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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The reverence I have for the sacred things in my life. For faith, family, home . . . There is a difference between reverence and familiarity. When we are reverent, we demonstrate the value of something. When things are familiar, they can become casual. Familiarity with miracles can lessen their importance in our lives.  Familiarity with prayer can make it seem humdrum.  Familiarity with family can make them lesser than what they really are. Familiarity with home can make us appreciate less the blessing of what home really is. All these things are sacred gifts.  Faith, family and home.  I hope and pray that I never begin to take any of them for granted and that I always show them the reverence they are worth and the divine dignity they deserve.

This photograph of Cinnamon came up in my memories this morning. It is perhaps not the best photo that I have of her, but I love it anyways.  She has such a sweet personality despite her looking so aloof. I love it when she jumps up and nestles in for a nap if I am laying back in my easy boy chair reading or some such. She is the one who trots alongside of me when I go to make my bed in the mornings.  The one who is usually to be found lying on the back of the sofa behind my head in the evenings while I am crocheting and watching television. She is the quiet one with the soft voice who purrs the whole time she is eating, the one who rolls onto her back on my bed covers willing me to scratch her belly. My little tigress.

The maple tree in my back yard is covered with buds. It is the first to leaf out in the spring and the last to lose its leaves in the autumn. It covers my yard with shade all summer long.  I love to listen to the breeze rustling its leaves on a warm summer day. It is a comforting sound. quite peaceful.

Sunday night suppers.  I am so grateful to have family that I can enjoy supper with each week on Sundays.  My sister is a great cook and always cooks us a lovely meal.  Usually a roast of some sort. Yesterday it was a beef roast, and it melted in the mouth.  There was delicious gravy and mixed vegetables and the tastiest roast potatoes all crispy brown on the outsides and fluffy inside.  I am grateful to be included.  I feel guilty sometimes because I have done nothing to help put it together. She does all the work.  I hope she knows that I never take this effort of hers for granted.  That I always enjoy what she had made for us all, but more important than that, that I enjoy the blessing of feeling a part of their lives and a part of a family. That I enjoy her company and that I love her very, very much.  I love spending this time together.  But then again, I always enjoy all the time we get to spend together.

Each of you. You come here every day, and you read whatever I have written. Some comment, some don't. It's all okay, although I do truly love the interaction of the comments, even if it sometimes takes me several days to respond. It is not for lack of appreciation.  There are not a lot who blog these days.  Most prefer to post on Instagram or other social media platforms.  I love blogging.  It gives me the chance to write and to journal my feelings, my thoughts, my life. I have always loved writing, since I was a child.  The written word is a vital part of my life, whether I be reading the words of others or writing them out myself.

Some of you have been coming to read my thoughts and words for years and years.  I do appreciate each and every one of you. You help to inspire and uplift me.  Thank you. I would really miss it if I did not have this to do each morning. It is a vital part of my day. 

 

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The creativity of others and the time they take to share it with the world.  I am so inspired by these things. I appreciate them.  Now I am wanting a cookie lid with a little cookie bird sitting on top.

 

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It's election day here in Canada. I already voted last week so I don't have to go out and do it today.  I know it will be super busy.  I am so grateful that I live in a democratic country where I have a voice that is not silenced.  Where I have the opportunity to make that voice count even if only in a small way. Every vote counts.  It was not always so for women. 

On January 27th, 1916, women in Manitoba became the first in Canada to win the right to vote in Provincial elections. The provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan followed several months later.

By 1918 all female British subjects (and we were considered as such) over the age of 21 could vote in Canadian federal elections and by 1922, women could vote in most Canadian jurisdictions.  The exceptions were Quebec (1940), and the Northwest Territories (1951.) In Newfoundland, which was not yet a part of Canada, women got the right to vote in 1925.

This right came at a cost. I will exercise it every chance I get so all of the efforts of those who paved the way to win me this right will never be in vain.

The outcome may not always be what I wished for, but at least I have had a chance to have my say, if only in a small way.

 

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My taxes are done now and all paid up.  Whew!  It was not nearly as painful as I thought it would be, but still, I wish it were less. But at least I pay my fair share.  Would that everyone did.  Quite often the wealthy pay next to nothing.  I am not sure quite how that works, but I am glad to pay my share. 

I wish I were a better bookkeeper and that I did not have to go through the angst of having to sort all my paperwork out every year the way I do.  I should be better at keeping on top of it.

 

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I am thankful that I have a heart filled with gratitude for the many blessings I enjoy each and every day.  I have all that I need and there are many who cannot say that. I have a warm and comfortable home to live in and stand in need of nothing.  I have enough that I am able to share a portion of my abundance with others. That is a great blessing in and of itself.  What did I ever do to deserve such a thing. I don't know, but I do not take any of it for granted. 

I choose joy.  Each and every day. I choose joy. It beats the alternative. It is found in the small and simple things which surround me, and which embroider my life with abundance. I know, I go on and on each week about all the good in my life. I just never want to take any of it for granted.  I am not always up, as you well know. Sometimes I can feel very low, but I am incredibly blessed in that I can usually shake off the negative most of the time. Not everyone is able to do that.  Some days it is harder to choose joy.  But choose it I do. Sometimes I have to dig deep to find it.  But I dig deep.  I am grateful for the strength I have to do so. I hope that I never tire of counting my blessings.

I will end this now with a thought for you to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

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

 *.The real luxury in life is:

Time to dilly dally.

~Unknown  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In the English Kitchen today, from one of my vintage cookbooks, Twin Mountain Muffins.  These are plain muffins, just slightly sweet, not too big, not too small. Just right.  Especially served warm with butter and jam. Perfection. 

I hope you have a lovely day. If you are in Canada and have not done so yet, don't forget to vote!  Whatever you get up to I hope that you have a day filled with joy and abundance. Don't forget!

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And I do too!