Thankfulness Times Ten…….



Here are the guidelines I have for this thankfulness theme……

Just find ten things I am thankful for, in the moment. I have no rules...I may go over ten, if I cannot help myself......I may repeat myself.....and, I will write in no particular order of importance. If you feel inspired to do the same....do link yourself here in the comment section.

I am thankful for........

1. A husband who works so very hard for his family……. (I pray daily for his job security and job satisfaction)….and one who keeps asking once a week if he can make dinner for us (Uh….heck, yeah!). He is a natural in the kitchen and such an excellent example to his boys…all three of whom enjoy working in the kitchen preparing a meal. I am also grateful for his attention to the boys and their sports. St. Joseph, pray for us!

2. The chance my high schoolers have to receive a scholarship from the McConnell Foundation to attend the Yosemite Institute for a week in April. Matthew attended. Then Sarah attended. Maddelyn is there now. How exciting and wonderful to live in Yosemite for a week when you are young. I am not jealous. Not.

This is Sarah during her visit in 2010.

3. Wonderful friends and family to stay with when we travel up and down California. There are more than these listed, of course……but this is where we stayed on the latest trip…. We have our second home in San Francisco with the G-Family….and we love and adore their extended family as well. My Great-uncle Howard and my cousin Lynn (my namesake) live near the ocean and were so hospitable: making a birthday party for Garrett's 14^th birthday, taking us to the beach….and putting up with us! J With one evening's short notice (due to a big snowstorm that moved into my original travel plans), my brother-in-law Christopher and his wife Dana put the little boys and I up for a few days in their home in San Diego. It was such a nice visit. And quiet, for once…..not having to run all over the place to see the sights. The boys loved a chance to swim in the pool.

To the left of the pole we have

my Garrett, 14, my Malachy, 9, my Sarah, 18, my Anne, 22 & Charlotte, 5.

To the right of the pole, we have Clairemarie, 10, my Maddelyn, 15,

Clementine, 8, my adorable godson, Benedict, 2.5 and their beautiful mommy, Gloria G.

We spent a couple of wonderful hours at the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park.

A little pizza party for Garrett's 14^th birthday in downtown San Luis Obispo

with my Great-uncle Howard and his daughters, my second-cousins, Lynn and Claudia.

It was a wonderful night! Thanks for the treat, Unc!!

In San Diego at the grand opening of a piece of freeway in Santee.

Niece Julia, her friend, my Garrett, nephew Benjamin and my Malachy.

4. Living in a very long and gorgeous state that borders the ocean. California is something to see in the springtime!!!



5. The generosity of our friend Patty who has been tutoring my older kids in math for a couple of years now. They adore her method of teaching and all have blossomed under her tutelage. They LIKE math now! J



6. The generosity of our dear friends, Louise and Evan and their lovely and fun children, Miranda and Emileo. They fulfill that need of "family" that we all have when we live far from our own family.

7. The homeschooling lifestyle. I could rave on forever….but the fact that I get to spend so much time with my kids and that they have become each others' best friends is reason enough. Of course……the ability to travel whenever is a pretty awesome pro as well!


8. That my husband refurbished a computer for me so that I could move closer to rest of the world's abilities. It is nice to have some speed and space. I am not very fond of change…but I am being patient….and learning the updated programs…..one.step.at.a.time. Today I discovered how to write a blog post in Word…and publish it from there! This is so wonderful because blogger and I have a few relationship issues when it comes to writing drafts. Actually…..I have not done it yet…..still hoping it works!!


9. For the way Facebook allows frequent interaction with my relatives. Now, I do not miss them as much as I was without FB….we share more fun times and jokes…..and we can be there to celebrate or pray for each other. And most wonderful: we can watch each others' kids grow up via pictures and stories. Especially all of the sweet new cousins!


10. Our six wonderful and awesome kids. This picture will have to be worth the rest of the words…..

The first time all six kids were together since New Year's weekend.

Anne 22

Matthew 20

Sarah 18

Maddelyn 15

Garrett 14….in a few days from this photo

Malachy 9

Tell me about your blessings!

