Sometimes it's the small things that count.
It's a small thing, i'm thankful for our box fans. Until we can pay someone to help us install the window air conditioners, the fans are lifesavers.
It's a small thing, i'm thankful for two clothes drying racks so i don't have to spend money to run a dryer for our clothes.
It's a small thing, i'm thankful we do not have a television, and when those Nielsen people call (and i know they will call in spite of me telling them on the survey form they mailed us that we don't have one and don't watch TV) i will be able to tell them that they have picked the wrong household if they want to know what people want to watch. Here, the answer is nothing.
It's a very small thing, i'm thankful for the newspaper comic and puzzle pages Grandpa passes on to us. Having a crossword to do is my relaxation every day.
It's a small thing, i'm thankful our cats are needing to go on a diet. It means i have money to spend on food for animals that, unlike farm animals, don't earn their keep.
It's a small thing, i'm glad our pet geranium is still blooming (and needs a bigger pot).
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| This thing has gotten huge! |
It's a very small thing, i'm thankful for clean sheets.
It's a small thing, i'm thankful we had a very small rain shower today, our thirsty ground needed it.
It's a small thing, i'm thankful to be able to send "good morning" and "good night" texts to the members of my family whom i don't see every day.
It's a very small thing, i'm thankful that i can cover for another volunteer at the shelter when she is ill, since she has covered for me in the past when i've been out of town.
No matter how small, it's not too small to notice and be thankful about it, whatever it is. Count up your big and small blessings and come post them with us at Ten Things of Thankful. Gratitude is a small thing that does a lot of good!
Today is:
All Wright Housewalk -- Oak Park, IL, US (formerly called Wright Plus, The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust’s annual house walk features rare interior tours of privately owned homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries in the historic community of Oak Park)
Armed Forces Day -- US (honoring those currently serving in the US military)
Be a Millionaire Day - now we all can go for that
Blue Jeans Day -- Levi Strauss and David Jacobs received the patent for their denim pants with riveted pockets on this day in 1873
Dainty-Four Remembrance Day -- Fairy Calendar
Eliza Doolittle Day* -- in honor of Shaw and his famous fictional character, to encourage proper use of one's native language
Emancipation Day -- Florida, US
Festival of Mjollnir -- Ancient Norse Calendar (feast of Thor's Hammer, date approximate)
Flying Solo Day -- Lindberg began his historic flight on this day in 1927
Frigga Blot -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (honoring Frigga)
Grudie Rosnoe -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (ten days of sacrifices to Rod for rain and good harvests)
Independence Day -- East Timor(2002)
Iris Festival -- Greeneville, Tennessee, US (the community's major festival of the year, featuring artists, craftsmen, merchants, food vendors and entertainers from across the country; through tomorrow)
Hari Kebangkitan Nasional Indonesia -- Indonesia (Indonesian National Awakening Day)
Mecklenburg Day -- North Carolina, US (commemoration of the signing of a declaration of independence from England by the citizens of Mecklenburg County on this day in 1775)
National Day -- Cameroon
National Learn To Swim Day -- US (with summer just around the corner, remember that drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages one to 14, so please, learn to swim and teach your kids!)
National Quiche Lorraine Day
Norman Rockwell Day -- his first Saturday Evening Post cover appeared this day in 1916
Peddler's Village Strawberry Festival -- Lahaska, PA, US (strawberries in every form imaginable; through tomorrow)
Pick Strawberries Day
Preakness Stakes-- Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD, US (140th annual; the second jewel in horseracing's Triple Crown)
Skerpla Month begins -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (Sharpness)
St. Bernadine of Siena's Day (Patron of advertising and advertisers, communications personnel, compulsive gamblers/gambling addicts, public relations work and personnel; Italy; Aquila, Italy; Capri, Italy; Castelspina, Italy; Trevignano, Italy; the diocese of San Bernardino, California; against compulsive gambling, chest, lung, and respiratory problems and hoarseness of the throat)
St. Ives' Day (an honest lawyer; in the Anglican tradition, Patron of abandoned children and orphans, advocates, canon lawyers, judges, lawyers, and notaries; in the Roman Catholic tradition, Patron of Saint Ives, Cambridgeshire, England)
T'veer Chong Kamhaeng -- Cambodia (Day of Remembrance, anniversary of Khmer Rouge regime takeover in 1975, a day to remember all who died at their hands and work for peace)
USA Memory Championship -- Hershey, PA, US (for the first time, this is a High School Team Competition in which "Mental Athletes" compete for the title of National Memory Champion, and the winner goes on to the World Memory Championships)
Weights and Measures Day / World Metrology Day -- anniversary of the treaty in 1875 which established the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Sevres, France
Wisconsin Dells Automotion -- Noah's Ark Waterpark, Wisconsin Dells, WI, US (showcase of more than 1,000 classic cars, music, food, and family fun; through tomorrow)
World Autoimmune Arthritis Day -- The International Foundation for Autoimmune Arthritis sponsors an online virtual convention in all time zones around the world from today through Wednesday
**"One evening the King will say, "Oh, Liza, old thing,
I want all of England your praises to sing,
Next week on the twentieth of May,
I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day."
