What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Saturday, November 20, 2021

"Random Prompts" of Thankfulness

 Good Saturday Morning Friends! I hope this day finds you feeling happy and blessed and ready for a wonderful week of Thanksgiving!  Our little friends at Pamela's Victorian Cottage have been busy getting ready for their Thanksgiving feast:

Everyone is buzzing around, decorating the house and helping Mama with the menu for our guests. Most of all, they wanted to wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.

I know, I know...some of my newer blogging friends probably don't even know anything about this little family at Pamela's Victorian Cottage. (click that link for the very beginning of their story)  They've kind of been in the background lately, but they are still very much "alive and well" here in my little "Room With a View".  If you'd like to know more about this sweet little family, you can click on the links on my sidebar for Pamela's Victorian Cottage and you will find lots of happy times with Mama and her house full of children.  That particular link above will take you back to Autumn Days from last year.  I hope you will enjoy this sweet little family and their adventures.

Now on to other current events.

Recently I made a new blogging friend, Jennifer Smith at Trading Ashes for Beauty.  In this following post she shared some "Random Prompts for Which to be thankful"...Trading Ashes for Beauty, "Random Prompts for Which to be Thankful",  by Jennifer Smith,   and I liked her post so much I asked her if it would be okay if I borrowed her "Random Prompts" for a post of my own sometime. She was very happy to oblige me and so I've been thinking about this for a week or so and thought it was time to give it a whirl. So here you go:



THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK.
That would be hard to say. I may have to come back to this one, because the week isn't over yet, and also some of the things that are on this list below may add up to the "best thing that happened this week".  (see down below)

SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME HAPPY.
I have to think...does it have to be a "thing"?  Probably blogging and sitting here chatting with my friends in blogland makes me happy. I think this was one the best decisions I ever made way back over ten years ago...to start this blog. It keeps my mind challenged to think of things to share with you, and it also has opened the door to a whole new world out there filled with lovely people that I would never have gotten to know otherwise!  Say what you will about "social media"...I know it has its faults, but I love being connected with so many special people in all parts of the world who have blessed my life with their stories and smiles.  So yes, blogging is a "something that makes me happy".

SOMEONE THAT MAKES ME SMILE.
Well, gee, my hubby makes me smile every day.  He also makes me get up and take walks with him everyday. And that is a good thing.  He's been making me smile for over 53 years.  We met in September of 1968, and were married in August of 1969.  And we've been smiling together every since. 


A SIMPLE ACT OF KINDNESS THIS WEEK.
On Monday we attended a funeral at our church for one of our dear sweet members who passed away. The ladies of the church were also providing a reception for the family after the funeral. When we arrived at the parking lot of the church I had a cake carrier in my hand to take to the fellowship hall.  A kind gentleman (I believe he was part of the funeral home staff), came up to my car door and opened the door for me and took the cake carrier and said he would carry it for me to the fellowship hall! I was so surprised by this little act of kindness that I never expected.  Then to top that off, the next evening I went to choir practice for the first time since my surgery. I am still a little bit "wobbly" in some ways...just not quite as full of vim and vigor as "normal".  After practice was over, the Pastor went over to the fellowship hall and came out carrying my now empty cake carrier and brought it to me so that I wouldn't have to go looking for it.  I never expected that either. I didn't even know he knew that I had a cake carrier in the fellowship hall, but apparently he had seen it there (my name is written on the container), and he wanted to save me the trip over there to get it.  Again, I was flabbergasted by this little act of kindness.  You know, it's the simple things that really mean a lot!  I am happy this little exercise has helped me to think about these things!


THE LAST PERSON WHO GAVE ME SOMETHING.
I showed you this picture yesterday: 
My sweet Daughter in Love Rose brought this over to me as a little pre-Christmas decor gift!
Of course, it is from both her and our son Benton. This picture was taken last week on their 4th anniversary.  I feel very blessed to have such a dear daughter in law living right here near us who actually goes out of her way to do special little things to brighten our days. 



A RECENTLY ACHIEVED GOAL.
As many of you may know, last year I was on a mission to discover the history/genealogy of my paternal grandmother because she was adopted.  Through Ancestry.com and also doing the DNA testing, I was able to discover the birth parents of my grandmother. You can read more about that HERE. My goal last year was to put it all together, at least as much as I could, by my grandmother's 125th birthday, which was December 27, 2020.  And so that story linked above was the achievement of that goal.  I am still on a quest to find pictures of my grandmother's birth parents, and have been in contact with several descendants of both sides of her birth family.  And that leads me to this next prompt:

THE MOST RECENT BLESSING I RECEIVED.
One of my new "cousins" that I connected with through the genealogy research recently sent me a few pictures that she could find, not of our mutual Great Grandfather, but of his daughter and son's families, who would be my grandmother's half-siblings.  Of course, these pictures are from the 1940's, and it isn't very clear to me who is who, and my "cousin" wasn't really sure either, but she went out of her way to mail me these pictures so I could see them.  I scanned them into my computer and then returned them to her.  I will share this one with you.  My Grandmother's half sister Lenora is in the center of this picture, standing in front of the person with his hands up in the air. She has on a dress with what looks like large sunflowers on it.  Her brother Roy is somewhere in this picture, but we don't know which one. This looks like a big happy family. My cousin said they used to have a lot of family reunions back in the day. I told her that it's too bad my Grandmother never got to know her half-siblings and their families. I know they all would have been great friends.  Perhaps they are all acquainted now in heaven and enjoying each other now for eternity.