Love & prayers,

Chari

 

Thankfulness Times Ten

I awoke this morning......no, actually, after I was awakened this morning, after a 2:15am bedtime, by my darling, sweet 8 year old fellow who was bored because no one else was yet awake in the house.....I lay thinking about thankfulness. Mentally, I began a list of ten things I was thankful for.......of course, I struggle to remember what my thoughts were at that time. :)

Here is my original blog post about this topic in January 2008.  I thought that I had written about this topic since, but I cannot find any such posts.

Here are the rules I gave myself at that time:

Recently, I read about research showing that folks who use journaling to write what they are thankful for...instead of just a place to vent, find their lives are more happy, more satisfying. It got me thinking......yeah, I know, scary thought.......well, it got me thinking, it might be kind of nice to just find ten things I am thankful for, in the moment. I have no rules...I may go over ten, if I cannot help myself......I may repeat myself.....and, I will write in no particular order of importance. If you feel inspired to do the same....do link yourself here in the comment section.

I am thankful for........

1. That we got our once-in-a-lifetime chance to see those amazing works at the art museum in San Francisco.....actual paintings of The Impressionists from THE Louvre!  A dream come true!  And, that there is one more exhibit coming to San Fran, to double the delight......and that we have the G Family to live with whenever we are in San Fran.  Two families couldn't be more compatible.


2.  That we get to go to the beautiful ocean at least twice.  We loooove the ocean.


3.  The fun of staying up too late chatting weddings with a future bride....and following it up with more fun and chatty conversation with my three girls.  Lots of giggling, of course.


4.  Arriving in time to San Diego to attend the first annual Twain Fest in Old Town San Diego.  It was delightful to spend the day in a literary-based fashion!  I love that my kids loved this day, too!


5.  Eight-year olds who love to climb in bed with their mama for serious cuddling, kissing her, and saying "I love you"


6.  A too-short, but charming visit with my Great-Uncle Howard and my second cousin Lynn.  Lynn's breakfast was yummy and quite a treat.  I am grateful that Unc could have enough imagination to let my crowd come to stay with him.  I found it amusing to see Garrett following Unc around helping him with his electrical problem. I also am thankful for Unc sending a candy treat along for our ride.....Aunt Jo would have been proud.  :) Looking forward to future visits.


7. Matthew's opportunity to attend Thomas Aquinas College.  I am incredibly jealous.......I will need to read along with his reading list......well, maybe one book a semester.....or perhaps a year?  Did I already mention I was jealous?


8. Friends who are understanding when we cannot come visit when we thought we would.  :(((

9.  A chance to spend quality time with our San Diego relatives, including the displaced one living in Las Vegas.  I think it has been three years since we have been down here.

10. The Internet which provides an incredibly easy and efficient way of communicating with the family and friends......it makes it easy to keep up with relationships like those uncles, aunts and cousins that you grew up with , but hardly ever see........and with little sisters, too!  And, of course, those friends that live across town that we do not bump into enough......and nieces and nephews....


Have a beautiful day,  counting your blessings!!

With love and prayers,

Chari

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM!

And to my Grandma!!!

And, to my sisters.......and my cousins........and all of my friends!

Going back only a few generations, my grandma was the offspring of these two people....

My Great-grandparents, William Henry & Era Lee

She was a Winn & he was a Goodwinn. Kind of funny.

They were only 11.5 and 17 years when they married.

Then, they gave birth to my grandmother, below, who then married my grandfather.

This is May Alleen & Ira James.

She hates her first name and goes by Alleen,

but mostly "mom" and grandma," and he went by Jim.

I think this is their 25th wedding anniversary....

...in which case, I must have been born already, I am guessing.

And Alleen & Jim gave birth to BeverLey Kaye, my mother.

My mother was born in Texas, but here above, my grandma with my mom as a toddler, and my Uncle Louis, her older son, are visiting California. This is Morro Bay and Morro Rock which looks much more busy now than it does in this photo!

My grandpa with my mom as a toddler, and my Uncle Louis.

My mom and her younger brother, Stephen.

My mom with her older brother Louis and her younger bro, Stephen.

A school photo of my mom.

The next bunch of photos were taken in 1955 when my mom and her parents and younger brother came from Texas for a visit to California, just before they moved to California.

Their first visit to the Pacific Ocean?

....my grandpa, always ready to play, with my mom and Uncle Steve.

My mom and her younger brother Steve.

My mom.....

My mom......

My mom........

