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.

I am doing this post a day early this week because we ARE going to Liverpool tomorrow and will be leaving the house quite early to catch the train.  Yay!

 

Small and wonderful thing number one is friendship!  This is Jo and Colin taken from our trip to London last year for the Turkey Awards.   I can't believe it has been over a year since we have seen them and I am so very much looking forward to seeing them again tomorrow and catching up!  It's long overdue!  Jo was the first and the best friend that I made the whole time we lived down in Brenchley.  She was the housekeeper at the Manor when I started working there and she was so helpful and friendly and welcoming.  We got along very well together and the friendship just grew from there.  She left two years before me as she and Colin moved back to where her parents lived so that she could be closer to them.   We never lost touch.   Todd and I have been to their new home several times and have always enjoyed our visits with them.   They are just the nicest sweetest people ever and both Todd and I can't wait to see them tomorrow!  Friendship . . . it's a small thing and yet it's everything.   I like to think of good friends as being family you get to pick for yourself!



Speaking of family . . . is this not the most adorable little boy ever???   This is our Cameron, latest grandson, number six!  He is four months old now and growing like a week and just as cute as a button.   I know I am biased, but don't you just want to snuggle that little face and kiss it all over!  I do and I hope that I don't have to wait too long to be able to do just that!  Are those not just the cutest baby blues you have ever seen?

 

No, this is not me jumping out of a plane.  It's my son's partner Sara!  Isn't she brave?   I am not surprised.  Although I have only known here a short while, we have talked a lot and I think she is the perfect partner for my son.  She is sweet and fun and  kind and caring . . . and she's got spunk!  She's also very talented as a photographer and has one of the top mental health blogs in Canada, called Saratonin .  She's  won lots of awards and even been on the telly.  She is good people.  Way to go Sara!  I could not jump out of a plane, even if someone was holding me!



I also happen to think that she is quite beautiful and that my son has very good taste in women.  Finally.   He's has a few losers in the past, but he is on to a winner this time and I am very happy for them both!

Finding the right person (s) to share your life with is everything.



This weekend at our church we are having one of our Bi-annual Stake Conferences.   Our church is very well organized and each country/province/state, etc. is divided into individual stakes or areas.  For instance ours is called the Chester England Stake, which is one of several here in the UK.   Each Stake consists of several Wards (which are individual congregations) of which ours is the Chester Ward.   Twice a year we get together as a whole stake and listen to what the leaders in our area have to share with us as a stake under the direction of the Church Presidency.  It's pretty special and you often get to see people you haven't seen for at least six months and you get to be spiritually fed.  As our numbers are quite few over here in the UK, it also helps us to feel like we are a part of something which, although small in numbers, is pretty wonderful and  a part of something which is very big.   I think it's pretty special.  Since our chapel is the Stake Centre the Saturday Evening Family Session is always held there along with the Saturday Afternoon Priesthood/Leadership session.  The Session on Sunday will be in a larger venue.   As the Relief Society (ladies auxilliary) of the Chester Ward and chapel we got to provide refreshments for the priesthood in between the two meetings yesterday.   I love being able to serve in that way, and then being fed spiritually afterwards.  It's win/win!



My daily conversations with my sister.   I had missed that over the past 13 years.   She was working full time and with the time difference we rarely got to speak to each other.  Up to that point we had spoken pretty nearly every day.   My sister was my first best friend , remains my best friend, and will always be my best friend.   We know each others hearts and understand each other in a way nobody else ever will.  We may not see eye to eye on many things, but we see eye to eye on some of the most important things.  Now that she has moved back East to be with our mother and she is not working at the moment, we get to speak every day again and I am treasuring those times we spend together.  I have not physically seen her in 11 years, but our hearts have never been and never will be very far apart.  

A special thought to carry with you through today . . .

(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´ ☆
.`•.¸¸.•´

♥♥
Life is the first gift,
love is the second,
and understanding the third.
~Marge Piercy  


 

Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . . Spiced Pumpkin Fritters, with a Vanilla and Caramel Sauce.  These are very scrummy and very easy to make!

Have a wonderful Sunday!  I hope it's filled with lots of small and wonderful things!