Let Us Always Remember . . .

Seventy one years after the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, our cultural memory of the attack has inevitably faded. It won't be too long before those with direct memories of the day are gone but it is important for us to remember the sacrifices made by past generations, especially since those individuals are not just names in a history book but are our neighbors, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and great-grandparents. 

Let us always remember this day in history

December 7, 1941

Good Hair Days!

Well, it may seem a bit shallow but TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR good hair days and today is one of those days for me thanks to the most talented Cindy Hammers here on the Island. I don’t know what it is about a good hair day that makes me feel extra special.

 

I could be wearing sweats and sick to my stomach but if my hair is *good* I will instantly feel better about myself. It happens to me all the time.

Today I am having a good hair day and it has made me feel beautiful! Every time I see it, it makes me smile, and smiling makes me feel great. And when I feel great I want to make others feel great and is there anything really wrong with that? Of course not!

I hope that you all will have a good hair day sometime this week because you deserve to feel as special and beautiful as I do right now! THANK YOU CINDY! :)

Waking up in the Woods!

I woke up in the woods this morning! My woods – the woods I never tire of exploring, who’s nooks and crannies are as familiar to me as the rooms of our home. I think people who don't know the woods very well sometimes imagine it as a kind o

f undifferentiated mass of greenery, an endless continuation of the wall of trees they see lining the road as they zoom past. And I think they wonder how the woods could hold anyone's interest for very long, being all so much the same.

But the truth is I have a list of a hundred places on the Island I haven't been yet. Wooded shorelines to wander; ponds I've never seen in the winter (I've seen them in the summer - but that's a different pond), and forests deep in the interior to explore. My list gets longer every year and doubtless it will grow until the day I die. So many woods - so little time.

But today I woke up in the woods! And I AM SO VERY THANKFUL FOR my woods!

 

 

Thankful for the Pain . . .

Pain is a part of life. Sometimes it's a big part, and sometimes it isn't – but either way, it's still a part of life. Pain does two things: It teaches you – it lets you know that you're alive. And it leaves you changed. It leaves you wiser – sometimes. It leaves you stronger – sometimes. Either way - pain leaves its mark. 

I am NOT thankful for the pain this insidious disease brings into my life. But TODAY I AM THANKFUL for the lessons it has taught me.

I am all Kinds of Full of Thanks!

This month – thanks to the suggestion of a dear friend – I have been thankful for stuff. Like, seriously thankful. Like thankful-out-of-the-wazoo kind of thankful. I have been earnestly committing to reflecting each morning on one thing to be thankful for and sharing that reflection here.

But today I am going to generalize my thankfulness. Because – honestly – I’m feeling lazy. And I don’t want to spread my thankfulness too thin. But don’t doubt that I could. I could totally whip up 100 things to be thankful for and include the truly important things in life like sunshine and impending vacations. But instead of a cornucopia of thankfulness today I’m going to reduce my thanks to just 1. That’s right - one generic TODAY I AM JUST PLAIN ASS THANKFUL. For my life. For everything in my life. I am all kinds of full of thanks!

 

 

A Lifetime of Paddling - A Month of Thanksgiving!

There is no rushing when paddling. When you paddle you go at the pace of the water and that pace ties you into a flow that is older than life itself on this planet. Acceptance of that pace, even for a day, changes us, reminds us of other rhythms beyond the sound of our own heartbeats. 

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR a lifetime of paddling!

A Month of Thanksgiving - November 25, 2012

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” ― William Arthur Ward

I was the child no one wanted for a student. Obstinate. Opinionated. Curious. Well-read beyond my years. Front and center, hand raised high on every question - questioning the questions along with the answers. I came to understand at a very young age that there was so much to learn and so little of what I wanted to know being taught within the confines of the many schools and classrooms I was relegated to endure.

I have, however, been blessed to have had some really great teachers in my life. My Great-grandmother – who taught me to be a Wilds; my Grandfather’s mistress, Nora – who taught me that books are the quietest and most constant of friends; my 5th grade teacher Mrs. Johnson – who taught me that my curiosity was a thing of beauty to be cherished, nourished and admired; my first college professor Dr. Shuman – who encourage me to stretch myself beyond any and all external limits; and philosopher/author Parker J. Palmer – who taught me we teach who we are. That good teaching cannot be reduced to technique – great teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher.

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR all the GREAT teachers in my life that valued and shared their sense of identity and integrity with me.

Today I am Thankful for . . . SNOW!