My mom and her brother Stephen with a friend or cousin in the middle.


Then, my mom grows up and gives birth to me after one year of marriage to my dad.

You are going to love the sixties look in these photos......

My mom with me.....notice the clock, the scarf.......the clothes

My mom with my first sister......ntoice the chairs, the sandals.....glasses and "sideburns"

My mom and my dad and me at her elbow, at a Cristmas meal.

Am I whining???

My mom with the black scarf.....with me next to her.....my sister Teresa in the high chair......Uncle Louis and Aunt Martha on the right......and my grandparents on the left, with my cousin Mark. That's my dad's arm. We often went to this Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles......very auhtentic.......I only remember tortilla chips...........and a man singing with his sombrero......"Ai, Yi, Yi, Yi" :)

My mom in the blue dress, me in the red..........Uncle Rex......who later abandoned Aunt Ruth. :/

I always loved this photo of everyone dressed up.....and posing in front of a tent!

This is my mom, my little sister Teresa........my dad's mom....and me!

Love their dresses!

My mom did lots of really cool things for me when I was growing up. I have a serious amount of samples below..........

My sister Teresa and I with our cousins Mark and Michael.

My mom would always set a lovely "children's table" for us at Christmas and Thanksgiving.

She also sewed our matching dresses.

Oh, and curled my extremely STRAIGHT hair!

She always made a beautiful Christmas tree for us.

My grandma feeding cousin Michael..........Aunt Martha in the blue....my mom in the red...and my sister and I and Cousin Mark opening many presents.

Another Christmas.........and another dress my mom made for me...........this time she knit it. I may still have it. Though you can barely see my sister behind me........she crocheted that dress.

My mom and Aunt Ruth are on the couch.

My mom threw great birthday parties for me!

A bunch of friends and relatives.........at the park in Westchester, California.....

......the park I "grew up" at. My dad in the Mickey Mouse shirt.....he has not changed much!

My mom in blue with sun glasses. I am in center with present.

Another year, another party........same park :)

Must have been a cool April day in Los Angeles.

I am the gal with her head bent, to open a present.

Cousin Mark is front and center, with my little Cousin Jimmy to the right.

Mark is now a Professor of Psychology in a Southern California UC school....

...and Jimmy is now an Internist in So. Cal.

I have no idea who most of those kids are....

...my Aunt Sue, Jimmy's mom, my dad's sister.....is to the left.

My mom.......looks my sister-in-law Dana right here......

one of same parties as above......me with pony tails....

.....my sis Teresa with the short blonde hair.

My made great cakes for us.........her first being for my first birthday.

Here, she lights a yulelog cake that she made for one of our Christmas dinners.

Isn't it a sweet cake!

My mom always worked hard to get our family together to see my Cousin Julie,

whose mom (my dad's sister) died when she was one year old.

I always appreciated that........

and now I have been able to maintain that relationship through my adult years.

Julie and I were buds when we first met........like sisters then.

We are only 15 months apart.

Above, you have a lot of cousins, two generations......my dad's cousins and my cousins.

Starting on the left, is my dad's cousin Leslie holding my littlest sister Jennifer Leslie, her namesake.

Leslie and her twin sister Lynn, whose name is the same as my middle name (Lynne), are only nine years older than me.......and Leslie's kids are same age as Anne, so we have a lot in common.

I am in the center front.......in the row behind me are Cousin Julie, my sister Teresa, my cousin Cindy.

Aunt Nancy is holding her baby Garry..........and she is cousins with Lynn and Leslie, because she is my dad's youngest sister.

Lynn is the cousin standing on the right.........

and the grown up in back are Julie's step-mother (I am having a blank on her name) holding her baby, my mom and my Grandma (dad's mom).

She took me to Johnny's Pastrami as many times as we were able.......so KNOWS visiting Johnny's is always priority in Southern California!!!

My mom "tried" to teach me how to sew.........I am still barely just past novice.......I do not sew naturally.......at least my girls do! But, she was able to help me sew this quilt while we had four generations hanging out in Louisiana with my great-grandmother and grandmother (see them above!). Seh helped me sew a quilt when I was 12 years old, too. I still have that one. The one above I made for my new husband..........it has since disintegrated. :/

Lesson learned.......NO Wal-Mart fabrics for permanent quilts!!!

