turn on the TV.

His short-term memory and attention span have also taken a hit. He can no longer follow long and complicated plots on TV or on streaming sources like Netflix. He is also not a huge fan of public TV because he hates all of the commercials. So, I got him on YouTube and he loves it. There is a lot of variety, most of the videos he watches are 5-10 minutes in length and they are entertaining to him.

Dad provided for the family for over 40 years. He made a good home for Mom, provided for three kids, and before he retired, was working 16-hour shifts to put together a big enough nest egg for he and Mom to retire on. Well done, Dad.

Dad is still an avid reader. He probably puts down 3-4 books a month. I don’t think he understands much of the stories, but it keeps him busy. Today, I’m grateful to my Dad, who now needs my help. It feels good to pay back the life my parents gave me and my siblings, by retiring early and refocusing my life on new things and them.

Today, I’m grateful for my Dad.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Grateful for my Nephew

Tags

Dad, family, Girl time, Grateful, Gratitude, Mom, Nephew, vacation

I picked up my nephew and his girlfriend from the airport today. Boy, are they a cute couple. My nephew will graduate this year from ASU. He’ll be heading to medical school or a Master’s program next. He’s on track to do great things.

His girlfriend was a real sweetheart, too. She was amazed at all the green in Michigan. She is a native Arizonian, and they are used to the desert, where everything is brown, save for the cactus and scrub brush. There are trees there too, but not to the extent we have them in Michigan.

It always tickles my Mom and Dad pink when they have visitors, especially my Mom. When no one is here, she has to put up with two guys (My Dad and I) and we are not talkative. I’m buried in my work and reading, while my Dad, who has dementia, has lost his ability to have a two-way conversation. So Mom is stuck without another woman to chat with. Sure, she has her Facebook friends that she video chats with from time-to-time, but it’s not the same as sitting down with another woman over a cup of coffee and just talking. So, I’m glad my nephew’s girlfriend is here. She and Mom hit it off great.

Well, that’s it for today, folks! Have a great Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Focus on the Positive

Tags

family, Friends, Good, Good weather, Grateful, pets, Positivity, Thankful

It is so easy to think about bad things. I think this is because our brains are wired to seek out danger. It’s a survival mechanism.

That being said, stressing out about things we do not control can really throw us into a tizzy. So, why not flip the coin and concentrate on the good things in life? Some of the things we take for granted are those same things we notice when they go away or stop working. Things like good health, a steady Internet connection, a computer that works, and a car that gets us from one place to another.

Think about the finite reality we call life? So little time, yet so much, if we use it wisely. Reading, writing, learning, loving, experiencing. Get everything you can out of life. Exploring new places, doing things you’ve never done, and loving like there is no tomorrow.

In Michigan, we have been experiencing a heat wave. In the last few hours we have finally gotten some rain. I can hear the pitter patter on the roof. It should cool things down a bit, and give the grass, flowers, and plants in my Mother’s garden some much-needed watering.

One of my daily practices is to be thankful for even the smallest things. It makes me feel great, and it gets my day started the right way. I express my thanks for God, my family, my friends, and many other things. If you haven’t tried this practice, start simply by writing down three things that bring you joy each day. If you want to really go for it, do this in the morning when you arise and right before you go to bed. It’s terrific!

Well, that’s all I have for now. I wish all of you a great Saturday!

Until next time…

Dave