I love snow. I absolutely adore snow. I get little-kid giddy when it snows. To me, snow is proof God has a sense of humor. If the weather forecast contains even the slightest possibility of snow, I'm sitting by a window, looking out, hoping and praying - please let it snow. Why do I love snow so much? 

I love snow because it brings out the kid in me - snow is the only weather you can play with. You might be able to play in the rain, but you can't do much with the rainwater. But with snow - well - there's almost no end to the things you can do with snow. And that's one of the reasons I love it. I love getting in the snow - touching it, holding it, walking in it, skiing in it - just plain loving it! 

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR snow!

Part of my *A Month of Thanksgiving* series

30 Days of Thanksgiving Continued - November 23, 2012

 

I sincerely believe that history matters.  History defines, educates and inspires us. It lives on in our stories and traditions. As custodians of our past we must value it, nurture it and pass it on.  Stories define one's sense of the unique nature of each of our families, and of our own places in them. They provide us with inspiration, warnings, and cherished values. These stories never leave us; they reverberate through our lives, guiding our choices in work, friendship and love.

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR memories – the history of our family shared through its stories.  

A Month of Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving Day 2012

"I Receive ALL of Life with Thanksgiving -
I have gratitude for EVERYTHING
that has ever occurred to bring me to this moment.
I give thanks for the joys and the sufferings,
the moments of peace and the flashes of anger,
the compassion and the indifference,
the roar of my courage and the cold sweat of my fear.
I accept gratefully the entirety of my past and my present life".
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

TODAY I AM THANKFUL for all things! 

 

A Month of Thanksgiving - November 21, 2012

 

They were once little boys who looked to me for everything - love, protection and guidance. They loved me unconditionally and snuggled up to be hugged at a moment’s notice. They are now men and though they will always be at the center of my life, I am no longer at the center of theirs. Their own sons and daughters have taken over that role. I am so proud of them that it makes me proud of me. I hope they know that. 

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR 

my two wonderful sons. 

A Month of Thanksgiving - November 20, 2012

 

I came kicking and screaming to social networking. Why would a grown woman with grand-kids want to spend any time at all on the computer just chatting? It was my granddaughters who set up my first Facebook page during our annual 4th of July family gathering on the Island.

There was no turning back after my first *Friend* invites came rolling in. Now I can’t imagine a day going by without being able to chat with friends near and far. Without sharing recipes, announcements of births and deaths, and getting a giggle or two from the photos, jokes and quotes everyone posts. 

 

These days I have a VERY active Facebook account, Pinterest boards and I Tweet on a daily basis. Yes, there are days when what I read frustrates and saddens me. But mostly I feel my life is richer as a result of all these instant forms of communication - of social interacting. 

 

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR this thing called FaceBook!

 

 

A Month of Thanksgiving - November 19, 2012

 

What a pure blessing it is to have a bath in a tub alone in a room where all you have to do is turn on the knobs and let the water flow. Not tote buckets. To lie back, relax and take comfort in knowing that when you are finished all you have to do is pull out the plug. Not tote more buckets to empty the tub. That kind of thing is easy to take lightly unless you have never had it. 

There have been times in my life when I toted buckets.  Lots of times and many buckets.   

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR hot baths whenever I want them!

 

A Month of Thanksgiving - November 18, 2012

 

Ah, Sunday Mornings! From our very first weekend spent together Barry and I have cultivated our Sunday morning routine – jazz, mimosas and the Sunday paper. Sometimes the most important part of the whole week is the rest taken between two deep breaths. For us, Sunday Morning is that rest. 

 

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR Sunday Mornings!

A Month of Thanksgiving - November 17, 2012

I read all sorts of things: books, boxes, magazines and newspapers. I have always had this insatiable desire to learn but mostly I just love to read for reading’s sake alone. I love words! 

Being dyslexic means learning to read - for me initially - was a struggle. But once mastered it has become a lifelong obsession. Anything really interesting can absorb me to the point that I don't know what is going on around me. 

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR  the gift of printed words!

A Month of Thanksgiving - November 16, 2012

 

We all seek water, shelter, food and a means to gather all in one place for security and in most cases comfort/prosperity.  This place is the thing we call “Home”. But having lived in everything from a tiny trailer deep in the woods to a house on a hill in a Historic Neighborhood I have come to understand that no four walls nor roof will ever suffice unless you know what you want in life. 

For me home is not where my heart is but where my heart is most happy. Home is the place where I am loved unconditionally. Home is where I feel safe and protected. 

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR having found my “home”.