My helped with all of the planning of my wedding in only three months.....

.....my veil, my cake and the decor.

Our family in 1985:

Baby sister Jennifer, my mom, me, my new husband, Marty,

my dad and my sister Teresa.

THANKS MOM FOR ALL OF THE GREAT MEMORIES>>>>>

>>>>OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY MORE.......

......but, not enough pictures to prove it! :)

Blessings to all on this Mother's Day, 2009!

Love, chari

There's been some good news around here.....

Let's see, where do I start?

How about pregnancy announcements?

Having kept mum for almost three months, we are finally allowed to share: my friend Louise is pregnant! Her birthday is this week...and then she and I will be the same age.......this is is her second baby....and my kids, who just found out last week, are absolutely estatic! I do believe they believe, the next best thing to me having a baby (don't panic, Grandma! :) ), is Louise having a baby.

We also have another local friend due the same week...and she is over 40, too! Yay, Victoria! This will be number 4 for her family.

And, we just found out today, that our dear friend Erica in San Diego is expecting baby#8 the exact same week....and she is over 40 also.

Isn't this exciting!

Congratulations to all three of you........and I am excited that I will be able to share Louise's birth with her.

You are all added to our daily Memorare for expectant moms!

Next good news, it looks as if I have actually found a Certified homeopath, who really and truly does live and practice in my town!!! I will make an appointment shortly to see if we can get these asthma symptoms cleared up once and for all! I met her yesterday. She has been a nurse practitioner for over 28 years and seems to fit the bill. Please pray this is so!

And, more GREAT news! I have not found my way here to mention that one of my close friend's husband had lost his job two weeks ago. We have all been scheming and praying........and on Saturday, he was offered a job.....and, from an employer who had told him almost two weeks before that there was no room for him at their place of business! We are so grateful to God for this opportunity!

And, our community good news.....THERE IS SNOW!!!!!

Our poor little community was so hurting, being a tourist town. We depend on snow for the businesses to make money. This feels so much better.

There may be other good news......but I am at a loss to remember anymore, right now.

So, onto HAVEN HEARTBEATS:

I have finally got the Christmas newsletter finished.......I just need to finish proofreading...and then I can get copies made and mailed. I will not be finishing that project, till I have all of the college & scholarship application stuff cared for........so, a couple of more weeks, I guess! I am getting closer....and will look forward to when this batch is done!!

We have TWO graduates this spring!

Anne will be graduating with her AA.

Matthew will be graduating from high school.

One on May 15 and the other May 28th. And in between? Well, they have college finals and a show........that Anne is directing and Matthew is starring in....plus doing all of the set design and building. And, three other siblings are in the show as well!

I am having these few moments to post because I am waiting for 13 year old Maddelyn, who is in a 50 minute class here at the college. It is a music fundamentals course.....and ugh, it is FIVE days a week! Thankfully, Anne can drive her and Matthew and Sarah three of the days. Marty has been good about driving Maddelyn on one of the days.....so, that leaves only one for me. Phew!!

I am in the college's library.

Garrett, aged 11, for only another month or so, has been on a REAL basketball team. Our little charter school was able to form a team this season. Some weeks, this has meant basketball 6 evenings a week! We have an amazing coach, with amazing experience. He also happens to be the director's husband. that is how we got such a great guy.........he has two boys on the team. We combined with another small team from a private Christian school after the season started......and doubled our game schedule! It has been so good for Garrett......and Malachy loves going to the games. Me, too. They finally had their first win last Friday, in a tournament. It was a great comeback!

I guess the biggest drawback, besides the busy schedule, is the fact that our sparsely populated county is so big...and we have to do a lot of driving for games......most over 30 minutes away from home...and some over an hour!

Last bit of news.........Sarah will be 16 years old on Sunday!!!!

Well, time is up! Maybe I will come back here next Tuesday!

God bless your week!

Chari

Disappointed over the election results???

AND, you love to see nature pictures in Australia???


Well........who would ever think to put gorgeous holiday photos and a journal entry about disappointment over a US election together???

You have to see my sweet friend Anne's blog.


WOW, it SO works!


I love what she wrote.........I love her photos......I love Anne!


Thank you, Anne, for caring so much about US and for praying for US.

