Still Thankful!

Day 11

I am Thankful for comfy beds :)

From the blow-up beds that look like anything BUT that in the Taj Ma Tent 

(shown in these photos by Robin Laws Photography), 

to the huge sleigh bed my grandson would snuggle next to me to watch movies in, 

to luxurious hotel beds with a view, 

to the soft queen bed that I gratefully fall into each night... 

I am thankful for the soft, warm, comforting places 

that I have been blessed to rest my body, mind, and spirit.

Can you tell I am really tired?!!! ;) 'Night!
 ____________________________________

 Day 13



I am Thankful for Music... 
it has always been a major part of my life, in one form or another.

As a child, I sang in the church children's choir. 
My sweet friend Kim McCullough and I sang with our friend Nancy House 
in a trio at church for many years. 
My dream then was to sing in the 'Singing Christmas Tree' that towered over the sanctuary.... 
but we moved away before I ever had that chance.

Later I sang in the girl's chorus in junior high and was in productions of Oliver and West Side Story. 
My favorite part of the year was our Christmas Chorale, 
where we entered the darkened auditorium carrying battery-operated candles 
while singing 'Silent Night' acappella. 
I can still sing the harmony to that song... 
and usually do that at midnight on Christmas Eve, under the stars. 

In high school, the importance of music changed 
to the music that the marching band played as I performed with a flag. 
I discovered a love for Dixieland Jazz and Big Band Swing music then, and to this day it is still my favorite. 
'Waitin' on the Robert E. Lee', 'Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue', 
and anything from Porgy and Bess tug at my memories when I hear them on Pandora, 
and I still love the echo of a drum cadence in the cold night air!

As a mother, I could not have been more touched by the voice of my daughter 
as she sang throughout her life in children's and jazz choirs. 
Her talent amazes me, and I would sit and watch the look of pure joy on her face as she sang... 
and I would thank God for the gift He gave her to share. 
She sang a song for me at a concert on my birthday one year, and it brought me to tears. 
Thank you, Bethy

There are very few genres of music I don't like (Rap, Techno, and old Country/Western). 
I listen to a huge variety of music depending on my mood and the task at hand - 
usually it's big band/swing, classical, or ..... Disney tunes ;)

Music can evoke memories and transport me back in time... 
to a high school dance or my daughters' wedding days, and other moments that make me smile. 
Music can break through my defenses and bring me to my proverbial knees, 
like it did when I heard 'The Dance' at Lori's beautiful memorial service. 
It can bring tears of joy, as does the song that I first heard a week after my first grandson was born - 
one that completely described my feelings for him, 
or tears of sadness - as does 'Our Song', 'All of My Love' by Zeppelin.

My appreciation for music extends to the written form, 
and I have used pages and sheets in my art projects for years.
From that seemingly never-ending supply of piano player rolls to musty old books of classical tunes, 
I've decoupaged it onto every surface imaginable -
including the baby grand piano that Bob rebuilt as a wine bar.
That creation may have been his Magnum Opus,
but the 40 hours of painstaking work it took me to cover the behemoth with paper was mine!!!

I am Thankful for Music and the role it plays in my life (pun intended)...
something unseen that adds so much beauty to life, so much enjoyment and peace...
__________________________________________

Day 14

I am Thankful for my camera, 
for having the ability to capture memories and beauty and LIFE 
with the click of a button... 
I use it every single day.

[ I am NOT thankful for images that get stuck inside computer hard drives and external hard drives 
when the motors of said devices freeze.]
One day I'll be able to afford to get the thousands of images I have saved on them 
out of there....