Grateful

Praise Him, from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below...

Yes, I Am is a part of me.
Thank you that you are part of me, for my family and friends, new experiences and the countless blessings that you have given me.

Oh Great Spirit, Allah, Heavenly Father,

May you be praised for your goodness.

Thanksgiving Wishes

An angel

On Saturday, I put an order online for a small fall arrangement to be delivered in Chicago. My customer was strapped for money and could only afford the minimum amount. He wanted to send some flowers with a "Hope you had a nice trip. Happy Thanksgiving with love" message. I called Chicago and by tweaking the service fee was able to get a shop to accept the order. I asked my boss to send the order to the Chicago floral shop. I was out front when my colleague told me that I had a call from a floral shop. Scott, the caller said that he had informed us that they could not make the arrangement for the amount of money and had REFUSED the order. My boss and I discussed the order and discovered that she thought I called the order over to the second shop and I thought she had sent it via the internet. The short of it is that NO shop had gotten the order--not the first, nor the second. And surprisingly, when I tried to tell the first shop that all was well, I could not get thru. Clearly, Scott, was an angel letting me know that something had to be done about a Thanksgiving Day order. Thank you Guardian Angel Scott.

Thoughts and prayers

I saw my friend at church. Her husband died from cancer a few weeks ago. When I asked her what her Thanksgiving plans were, she told me that she was going to her mother's house, that her mother has been diagnosed with cancer. I came home and was catching up on facebook. My friend wrote that her friend's baby granddaughter had died. The baby's uncle was killed in a car accident two weeks ago. My thoughts and prayers are with these families and all the families who are mourning the loss of loved ones.

A Quest

Max, the lab-beagle, is feeling better this morning. He requested some dog treats and wanted to check out the backyard. His right shoulder is still bothering him. I have decided to make some friends. I am getting together at a restaurant with two women from zumba next month. I have joined a senior site, folks looking for friends. Seven of us were in the chat room and though the conversation was superficial, it was interesting to talk to folks from Oregon, Idaho, Florida, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Georgia. I am looking at work colleagues, zumba dancers and the people who train at hapkido as potential future friends. It's nice, actually, because I am more inclined to let idiosyncracies pass by without bothering me.

Max the labrador beagle

We rescued Max from the pound back in '04. He had a lot of issues, fear of dogs and people and chronic ear and skin conditions. In September, his shoulder began bothering him, so we added a supplement to his food. Today, when I came home from work, he refused a treat and went off to lay down. He is resting in the kitchen. I made an appointment with his favorite vet for next week, but I can't shake the feeling that this appointment will be like the one for our previous dog. Keep him comfortable until his quality of life determines that the humane action is to put him to sleep. Max did have a reasonably good life with us and enjoyed the puggle and mini dachsund that we adopted 3 years ago. Max, before the bad shoulder and short of breath days, loved to trek around the field. He enjoyed laying on his back and wriggling his body in "the worm." My husband and Max would wrestle. He howls with the distinctive hound arrrrrrrroooooo. It is so hard when loved ones reach their geriatric days and then the end of their life. Saying good bye and trying to fill the hole of their absence is painful.

Lunch with my friend

I drove into the country and picked up my friend from the cafe. Four or five years ago, she lived in a nursing home and during that time, she lost a lot of weight. Because she gained all the weight back, she has mobility issues. She had trouble getting into the car, a mid size car. She can't put on the seatbelt by herself. She waddles from side to side when she walks. I am sad. Sad that she is shortening her life span. This is my friend I have known for 32 years! She would like to work and is getting together with a job coach. How can she hold a job if she can't get around? I hadn't seen her in many months, so her additional weight was a shock. I am concerned. What can I do for her? It was an eye opening experience.