We really appreciate you, and all of our Aussie friends, for their prayers. Don't stop! :)


Blessings from the US, in cozy Northern California!

~C~

How Can I ever Say Thank You?

I got home from our camping trip last Saturday.........and collected the three days of mail from the mailbox. There was a little package in there.

Hmmm.........I wondered what I was getting from Roman Catholic Sacramentals.......I did not remember ordering anything. I thought maybe I had signed up for something free a long time ago and maybe it was suddenly showing up.

When I got to the house, I opened the package. Inside was a small vial of oil. I saw on the PayPal receipt it was Holy Oil from the Holy House of Loreto.

Hmmmm....I do not ever use PayPal......so, it cannot have anything to do with something I did.

My immediate thought was: someone from the 4 Real message boards must have sent this to me for the healing of my current breathing problems. It brought tears to my eyes.......these ladies are so special. Then, while I was thinking WHO could have been the one...........my heart immediately went to aussieannie as the choice.......

Then, I studied the Paypal receipt..........there was an email there.............I was about to go to the boards to check her email, to see if it matched the one on the receipt......but, before I got to that page, I received notice of a private message for me.

I was right! It was a private message from aussieannie......and it was she who sent the gift.

I am so in awe of Anne's generosity. I always knew she was special....but this goes beyond the simple definition of special. I cannot even find the words to say thank you to her........I have waited a whole week.......trying to think how best to thank Anne........and I cannot get beyond this.

I guess the best I can do is to keep her intentions close to my heart and God's mind, while I pray this summer Rosary Novena.

I would like you to take a moment and visit the beautiful blog kept by Anne: Under Her Starry Mantle. With a title like this, you just know she loves our Blessed Mother.

And, on Tuesdays, Anne has a special devotion to Saint Anne on her blog. Saint Anne is a particular friend of mine.............Marty and I begged her for a baby after two-plus years of marriage and promised we would name our baby after her if it were a girl.......well, most of you know it must have worked!

The Holy Oil comes from the House of Loreto, the stone house in which Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived while in Nazareth. "According to tradition, in 1291, when the Crusaders were finally expelled from Palasinte, Our Lady's stone house was transported 'by angels' first to Illyria (in Croatia), then to the territory of Loreto on December 10, 1294, where it remains to this day.".........from the insert with the oil.

The oil I have received, comes from the leftover oil that burns in the Holy House, and is used as a sacramental. I am using it to invoke Our Lady of Loreto's intercession for healing, especially during this Rosary Novena I am praying. I have been blessing my chest with it whenever I have more moderate symptoms. This was daily at first......and now sometimes every two days. I always have a relief of symptoms when I have used the oil. Thanks be to God. He is so generous in providing us with sacramentals.


More info about the House of Loreto is here.

Anne, thank you so very much.

You are SO sensitive to others' needs.........and I am so humbled to be one of those you were "thinking of"

Thank you so much.......SO MUCH. Someday God will share with you the magnatude of my gratitude.......I SO wish I could give you a hug, in real life. In the meantime, consider yourself hugged.

I was going to beg God to let me know what to do, the next step, and then the Holy Oil shows up in my mail box. I am thinking this is my direction, for now. Thank you.

Blessings to you and yours.........wishing we did not live so far away from each other.....

God will reward you for your generosity, much better than I can!

With love and friendship, across the ocean,

And, in the sweet heart of Mary,

Chari

Follwing up on Hearts' Haven Cats.......

You may remember I wrote a post titled:

For My Friend Aidan: The Cats of Our Hearts' Haven way back in June.

Well, I MEANT to send the reply that Aidan and his mom put together for me........it was SO thoughtful. And I was so pleased. I was also very surprised how many photos Willa had of my cats. :) Click HERE to see what they had to say!

Willa wrote this in a private email.........with her permission:

Sigh -- we really do miss you -- seems like our Bryan clock is set for March, July and October -- and we are missing some of the clock-strikes : (

I thought it was so clever. And true.

The nice thing is............a bunch of things fell through and changed and made it so we were able to strike the July dong........just differently then we ever thought we would. Such a blessing.

Thanks Aidan and Willa.

Blessings,

Chari

PS.....In case anyone was wondering...........our kitties are called Jane and Lizzie.....and they LOVE Malachy to hold them............which he does as much as possible!

