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.   

 

Being awake early enough to see early morning, and late night sit down together . . . you have to get up pretty early to see the sun actually coming up at the moment.  I get up at five and it is already pretty much fully light out.  Occasionally, you get to see the moon before he jumps into bed for the day, and when you do, its magic! 

 

Birds on the wires.  A few had just flown off as I clicked.  There were a lot more when I started the photo. When I was a child I used to wonder why they didn't get electrocuted . . . these birds who were brave enough to sit on live wires.  I still wonder about that  . . . 

  

He sat there for quite a while.  The resident wood pigeon.  King of his castle. 

 

She likes to help us water . . .  she dances amongst the plants, barking and trying to catch the stream with her mouth . . . 

  

She can get pretty wet by the end of it all, but she is happy, and we are happy that she is happy.  Its a real smile maker for us. 

 

Its a pretty tiring business . . .  this supervising of the plant watering.  Somebody's got to do it however . . . 

  

Love this photo of my DIL Sara.  She is the one in the middle.  She's been up to something really special over these past months, and I am hoping this photo means something important.  All will be revealed when the time is right.  Lets just say she is an amazing young woman.  Love her to bits. 

 

This picture of my mom, Todd and brother was taken the day of our Eileen's wedding.  Hard to believe that it was so long ago now.  The years have flown by it seems. Mom turned 80 a day or so later . . . 

  

We had a party/get-together for her at The Big Scoop just below town.  Everyone was there.  Even my ex and his wife. (Because I am nice like that and I invited him/her. He was a big part of my mom's life from the time he was about 17.) 

 

This is a photograph my sister too one year ago today on our mum's 85th Birthday. Today she turns 86!  And we feel so blessed to have her still with us.  She has been through a lot over this past year.  Several hospitalizations, an operation to clear out her arteries in her legs, etc.  She has very poor circulation in her legs, which causes her to have a great deal of pain.  Recently the Doctor removed some of her toenails, and one toe was very infected.  The infection had been going on for a long time and was right down to the bone.  She has the VON coming every day to change the dressings on her toes.  It is very painful each and every time.  They need to wet the dressings to remove them because they stick. I cringe just thinking about it.  

Mom has vascular dementia. I know she gets really frustrated sometimes because she can't remember things. The other week we did a video call, and I don't think she really knew who I was, but that's okay.  I knew who she was and I know that deep in her heart she knows me and she loves me.  I hope she has a lovely day today, which is her 86th Birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!  (she won't be reading this.)  I am going to call her later today.  I didn't give her my usual Sunday call this week because I wanted to speak to her on her Birthday.  I have spoken to her on every one of her birthdays for 62 years now, and I didn't want to miss one. She used to get me to take a photo of her the night before her Birthday every year that I was close enough to do that.  I don't know if she thought that she would magically look different the next day or not!   

My mother is amazing to me.  She is a double cancer survivor.  She is feisty, and has a great sense of humor. She loves her children with everything that she has to give.  She is loyal and faithful and a great friend.  She is forgiving.  She forgave my father, even after he had hurt her very deeply.  She remains his friend to this day, and always will be. She loves God, and is the one who taught me how to pray.  I cannot ever thank her enough for all that she has done for me in my life. She is kind.  She is thoughtful. Well, she is just short of being perfect to me, although she would be the first to tell you that she was anything but perfect. If everyone in the world had a mother like my mother, the world would be a very different place. 

  

The gift of time and the ability to use it wisely!  

 

This is our friend Chris with his wife Courtney and their little daughter not too long after she was born.  Chris served a part of his mission here in Chester. He messaged me the other morning with a video he did for me of some blueberry tarts he had made. He thought I would like to see them.  We just love Chris.  He brought his wife over to meet us last year and we had them here for dinner. We loved him as a missionary and it makes me feel pretty wonderful that he still thinks a lot of us, and I was just thrilled to get that little video the other morning and to know that I have been a bit of a culinary influence on him.  ☺  

 

The telephone rang about quarter to nine last night and it was Brother Rasmussen of our Ward Bishopric wanting to know if I would accept the assignment to speak in church on the 22nd of July. Of course I said yes.  It has been a while since I gave a talk.  I am pretty pumped about it!  I love giving talks.  This one will be about the hymns of the church and how they can prepare us spiritually to partake of the sacrament.  12 to 15 minutes.  Yay.  I know, you probably think I am crazy, but I'm not.  I get to write something and I get to deliver it to a live audiance!  I love the challenge.  I love that I will probably learn something (s) new in the process.  I love the opportunity to stretch.  Its win/win/win for me!  

 

Did you know that yesterday was the 19th anniversary of the day I got Baptised?  Time flies when you are having fun.  Twas the best thing I ever did for myself!  It was also the 122nd wedding anniversary of my Great Grandparents, Esli Woodworth and Elsie Jane Simpson. without them, I wouldn't be here!

And with that I will leave you with a thought for today! 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *.˛.Some days she has no idea

 how she will do it,

but every day it still gets done.

~Unknown  •。★★ 。* 。 

  

In the English Kitchen today  . . .  Sriracha Chicken Fried Rice.  Simple and very tasty!

I hope your day and week are filled with lots of small and wonderful things.  Don't forget!

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And I do too!