Being Grateful - Nov 15th

 

This November, I have taken on the challenge of pondering blessings that I commonly overlook. Things I would certainly miss if they were gone, yet scarcely give much thought. My goal is to share daily one typically-ignored blessing for which I am truly thankful.



Nov. 15th:

I had a delightful time this weekend baking delicious treats with a very good friend. We made soft chocolate-chip cookies, homemade bread, big cream puffs, sweet apple pie, and a peach-apricot tart… and it’s not even Thanksgiving yet! 

Everything was made from scratch (not kidding!) and every recipe called for one main ingredient—flour. I grind my own wheat ahead of time and keep the flour in jars for ready use. Wheat flour is a good source of iron, thiamine, niacin, calcium, and vitamin B6, in addition to several vitamins and minerals. It is “the staff of life” and certainly stores well because it lasts FOREVER! Well, for many, many, many years anyway. 

Today I am grateful for the nutritional value of wheat and for flour that is a key ingredient in so many foods we eat (including the delicious waffles I made this morning!)

 

 November 16th

Being Grateful - Nov 14th

 

This November, I have taken on the challenge of pondering blessings that I commonly overlook. Things I would certainly miss if they were gone, yet scarcely give much thought. My goal is to share daily one typically-ignored blessing for which I am truly thankful.



Nov. 14th:

“Why do you think the sky is so blue?”

“Google it, Mom.”

“What is the rule for semicolon use?”

“Google it, Mom.”

“What was that funny quote Shakespeare wrote in As You Like It?”

“Just Google it, Mom!”

It took a long time for my mind to accept that Googling is a legitimate tool for information gathering. My boys use it religiously to research material for schoolwork, but when I was in school, information gathering meant a trip to the library or questioning someone who might know. 

It is mind-boggling to me that nearly anything you want to know today is available online. It is even more mind-boggling to see how many lesson videos are posted, starring pros ready to teach us nearly anything we want to learn. Want to play the guitar? The piano? The drums? Choose from numerous music lessons online. Want to learn how to check the oil in your car? Google it! Want to solve the equation 2+49/7(45-3) = (X/2)+17 and actually get the right answer? Google it! (This is why my kids got their homework done so fast. Hmmm.) 

My point is this: there has never been a time in human history when information and education were so easily and readily available to people all over the world. I am immensely grateful I have access to it. And yes, I use it all the time. (Yes, sometimes just to Google my name, but hey.)

 

 November 15th

Being Grateful - Nov 13th

 

This November, I have taken on the challenge of pondering blessings that I commonly overlook. Things I would certainly miss if they were gone, yet scarcely give much thought. My goal is to share daily one typically-ignored blessing for which I am truly thankful.



Nov. 13th:

Imagine what the world would be like without paper. No notebooks on which to write, cardstock on which to print photographs, newspaper on which to print daily news. Nothing from which to make dollar bills or publish books or make paper planes. Sure, we can do these things digitally today… all except for making a paper plane… but there is something satisfying about tangible contact with paper products versus virtual, digital experiences. 

I love the feel of paper in my hands: the smoothness of glossy photos, the sensation of flipping pages, the heaviness of big books. My fingers find satisfaction brushing over embossed décor on Christmas cards and rubbing brand new dollar bills between my fingers. I like writing with pen on paper. I like receiving Thank You cards in the mail. I enjoy amazing origami created from the detailed art of folding paper. 

Paper is a versatile blessing that affords many tactile experiences for which I am thankful. Yes, including toilet paper. 2020 surely made us thankful for toilet paper—there is no digital substitute for it!

 

 November 14th