THE DIAGNOSIS IS STILL A MYSTERY

.......and will remain so, I expect!

I know it has been awhile since I got a post in lately.............(besides the 4th!).......my excuse is kind of a good one, this one time :)

On Father's Day I started having strange symptoms.......that by Monday were so severe, I needed to go to the ER, per my primary MD, and homeopathic MD, too......they were worried I might have a spinal infection, and the pain was beyond tolerating, even for my high pain tolerance.

Thankfully my labs came back without proof of infection.....I think it may have been the prayers of my friends and family.......but I was hospitalized for pain control, which we got by about 1:30am. I had more medications in 24 hours than I have had in 24 years. Ugh. Most of you know that was beyond MY comfort zone........I ended up feeling weak and wiped-out with nausea and a severe headache for the whole week. Funny, I had some fantasy that once the pain was under control, I would be feeling my normal self........I guess not! The recovery time shocked me.

Oh, I also had an MRI which showed that I have what we KNOW was wrong with my back (and unrelated to these issues)........and thankfully, nothing else.

So, that is my excuse. :) Once I got better..........it was too hard to get to the computer to write when I had just lost a week in my life.......lots of catching up to do. Has not happened yet, of course...............but I am plugging away. Barely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The insurance paper just came in for this hospital visit...........and I am in a state of shock. For a 32 hour stay in the hospital.......and I was not even that sick..........it looks like the charge is about $8,800. Is that SICK or what? I NEVER go to the ER............I rarely go to the doctor's office............this amount $$$ may be a deterrant in the future. This does not even include the MD bill or the radiologist's fees. Yikes! If I am going to spend $3,000 I would like to see a new used car sitting in the drive-way.........or take a wonderful trip somewhere.........or that gazebo I want.......ya know?

And, all of this money, for a day in the hospital........and no real diagnosis to show for it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In suffering this trial, I was SO blessed by my friends........I owe thanks to some special people during this time........


In order of blessing:

My dear friend Willa kindly posted a prayer request for me, and my 4-Real friends came in mighty strong and generous, and for that I am most definitely eternally grateful. Even if I felt lousy, getting to talk to Willa daily was fun. :) Looking forward to continuing the habit! :)

My husband..........for staying with me at the ER even though I told him I was just fine, he could go back to work. :) I REALLY needed him there. I am glad he stayed.........plus, at least he knows I really needed to be there.........especially when he looks at that bill. :/

Oh, and he also drove four of the kids up to Oregon to see their orthodontist, since I was still too ill to deal with the three hour round-trip drive to the appt.

David......he is my friend, and also my doctor. I had called him that morning and he sent me to the ER. In the ER they were unable to do anything more than vital signs till the ER MD could come see me...........David walked into the door to find me, and got the ball rolling, ordering me pain meds and fluids and the tests I needed. Phew! I had to wait at least 45 minutes on that guerney for help......he was such a sight for MY pained eyes! He is the best doctor for ME. I appreciate how respectful he is about understanding how I can take responsibility for my family's healthcare....and in using alternative therapies and avoiding drugs most of the time. And, it is nice we can pray for each other. He was surprised to hear from me that day, even asking me on the phone: How urgent is it, Chari??? teasingly, only seeing I meant business. He KNOWS I never call unless I have a REALLY good reason. :)

I left a message for my dear friend Louise to let her know I was going to the ER, and when I got to the "floor" she asked what she could bring. She started listing items.......food, tea, magazines.......and in the background I hear little Miss Miranda (5 years old) chime in with "a fresh cut flower?" :)

......that is SO Miranda :)........so, I said YES, a fresh cut flower would do me just fine. The girls also brought me some yummy hot tea, one of my favorites, Vanilla Hazelnut by Celestial Seasonings, and some House Beautiful magazines. The next day they brought me fresh fruit because the hospital food for breakfast was disgusting, truly. Hmmmmm.....I think Miranda brought me some chocolate, too. These two are such gems! And, I am not sure..........I cannot remember, but I think Louise may have given a ride to one of my kids for a class.