To me, having this new "cousin" go out of her way to send me these pictures was a real blessing. We never even knew each other existed until last year.  

Later:  Okay, now that I've written about all the other prompts here above, I think the best thing that has happened thus far this week is writing about all these other things that have made me stop and count my blessings and think about these good things that have happened!

Perhaps you might want to do a similar exercise...you can use these prompts (because Jennifer Smith said so, but you might want to visit her first and tell her about it and make a new friend in the process!), 
or you may use your own random prompts.  Some of you already do that on a regular basis.  

Hope you and yours have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!!  And thank you, Jennifer Smith, for these wonderful "random prompts about things we are thankful for". 

Post Script Added Note: I just received word that our blogging friend Mildred Nalley, formerly of "Laurel Wood" blog, has entered her heavenly home this morning.  I heard from her niece that she passed away peacefully earlier this morning. For those of you who knew Mildred and would like to send a card of condolence to her family, please contact me via email or send me a private message if you need more information.  Please keep her husband John, brother Larry Williams and sister Karen, also a former blogger who is not in good health either at this time, and other nieces and nephews and family in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.


23 comments:

  1. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Pam. I am so glad your surgery has resulted in you feeling better. How good of people to do thoughtful things to keep you from straining. You are in a good place!

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    1. Thank you, Barbara. I am feeling better day by day and so thankful for the good help I've received in several areas. Yes, I am in a good place and so thankful. (((hugs)))

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  2. I'm so saddened to hear of Mildred's passing; saying a prayer right now for John, Larry and Karen.
    This is such a cute exercise! And yes, I'd love to do one like it ... hopefully to corral all the random thoughts bouncing around in my head. I don't recall ever having witnessed the genuine goodness of people until we settled in the small town South. Your own experiences gladden my heart; kind of makes me want to do the same thing, you know? That black/white 40's family picture is a treasure. Will you be framing it?

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    1. Thank you, Myra, for your kind thoughts and prayers for Mildred's family. She was a very sweet and thoughtful person and we became good friends via blogging. I will miss her. Yes, people are very friendly and thoughtful here in the south, but I must admit, we lived in the north as well and found some very wonderful sweet people there too. I think it is the small town living that does it best...people just look out for each other more. As far as the picture goes, I probably won't frame it because I have so many pictures sitting around already collecting dust. But I will put it here in my family archives and in my genealogy information. I just wish I knew who everyone was, although some of them are on the other side of the family not related to my grandmother or me. Still...it's fun meeting "family" no matter whose side they're on. LOL.

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  3. Pam: These prompts are wonderful. They make me stop and think about how good people have been to us over this month. God is good to each of us, His children. Peace and blessings to you and yours.

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    1. Yes, isn't it good to stop and think about the random acts of kindness that have happened that we kind of just didn't let register at the time? God sends us little blessings in some of the sweetest ways. Yes, He is good to each of us in so many ways I can't count them!

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  4. Another brilliant post, Pam! I enjoyed all of the positives and am glad you are feeling better and better. I love the Norfolk Pine. I used to have one that grew to be nearly four feet tall. That was a very long time ago in another place. I am sorry to learn of your blogging friend's passing. I have lost two blogging friends and am always blessed that someone let me/us know of the passings. Prayers for Mildred and her family. So many things to be thankful for!! I am thankful for YOU! xo

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    1. Whoa, brilliant? Did you say "brilliant?" Thank you, Terri. I may add you to my list of nice things done for me...that just made my day! I haven't been called or even thought of being brilliant in a long time. I rather feel sort of dull most days, so you just brightened my life today. Thank you. I think I needed that word of encouragement! But you are always a joy and a blessing and a bright spot of joy in my day! Also, thank you for your prayers for Mildred's family. She was a very sweet person and I am going to miss her. We became friends behind the scenes through emails too, but just never got to meet in person. This community of friends is very very special. Thank YOU for being one of those extra special people in my life!

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  5. Oh no, I am so deeply sorry to hear about Mildred. I have been meaning to ask you...so sad...poor John (knowing his issues as well)...I shall keep in prayer...

