Counting Blessings

Like everyone else this week,I'm posting on Thankfulness. You can read what I had to say yesterday by going here.


My cousin Debby posted this morning about the colors of her world in Buttonwood Bay, Florida.



She took pictures of all the colorful flowers and the gorgeous Florida sky that I so love and miss. For a minute I gazed at the sky scape in her assortment of colorful pictures and imagined I was walking along the beach starring out into the ocean and I felt like that sky was actually above me.


This is the color of my world this morning as I stepped out my front door.




Stepping out on my patio it was this.




If you look hard you can find color mixed in with all the white.

I think that is what God is reminding me lately. The color is there if I look for it.

Last night I participated in the most wonderful prayer service. The local Presbyterian Church and my Catholic church united for a Thanksgiving service. The two churches are trying to combine resources to assist the people in need in our community.

Father John and Pastor Ted did a great job. It was held at the Catholic Church but each church was well represented and took turns with the readings and prayers. Pastor Ted gave a wonderful sermon/teaching on being thankful and how important it is to make sure we don't take our blessings for granted. He told a story of 2 next door neighbors.

One day a woman decided to make a pie for her elderly neighbor next door. When she took it to her the woman began Oohing and aahing. Come in please and Oh thank you so much, you have no idea how much this pie means to me. That you would think of me is such a blessing. Thank you so much I will always be grateful for your kindness. Thank you thank you.

The next week the woman decided to bring happiness to the woman once again and made another apple pie and took it to the woman. The woman opened her door Come in she said "How kind of you, thank you very much for your kindness.

The following week the neighbor made yet another apple pie and when she took it next door the woman stepped outside and simply said thank you and turned to walk back in. She turned at the last second and said to the other woman, "Perhaps next time you wouldn't mind putting a little more sugar in the mixture. Or better yet, perhaps you could make cherry.

The fourth week with a cherry pie in hand the woman went to her neighbor. Before she could even knock the woman opened the door a bit and held out her hand for the pie. After she received the pie she stopped her neighbor and said, "You're a day late you know."

The fifth week the woman found herself too busy to make a pie. As she walked past her neighbors house the window flew open and the lady leaned out and hollered "HEY WHERE'S MY PIE?

Isn't that what we do with our blessings from God sometimes. We begin to take them for granted. On days like today I can either holler up to heaven "Hey God where's my sun and my flowers?" Or instead I can look for his colorful blessings right in my back yard where my grand kids are busy building snowmen at recess.

Thanks God for all your blessings I forget to be grateful for.

Little Pitchers

My luck has been better than normal the last few weeks. Our Alter Society at church and the neighboring parish have each put on a card party within the last few weeks. I won a door prize at each party as well as having 2 of my raffle ticket numbers drawn.

I won two bags of sugar which will be great for holiday baking.

Some lovely scented candles which I can always use.

Four grape color drinking glasses.

And this fall foliage basket with a bear.

This will become a door prize for "the group" next week.

Lucky in the prize department-unlucky in love. Maybe that's not all bad!





Tuesday I had to take YT for a root canal he needed because of chipping his tooth playing backyard football without a mouthpiece. Daughter had a regional volleyball game and step dad faints at the sight of needles so Grandma got elected to take him for his appointment.

He was a pro. I didn't even have to go back with him and after he went to a two hour basketball practice. Later that night when I called to check on him I heard how horrible he was feeling. I couldn't figure out how everything had gone so wrong. Finally Daughter came to the phone and told me what the real problem was.

Last week the boys went trick or treating at the home of our local football coach. He told the boys he was getting ready to go to a Halloween party and when they asked him what he was going as, he told them John McCain. YT asked "What are you some kind of an idiot?"

Football Coach has a daughter who plays volleyball for my daughter. On the way to the game that night she told my daughter what YT had said. Volleyball girl laughed telling the story, but my daughter was appalled.

Needless to say that YT was told he had to make a phone call to the Coach to apologize for his rude behavior. Suddenly the tooth became excruciatingly painful. Go figure. Pain or not the call was made.

I was so happy daughter gave YT a consequence for his poor behavior.

Now if I could just get daughter to realize that his attitude didn't come watching TV, it came from hearing his step fathers commentary for the last 8 years on what he thinks of George Bush and his political views.

Little Pitchers have big ears.....and sometimes a big mouth follows.