4-17-2017 A Favorite Spot

It's nice when you have an old-standby, a place you know to go to, just the right beach or exact spot at the beach.  The first time you go there, it's just like any other place, but after a few times going there and some good memories you always think about that place and go back whenever you can.
I went to a favorite spot this past Saturday and a bit of magic happened - I went for a walk with my girlfriend and came back with my fiancee!  It was close to sunset, there was a nice breeze with the salty ocean air and some friendly people around.

I'm grateful for this favorite spot!

4-7-2017 24 Hours

Each day has 24 hours to use or to waste.  I was thinking about what to write and mentally walked through what has happened in the last 24 hours which was quite a bit, some good, some great, some ok, and maybe some of it was time I could have spent better.  But I thought about it and was glad that I did.  It was like a mini-judgment day, and also almost like a second chance at the same time.  Reliving and reflecting the past 24 hours was a good reminder to use them wisely, but don't stress, be present, be patient.

There's 24 hours, every day, use them wisely, or at the very least look back on them, there's still time to value them, and tomorrow you get to start all over again.

So, very grateful for 24 hours!

4-6-2017 A Hand

Lend me a hand, please.  Could someone please give me a hand here? Here, let me give you a hand with that!
Sometimes, at just the right place or time, someone reaches out a hand to help.  For that person it's such a little gesture.  But for the receiver, it can make all the difference in the world.

It's more powerful than words.

I'm grateful for every time any one has reached out a hand to help me !

4-4-2017 Knowing Where to Get Help

About a year ago, I was thinking about trying to figure out how to get through issues involving my kids and moving forward with a relationship that would hopefully lead to getting married again.  It felt like at the time it wasn't what I was ready for (although I probably was).  Nearly a year goes by and a lot happens and I have a series of little and a few big epiphanies about life, what is important and it all leads back to what I had turned down a year ago.

But part of the puzzle this time, as I contemplated moving forward is I knew there was someone that could help when I was  ready.  A lot of pieces came together in my mind over the course of a week, but this one was a pretty big one and made the decision a lot easier.

So tonight, I'm very grateful for knowing where to get help.  Hope, not ever giving up, and remembering to be grateful is what I will do, and maybe someday these words will help someone!

4-3-2017 Cooking a Home Cooked Meal

When put together the right way, with some fresh ingredients, some chopping, frying, mixing, sauteing, slicing, shredding, etc. some plain ingredients turn into something magic.  Something to sit down together for and put aside whatever was going on and eat.

Chopping especially, makes me feel like I'm doing something good, not sure why.

I don't always put together a real home cooked meal, but for the times I do, I'm grateful for that.

3-29-2017 Favors

I like doing favors for people, both the kind that you know can not be repaid (e.g. anonymous ones) and the kind that might get paid back someday, maybe when you least expect it.

If someone says "can you do me a favor?" and they really need your help and it's something you can help out with, it feels really good. Sometimes little favors can make a big difference.

And when I'm the person asking for a favor, it can be such a huge relief.

So today, I am grateful for favors!

3-26-17 Stitches

Stitches (aka sutures) - No one ever really WANTS to get stitches - unless you need them.  And if you really need the stitches then there is probably something much more traumatic going on than the stitches themselves.  And eventually, the wound heals, and the stitches come out and it's all in the past.  But, while they are in, they are literally holding us together.  They've been around for a long time in some form or another, but someone a long time ago first thought of them and now they are almost taken for granted.

But today, I'm grateful for stitches.