Birthdays Today:
Tahmoh Penikett, 1975
Tony Stewart, 1971
Tony Goldwyn, 1960
Bronson Pinchot, 1959
Ronald Prescott Reagan, 1958
David Paterson, 1954
Cher, 1946
Joe Cocker, 1944
Stan Mikita, 1940
Anthony Zerbe, 1936
George Gobel, 1919
Jimmy Stewart, 1908
Henri Julien Felix Rousseau, 1844
William Fargo, 1818
John Stuart Mill, 1806
Honore de Balzac, 1799
Dolly Madison, 1768
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"Elegie für junge Liebende / Elegy for Young Lovers(Opera), 1961
Norman Rockwell's First Saturday Evening Post Cover, 1916
Today in History:
The first Ecumenical Council in the Christian Church, the Council of Nicea, opens, 325
An earthquake kills about 300,000 people in Syria and Antiochia, 526
John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship Matthew looking for a route to the west, 1497
Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues the first modern atlas, 1570
Shakespeare's Sonnets are first published in London, 1609
Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution, 1802
Otto is named the first modern king of Greece, 1835
HMS Erebus and HMS Terror with 134 men under John Franklin sail from the River Thames in England, beginning a disastrous expedition to find the Northwest Passage in which all hands are lost, 1845
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, 1862
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets, 1873
The Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy is formed, 1882
Krakatoa begins to erupt (the volcano's final and most notable explosion will occur on August 26), 1883
The first public display of Thomas Edison's prototype kinetoscope, 1891
Cuba gains independence from the United States, 1902
The Saturday Evening Post publishes its first cover with a Norman Rockwell painting ("Boy with Baby Carriage"), 1916
Montreal, Quebec radio station XWA broadcasts the first regularly scheduled radio programming in North America, 1920
By the Treaty of Jedda, the United Kingdom recognizes the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merge to become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1927
At 07:52 Charles Lindbergh takes off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York, on the world's first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, 1927
Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, 1932
In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a 60% vote the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada, 1980
First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier and Robert Gallo individually, 1983
The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre, 1989
In a second referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a slight majority the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada, 1995
The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and 3 years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976), 2002
Scientists at the Craig J. Venter Institute announce they have successfully created the world's first artificial lifeform by transplanting a synthesized genome into an existing cell, 2010
Great things to be thankful for. Except cats earn their keep, they help to calm us and they are more decorative than any art. :)Have a nice weekend!
ReplyDeleteYes Mimi, being thankful even for the small things can be large. You don't have a TV? Amazing. I thought everyone had even a black ^ white one. What do you do at night?
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Saturday my friend. See ya.
Cruisin Paul
Sometimes it's the small things that are the most precious. Excellent thankful post.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous weekend, my friend. ☺
Wow. What an excellent post Mimi. It is so true that all of the small things that often go unnoticed or taken for granted figure as huge in the scheme of things.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder :)
Our cat keeps the house and yard rodent free and that is a big thing but I loved the rest of your post.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post, Mimi! You've nailed the whole concept of gratitude, it's recognizing the many blessings in your everyday life. We use fans here too, to keep the use of AC to a minimum, especially when we are most often occupying just one room of the house, no need to cool it all for nothing. Nothing smells better than air-dryed clothes and bedding, I admire you for your practical approach to life, including going without TV, I could easily live without it and never miss it one bit, if I could only convince the Papa Bear.
ReplyDeleteI like to do crosswords, sudoku, and Words with Friends for brain exercise and relaxation, it's a fun way to pass a little time and a nice distraction from the business of life.
Your cats are so loved and well cared for, in contrast to a world where so many animals go without adequate food and care. You are blessed that you can provide for them, just as we do. One of ours is getting on the chubby side too. :-)
I love geraniums, especially red ones, they are bright, festive, and hardy! My sheets are in the washer right now, sleeping on clean sheets is wonderful! :-)
Rain showers, especially gentle ones, are such a blessing, here too. We are always thankful for rain, as are the critters that dwell on our land.
How sweet that you send out good morning and good night texts to family. I often do this when my daughter is working night shift, or a funny little cartoon to make her smile and let her know that I'm thinking of her!
I have no doubt that all the volunteers at the shelter love you as we do, you have such a kind and caring heart. Helping each other out is a lifestyle of the best kind!
Thank you for a lovely TToT post that left me smiling! :-) XOXO
Most times we take for granted the small things but they are important things and we should be thankful for them. Have a lovely day!
ReplyDeletethis post really is the heart of this bloghop. not only to have things in our lives to make up a list of Grat Items, but, imo, to have the perspective on the world that allows you to see them and share them. that is the spirit of the TToT
ReplyDeleteI think, sometimes recognizing and acknowledging the small things are what makes the life altering process of gratitude more fulfilling. When we stop and take time to do that, our hearts grow exponentially.
ReplyDeleteSo true that the seemingly small things are worth being thankful for too - and in fact, they can add up to a whole lot of thankful!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list of "small things" that evoke your thankfulness.
ReplyDeleteWe too lived without a TV for most of the years our children were living at home. It was more peaceful that way. :-) I love that you have a "pet geranium." We must have sent some of our abundance of rain down your way. We now have some sunshine. Being able to have a back up volunteer when you can't be there, and vice versa is such a good thing and so much less stressful.