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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My head cold is all but gone now. It was not as severe as the colds I have had in the past were. I put that down to having had my flu shots.  Actually, I had not had a cold since I started getting the flu shot, so it had been a very long time. My sister thought perhaps I caught it because I am more susceptible to the germs in this area, having lived away for such a long time. My body hasn't built up the natural immunity to local cold germs, etc.  I do confess I found it a bit disconcerting that I would get a cold, despite masking and sanitizing.  I mean, if I could get a cold, what else could I get? It does make me wonder just how much safer wearing a mask keeps me? However, I will continue to mask and sanitize because, despite getting a cold, I still feel safer doing so.

 

Because I have had a cold I haven't been going anywhere much or doing anything outside my home.  I am grateful that my sister was able to pick up some water for me last week. I don't really like the way the tap water tastes here. It is very chlorinated and so I drink mostly bottled water, although I do use tap water for cooking. Mayhap I need to get one of those filter jugs?

I am so grateful that I have a cozy home to shelter in.  A place where I am safe and warm and comfortable. I really feel for those who do not have homes and are displaced and homeless. Especially at this time of year.  I know that a lot of towns and cities have shelters where they can go to sleep at night, but there are only a limited number of spaces and what do they do all day?  Wander about I suppose. 

We need to do better to take care of our homeless. I know that a lot of them are mentally ill.  When the hospitals kicked out the mentally ill, they created another problem. Just my opinion. I am not sure what the answer is.

 

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Having Sunday supper with the family. Yesterday was the first day in over a week that I had felt comfortable spending time with my family for fear of sharing germs with them!  It was nice. Poor Pumpkin, my mother's cat, has been sick, but she was feeling a lot better yesterday also, which was nice. It's always a worry when a pet is not well.  My sister had had to take her to the Vet on Saturday. She is an older cat and seemed to be very poorly. You know your animals and you know when they are not well.  My sister promised my mother that Pumpkin would always be cared for and so it was a bit upsetting when Pumpkin wasn't well because all sorts of other feelings were attached.   In any case she was feeling much better yesterday Cindy is taking her to the Vets again today for an aftercare checkup. 

Sunday dinner with family?  A very good thing.

 

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Dad is coming here for supper today. Because Cindy has the Vet for Pumpkin and then has to go to work after, that means her time will be really pressed. I said I would be happy to have dad to take a bit of the pressure off. Being able to cook supper for my dad makes me happy. He has very simple tastes so I am always a bit limited in what I can cook for him. Salt and pepper are his spices of choice, lol.  He doesn't like anything out of the ordinary.  I will just be doing something simple for him, but it will be very nice to have him here with me.

 

(Luke with his Christmas stocking)

Somebody has a birthday today!  Luke turns 13. He's a teenager now!  I am sure he is very excited about that.  I sang Happy Birthday to him on the messenger. I hope that he has a great day.  He's a really interesting boy, very handsome and quite personable. I know I am biased.

 

We have always facetimed a lot through the years, so he has always had somewhat of a relationship with me. He's not afraid of me at any rate or afraid of spending time with me.  I am grateful for a son and daughter in law that have made sure that Luke and his brother Gabe have had a relationship with me no matter how far I lived away. It's been a real blessing these past few years to have been able to turn that relationship into a more "in person" type of relationship. I really enjoyed spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with them this year!!

Happy Birthday Luke! I hope you have the best day ever!  I suspect that he will.

 

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Although we have had a mild Winter so far without a lot of snow, it is still cold, and I am grateful for my heat pump which helps to keep it warm and toasty in here, without breaking my bank. It is rather noisy, and this weekend had developed a rather disturbing ticking noise in addition to the regular noise it makes. I called the landlord this morning and the guy came over. He could hear it also and had a good look at the heat pump and it wasn't something he could do anything about as he is not an electrician.  My name is on a list now for review by an electrician. I am not sure how long it will take for an electrician to come over, but I think it will take a while.  In any case, it is just something I will have to learn to live with for the time being. He doesn't feel it is very dangerous, just noise. It sounds like the fan, or something, is hitting something and making this ticking noise. Hopefully it won't be for long, and the unit will keep heating my home regardless.  

He did adjust the blower thing on it so that it is now blowing heat out into the room instead of down onto the floor directly in front of it, which is an improvement.

 

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I am so grateful for a life which is filled to overflowing with blessings, large and small.  I am very fortunate indeed.  Life has never been totally smooth, but I am grateful for my faith which has enabled and given me the strength through the rough times. Grateful also for all those that the Lord has placed around me to also help and support me through those times of difficulty.  Every once in a while, I am reminded of how very lucky and blessed I was to have a family to welcome me back to Canada and take me in when my life fell apart at the end of 2020. Not everyone is blessed in that same way.  I hope and pray that I never take any of them for granted.  I will go to my grave grateful for each and every one of them and for their love and support. I am so blessed to have the family that I do.

I am way behind in my day now due to the maintenance man coming so I must close this now.  I am incredibly blessed in all ways, and I want you to know that you are also a part of the blessings in my life.

A thought to carry with you . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *Hearts united in pain and sorrow

will not be separated by joy and happiness.

Bonds that are woven together in sadness

are stronger than the ties of joy and pleasure.

~Kahlil Gibran  •。★★ 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。

 

These last few weeks I decided to try out Hello Fresh, independently of them. I did this on my own and paid for the boxes myself. I wanted to know how the experience compared to my previous experience when I was in the UK and had been given a box for free. If you are interested in a fair and honest review of this meal kit service you can check out my findings today in The English Kitchen.

I hope your week ahead is blessed and filled with loads of small and wonderful things. Along the way don't forget!

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And I do too!