With Thanksgiving approaching, I thought I would talk about some of the things for which I am thankful. But, because there are so many things, I think I will limit this blog to the things that come to mind for the past year.
On April 2, 2021, I retired from the job I held for over twenty years. There were times leading up to my retirement that I thought it would be hard. I had questions. What would I do with my time? Would I have enough money? What would Carol do with me around constantly? Fortunately, my writing has given me plenty to do, and it allows Carol time to herself to do the things she is accustomed to doing. It turns out, writing is hard work and there is a lot for me to learn if I am going to be good at it. I am thankful that I have the mental and physical ability to work at it. Writing is now my job even if I am just putting in part-time hours. Unfortunately, the job doesn’t pay even part-time wages. But I am thankful that at least for our current circumstances we have enough money. Though, according to much of what I read on the internet, I didn’t save enough to retire on comfortably. I saved enough to supplement our Social Security income which allowed us to make minimal changes to our lifestyle.
I am thankful for Zoom (https://zoom.us/) and other live streaming services. Over the past two years with the restrictions on meeting, Zoom has been invaluable. Both Carol and I were able to attend recovery groups using Zoom even during the pandemic. In fact, the group I regularly attend expanded to include not only local attendees but also people from all over the country. The ability to see the other attendee’s faces provides more interaction than a phone meeting. Even now, the group uses a hybrid format meeting with some attendees on zoom and some in the physical meeting space. This is also the case for the writer’s group (http://acfwcosprings.com/) I joined. The monthly meeting is held with about half of the participants attending via Zoom. Last month, my intention was to go to the meeting. However, things didn’t work out and I could not go. But I was able to join late using Zoom.
Live streaming has helped us connect to a church we really like. Just prior to the pandemic restrictions, we were in the process of looking for a new church. The church we attended was geared to new believers and often the messages left us wanting more depth. When the pandemic restrictions came, we attended church online. We streamed various local churches, and occasionally a church from another state. Over the course of the pandemic, we found a church we really liked with messages that suited our needs at our stage of life. Now, whenever possible, we attend in person. But as happens with older people, sometimes the arthritis is too bad, and we stay home where we can still attend through the live stream. I am thankful for Church. (https://downtown.newlifechurch.org/)
During the Memorial Day and Father’s Day period this summer I blogged about my dad. With Veterans Day having occurred last week it made me think about how thankful I am for all our military veterans. Whether in wartime or peacetime their willingness to sacrifice themselves for our freedom deserves our thanks. Though I never served, I come from a long line of veterans My maternal grandfather was a marine and served in the First World War. His son, my uncle, was a marine as was one of his sons. My father was in the Navy, and various aunts and uncles served in different branches of the armed forces. I am thankful for Facebook and the photos shared, especially by my cousin, of different family embers in uniform. God bless those who have served and those who are currently serving.
I am thankful that I can go fishing in the middle of the week when crowds are smaller. Though my body doesn’t work as well especially when it comes to climbing up and down the banks and rocks of the river, I still enjoy a chance to fish the river I grew up fishing. And now that I am older, I spend more time fishing the lakes where I can just sit on the shore or go out in the kayak I bought. Maybe next year I will be thankful for kayak fishing.
Carol and I celebrated fifty-one years of marriage this year, and I am very thankful for her. I was reminded again how fragile life is when she had her second minor stroke this year. We have grown together over the years and are closer now than I could even imagine fifty-one years ago. We are old fogies and spend most of our night on the sofa watching TV. But we don’t just sit on our separate ends of the sofa. We spend a lot of time sitting next to each other where we can hold hands or touch each other. We end most days praying together lifting up our family and interceding for others who need prayer. God is very good to us. We have been blessed with a wonderful life together and a beautiful family. I am thankful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
If you have something you are thankful for from the past year, please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Please subscribe using the pop-up box to receive notifications of new blogs.