(Interesting side note: Louise and I were born in the same hospital in Los Angeles less than a year apart...... :) )

I tried to call my dear friend Shawna to let her know I needed prayers as I headed into the ER, but was unable to get through to her.........I asked Louise to let her know..........when Shawna returned Louise's call......Louise's husband said she went to see me in the hospital........and immediately after Louise arrived, Shawna's cheery face was besides hers! Wasn't that sweet? It is so fun how the three us of make such a perfect trio of friendship. We balance so well. It SO reminds me of C.S. Lewis's descriptions in The Four Loves about friendship. I want to read it to them someday.

The three of them stayed and chatted with me, as once the pain medicine began working, I felt better.......no surprise, eh? :)

The rest of the week, was tough, as I mentioned above, a severe headache and intermittent seasickness.........so on Friday, I had two of my kids needing to be in the town about 40 min north of us for dentist appts I had already cancelled due to my Aunt's funeral in May..........and because I was too seasick to drive, Shawna drove me up there.......... Now, how is that for friendship? :) Such kindness...............

While I spent that one day in the hospital, I wandered over to my own department, OB, where I found my friend and co-worker, Micki. We chatted about what was going on, and she said she would come to my room and give me a massage, from the shoulders up. My nasty headache looked forward to that! Micki has a healing touch......I very much appreciated her coming to take care of me. Thanks, friend!

The nurses at the hospital took good care of me.........Donna G was working the desk and was very sweet, making sure my needs were met. I hope I was a good patient........some RNs are not :) I may not always like to be at work...........but I know there is no where to be found the quality of folks who work at my hospital. Our customer service is second to none........which is documented.....in spite of being the smallest hospital in the third largest hospital corporate system.....with the highest customer service....consistently over the years. We have won big $$$ awards for it.....over 21ish other facilities.

Thanks to Meg, one of my husband's faithful employees........she and her roomate sent me a get-well card. She is so sweet, always doing things like this.

I know there were friends who were praying for me......even if I was not chatting with them...........Patty was out of town.......and she told Maria..........and I know they both were praying for me. And Gloria, I am guessing was praying for me :).........she was there all day with me on Sunday, when I could not face life........and then on Monday when she came to pick up her oldest child who was staying at my house, I was already off to the hospital. And Sheila, too.........who told Jen! Thanks, friends!

And, lastly listed, but of course not last, my wonderful kids..........who did not skip a beat but kept the house going all week, and took care of me..........and my own family, who were praying for me in Nevada and California.......wherever they were.

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And, at the end of the week, on Saturday, June the 21st, was a lovely day spent with some lovely women at a homeschooling mom's retreat at my dear friend Shawna's beautiful home. And then this was followed by about 2.5 hours of rambling Shawna's new home on 11 acres with her and her mom and her two little girls. The meadows were in full bloom, we waded in the creek.........it is SO Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie.......just like Plum Creek! And, I mean the ACTUAL Plum Creek......I would know, I have been there! :) We walked through grass taller than the little girls, and sometimes us. Such a nature preserve......and just what my house-bound soul needed.

Thank you again to all of you who were praying for me. Hopefully this is the end of the story (with the exception of paying those bills......ugh!).............though I am occasionally feeling tinges of that same discomfort. I seriously doubt I will head to the hospital for any next bout. :/

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Now, I will try to get back to regularly scheduled blogging :)

God bless!

*Chari*

Ten Beautiful Things.....

............. I noticed today.

1. The sun rising over the snowy world........we have had the snowiest January in 40 years. The snow after the first weekend in February, in my front yard, is as tall as my shoulder, and even taller than me on one edge. I am 5'5".

2. The geese flying in a V over my head, listening to their honking.

3. The sun lighting up Black Butte, covered in snow. Black Butte is small extinct volcano. We have wonderful views of it from our property.

4. The appearance of Mt Shasta after its disappearance a week ago.......completely covered in pure, white snow.

5. The sun setting over the Eddies, lighting up the clouds, with various shades of pink and yellow. The Eddies (mountains) are the view from our backyard. We have some of the most glorious sunsets, year round.

6. The sparkle in the snow.......like jewels glistening.

7. The snow in trees.......I just love the snowy decorations on the evergreen trees.

8. A meadow completely covered in snow, except for a pond, shaped like a stream, where ducks were floating....I love this meadow, year round, passing it sometimes daily. I just love the seasonal changes, and I frequently stop, just to savor the view.