    Such a fun prompt...might have to join in, smiles.

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    1. Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers for Mildred's family. I am going to miss her. We've become friends behind the scenes through email, etc., and often communicated several times a week, right up until her last couple of weeks. Yes, her husband John is going to need our prayers for sure. Oh, and yes, by all means join in the prompt! It's always good to find more reasons to be thankful!!

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  6. What wonderful thoughts! The simplest acts of kindness often really do mean the most! And so glad you are back out to choir practice - hooray! I love that family photo..and how sweet that your new cousin would take the time to send them. What a special gift to be connected after all this time. And I would totally agree that meeting and keeping in touch with new blogging friends really can make you smile!! Glad you enjoyed the prompts!! Have another beautiful week ahead - with a couple more simple, unexpected acts of kindness:)

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    1. Thank you so much, Jennifer, for your kind and thoughtful comments here and also for being the "brains" behind the prompts in the first place! You have been an inspiration to me and also to others, if you have read any of the comments above! And yes, I am now looking out for more "simple, unexpected acts of kindness" as I move throughout my days. Thank you again, and have a blessed and beautiful Thanksgiving.

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  7. So many of your childhood memory photos remind me of my younger years, things I had not thought of in a while. We are blessed.

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    1. Yes, we are blessed and we were blessed to grow up in good families, which gave us a good heritage and strong foundation. God knew what we would need. (((Hugs))) to you my friend.

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  8. That was the sad news of this day except I am so glad that Mildred is safely home.

    How nice of your cousin to share family pictures. Very thoughtful!

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    1. Yes, it was sad news to hear of Mildred's passing, except that she is in heaven and no longer suffering. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.
      Yes, I was happy to hear from this cousin who I have only met via phone and messenger as a result of my genealogy research. She is very thoughtful indeed and I am very thankful for this connection with my extended family we never knew before. When we start counting all the "cousins" we may have in this world, we realize that we really do belong to a great big family...and who knows, we may ALL be related somehow! Have a wonderful week and Thanksgiving!

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  9. Hi Pam, glad to hear you are feeling better. Sorry about the loss of your friend. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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    1. Thank you, Susan. I am feeling better day by day, but still trying to pace myself and not overdo it because then I regret it. Yes, those of us who used to follow Mildred in her blog are going to miss her. She took her blog offline when she got so sick, and now I wish she hadn't have. I think it should be a good lesson for us to leave our blogs there so our friends can go back and remember and so our messages can live on. Not sure how long the internet will carry them, but I just think it is something to consider! Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving.

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  10. Happy happy anniversary to Benton and Rose! They are adorable! I love the sweet little tree she brought you, she must be a sweetheart! I love your Victorian cottage, so cute! All that activity in there, you can almost see them all scurrying about hither and yon...getting ready for the Holiday! I enjoyed this post and all about thankfulness. Our world sure NEEDS A WHOLE LOT more of that. "count your blessings, count them one by one, count your many blessings, see what the Lord has done!" --we used to sing that one in church in the old days. The lyrics may not be exact, but hopefully close enough! Love ya my friend and hope you are feeling SO MUCH BETTER BY THANKSGIVING is my prayer!

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    1. We actually sang that song yesterday in church! I love that song! We still sing a lot of the old hymns, mixed in with some newer songs too, but we love the old hymns and aren't ashamed to sing them with joy! I hope you and your family will have a wonderful Thanksgiving. This will be all our "little girls' first Thanksgiving!" I bet your Tracie and Amybelle are getting excited for their first turkey and pumpkin pie! Lily Grace certainly is excited and can't wait! She's become good friends with the Pilgrims and the Turkeys and other characters who have come out to celebrate with us. It will be fun day. More low key for us than normal...just our kids and us, but that is still wonderful. And yes, my DIL is a sweetheart! We are very thankful for her. Have a wonderful week. Love you.

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  11. The little dollhouse is so precious! I want to dress a few of my dolls for Christmas but that's way down on my list! lol The weather's too nice to stay inside and play! Enjoy your Thanksgiving week!

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    1. I'm so glad you are able to get out so often and enjoy our beautiful Florida woods. I am enjoying it vicariously through you, since we left our woods in Salt Springs and I don't get to do as much woods hiking as before. I miss it, but not the big house that needed so much work to maintain it. We are better off here, but I still miss the woods...but am thankful for Still Waters Pond. It's a good trade off. Enjoy your Thanksgiving week too, and take a little time off to play house. Today is kind of a rainy day here...a good day to stay inside and play!!!

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  12. I love your Victorian Garden set up. I love your random prompts of thankfulness. It's important to focus on those things.

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Thank you for visiting here today. I would love for you to sign my guestbook and let me know you stopped by. I always enjoy reading your comments and words of encouragement! May you be blessed as you go on your way. Please come back and visit again soon.