I enjoyed a “PROJECT” yesterday – I do enjoy this new choice to pursue a decluttering sideline helping others – it ticks lots of mental boxes in my head – it is useful – it is interesting – it is needed for our level of stuffing stuff in lots of places…

My sorting paper this morning was with a friend of a friend. I appreciated more than just “working”, I appreciated making progress. This woman was a schoolteacher for years nd she had tremendous amounts of great handouts and art projects and teaching the letters and speech patterns with so many wonderful tools, which I doubt they use any more… We sorted to give them to her friend for her children – they will get put to good use. We reminisced about some great books she also had, like “The old lady who swallowed a fly.” CLASSIC…

Seeing the papers made me feel blessed that I grew up learning in such an environment with wonderful teachers who used these types of tools too, which today’s kids might not necessarily getting in school these days, because they’re using tablets, tablets, tablets…

I heard of a family that had a fire – a neighbor of a friend – and wow that is our biggest fear – fire – losing our stuff.

It is just stuff I know – and the family is fine – but how hurtful to lose stuff which is more than stuff.

I am thankful for my stuff and thankful to hold onto it – but maybe a little more organized these days – which is why I organized the different sauce packets in my fridge over the weekend – silly but so nice now to just grab my favorite sauces…  Neat…

And I started to think of all the other things that I am thankful for…

I’m thankful that I learned in the ways that I did – in school and in life.

I’m thankful I can still see to sort stuff and especially to drive.

I’m thankful that the leaves are changing colors now, and that the sun was shining.

I’m thankful when I got hungry today that I had lunch with me. I’m thankful for flavor, like in onions, like in ice cream, like in everything.

I’m thankful my fridge is full of yummy food.

I’m thankful for being though-filled.

Beiing thought-filled reminded me to be even more thankful of many things.

I am thankful that I can walk, step by step.

I am thankful I like to be busy, project by project.

I’m thankful when I realize I’m spinning my wheels, and I tell myself to STOP.

I’m thankful when I feel pain and stop feeling what I’m doing.

I’m saying for when I remember to rest.

I am thankful I can feel the sunshine right now, in the waning warmth of the sunset, of the fall, no frost yet.

I’m thankful for green tomatoes from a friend before frost, and some red ones too. I’m thankful for seeing a beautiful monarch butterfly yesterday, the last of the season.

I’m thankful that even though the thought of winter is sad. The knowledge that spring will come again is invigorating.

I am thankful that in life I’ve had a lot of time to think.

I am thankful that I’ve spent a lot of thinking about being thankful.

I am thankful that as soon as the sun went down, I felt the chill and that told me to go inside.

I’m thankful inside is warm.

I’m thankful I have a home.

I’m thankful to be home.

I’m thankful God tells me to think about my forever home.

I’m thankful for God.

I’m thankful He makes me thankful.

I’m thankful that I try to stop NOT being thankful when I forget to be thankful.

I’m thankful God made me, flaws and all, and that He tells me He loves me.

I am glad God is love.

I love God.

Amen

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Thanks for listening – I am thankful for you all.

Psalm 69:30-32 NIV

I will praise God’s name in song
  and glorify him with thanksgiving.
This will please the Lord more than an ox,
  more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
The poor will see and be glad—
  you who seek God, may your hearts live!