9. Christmas lights in the snow......the snow came fast and furious before most folks got their Christmas lights down. It is so fun, to drive home in the dark, with Christmas lights lighting up the snow falling, and giving colored reflections off of the fallen snow. It is especially lovely when the lights give color to an evergreen covered in snow.

10. The glow in the fire as the flames leap. We heat our house only by woodstove. A few times a week find me sitting and staring into the flames enjoying their dance....perfect for meditation, or just basic "spacing out." :)

I originally wrote this list approximately February 2nd. It takes awhile for me to actually get to the blog. Have you noticed? :)

So, I challenge YOU to look for TEN beautiful things around you, too. If you do, please post on your blog, and leave a note in my comments section so I can come see your list. If you do not have a blog, please leave a list in my comments section.

If I remember, I will try to do this at least once a season.

Enjoy the beauty......it is everywhere around us! Blessed be God!

~C~

Thankfulness Times Ten

Happy New Year, 2008!!

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Recently, I read about research showing that folks who use journaling to write what they are thankful for...instead of just a place to vent, find their lives are more happy, more satisfying. It got me thinking......yeah, I know, scary thought.......well, it got me thinking, it might be kind of nice to just find ten things I am thankful for, in the moment. I have no rules...I may go over ten, if I cannot help myself......I may repeat myself.....and, I will write in no particular order of importance. If you feel inspired to do the same....do link yourself here in the comment section.

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My friend had a very long list at the bottom of her blog, adding to it as needed. I am not sure if it is there on her new blog. I sure enjoyed the idea.

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Okay, here goes......

1. For my new car.....it is a 2001, but it is new to me. My husband found the perfect car for me....and after traveling cross-country in it for two months, and other various shorter trips.....it performs very well. I think you can find it in one of my first posts on this blog. It is on my mind right now as I travel....and appreciate it.

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2. For getting to spend some time with mom on this trip. It was great fun looking at really old photos.....and for finding baby pictures of Aunt Jennifer and Cousin Julie...who knew any existed :)

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3. I am so grateful that I am 43 years old...and I still have my grandma around! She is 86 and a half.....and she reads my blog! :) And, I love that my kids have a relationship with her.....since we go visit her at least once a year. And, I love that she lives near the ocean.......makes visiting her twice as grand! We just love her stew!

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4. Something I thank God for every day of my life: for the lovely & beautiful Catholic faith. God picked me to join His church 23 years ago.......and I treasure every moment with Him, and especially every opportunity to receive Him in Holy Communion. Sometimes the graces are palpable...aren't they?

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5. I appreciate the way the use of the internet has brought so many true friends into my life. You know who you are........but especially Willa, Robynn, Su, Erica, Miss Laureen, Mary Chris, et al......

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6. After living a bit isolated for many years, God provided true friends for me in real life.....Gloria, Cindy, Shawna, Louise & Patty..........are amazing GIFTS. Thank you, Ladies, for just being who you are.....who God is calling you to be.

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7. My husband, whose love language is "acts of service".....what more can I say :) He takes such good care of his family.........amazingly great care. He is the poster child for "acts of service." :)

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8. I have six some of the best kids in the world. I thank God regularly, for doing such an incredible job raising these kids in spite of their parents. :) Now, just to remember to tell them more frequently...they sure do deserve to hear it.

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9. Homeschooling.........I know we have our gaps and are "behind" in a few ways....but the homeschooling lifestyle we live has been one of the best and biggest blessings we could ever hope to receive. My favorite part: my kids have relationships with other, memories with each other.........because we are together almost all of the time.

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10. My dad....he is kind of different from most dads.........but, he is a great dad. He calls me almost daily........insists on taking us to Disneyland, just so he can watch us have fun....loves to watch movies and eat mint'n'chip ice cream with pretzal sticks. Mmmmmm. Oh, and he is nice and gives great back & neck massages.........come to think of it....he just fell asleep while giving me one....I hear him strirring.....wonder if I can get him to do it some more..... :)

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I can think of more....but I will save them for next time...I am getting pooped out here......not enough rest lately.

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We are away from home right now, visiting my family in Northern Nevada, my former home.......home of my college graduation, wedding and newlywed years and the birth of our first child. Please pray for our travels as we deal with storms in the west on our way home this week.

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Blessings to you and yours this new year!

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~C~