Small and Wonderful Things . . .

 

"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny? It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard 

 A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best. 

 

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There was no actual church this past weekend. It was Stake Conference, which was held in Dartmouth at the Stake Center here. (A stake is a section of the church, composed of individual Wards or Branches. It usually covers quite a wide area.) A lot of people travel there to go to the sessions on Saturday night and again on Sunday morning.  A lot of people watch them via Zoom from their homes and still others go to their local meeting houses to watch there.  I watched at home via Zoom.  I don't like to drive at night these days. Cataracts. The headlights really bother my eyes.  I also didn't want to drive there on Sunday morning so I watched it from the comfort of my home. I am grateful for modern technology that affords me the ability to do this.  Also grateful for a church that takes the time to connect with its members like this several times a year. It is nice to feel a part of something bigger.

 

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The calendar pages flipped over to November and with that came a sense of hush and calm. A few weeks to gather your thoughts and feelings before the onslaught of the festive season really grabs hold. A gentle exhale and a chance to catch up with yourself. The calm before the Christmas storm. 

A chance to enjoy the glow of lamplight, warm jumpers, socks and blankets . . .  a few weeks to nourish our souls and gather our thoughts before the activity of the festive season really begins to grab hold.

Yes, the days have drawn in more and more, but this is no way a bad thing. It is almost a notice to draw in and relax . . . to take a few weeks of rest while we can. Cook simply and gather small moments of warmth.  Finding our rhythms in the dark and call them our places of peace. A month to celebrate the ordinary.

 

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And just like that all of the Halloween Decorations have come down. I did not have many up.  Just a few decorative stakes in the front garden. It took me all of five minutes to remove them. All the pumpkins on the front porches up and down the street have gone and Midge across the way has put out her special Remembrance poster.  

I was grateful that the children did not have rain and wind on Friday night. Even so we did not get as many as we normally do, and mostly older ones, but it was still nice to see them in their costumes. I was more than content to have it done and dusted earlier though.

 

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 Grateful that our brother David has had his first cancer treatment and feeling hopeful that nothing else will be needed in the long run. It will be about 10 days or so before anything is known for sure. In the meantime, he is resting up, or at least resting as best as he can. He is usually a very active man, both in his personal life and in the service he gives to his church. Already he has been out walking around the block, etc. I imagine it will be quite a job for his wife to keep him contained. At least he had already finished getting his glider put away, etc. for the Winter. Yesterday when I spoke to him he was feeling a bit tired, but he was correlating all of the photographs he had collected from the flying club over the flying months.  I expect he will put together a video of some sort.  He will not stay too quiet I am sure.

We are all most grateful for the prayers and happy thoughts given.  I always think that the greatest gift that you can give another is to keep them in your heart and prayers.

 

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“We shall not be happy unless we live like good animals, 

unless we enjoy the exercise of the ordinary functions of life: 

eating, sleeping, loving, walking, running, swimming, riding, sailing.”

~William Morris 

I am grateful for the blessing of having an ordinary life. I wake up each morning. Pray. Do a bit of work throughout the day. Have the opportunity to enjoy the simplicity that is my very ordinary life. I have plenty to eat, my cats to keep me company, the love of family and friends, a bit of work to give my life purpose, and the gospel in my life to help give it meaning.  I fall into bed peacefully at the end of each day. I am content. I am living a contented life.

The extraordinary arrives not by winning prizes, awards and notoriety, but in how we appreciate each day we are given. In engaging with our days thoroughly, and realizing all that we have been given, with gratitude.  There is a great joy that is to be found in living an extraordinarily ordinary life.

 

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The temperature has dipped below zero during the night and the ground and rooftops are covered in the gilt of frost this morning. I am grateful for my comfortable little home and the shelter it brings. My heat pump has been keeping me warm this morning.  The cats are enjoying the warm floor in the bathroom. My house is filled with the smell of hot raisin toast and butter.  A toasty spiced apple tea. I am cozying in.  

I do have an appointment at 10 this morning to have the winter tires put on my car and an oil change/winterization done. Dan is coming over before then to put the tires into my car boot so I can go off to the car place.  They are on rims so quite heavy. I can't really lift them myself. I am very grateful to have a Dan to do these things for me. 

Sunday dinner with family.  Cindy always cooks a lovely meal. I love spending time with her anytime though. I am grateful for people who love me and who I love back, unconditionally. These family times mean the world to me. God is good.

And with that I best leave you with a thought for the day.

A thought to carry with you . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
*“Optimism is our last and 

perhaps most important vestige of free will. 

It is up to us and nothing else to have hope.” 

~Jonathan Carroll  • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • • 

In The Kitchen today . . .  Savory Green Bean Casserole. This is a beautiful side dish with potatoes and fresh green beans in a rich and creamy, homemade, cheesy sauce, topped with buttery breadcrumbs and baked to perfection. I could (and did) eat a plate of this and nothing else quite happily!

I hope your day and your week ahead are filled to overflowing with small and wonderful things. Don't forget along the way  . . . 

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And I do too!