Thankful Me

Parents and grandparents have hopes of what kind of legacy they will leave their posterity--not so much in a physical sense, but more in a values and traits sort of sense.  I'm no different.  Today, I had the chance to spend most of the day with my grandchildren, and we enjoyed the time together.

I love the Six Sentence Stories prompts, and the challenge of telling a story in six sentences.  Often (though not always) I like to base my stories on true events.  Such is the case this week, when the prompt is "can." 

One of the primary jobs of a puppy raiser is to help the future guide dog become accustomed to all sorts of sights, sounds, smells, and other distractions.  What might seem like just another stroll around the block is actually a great opportunity for training.  

That title needs an explanation, so I'll jump right in:

I know that title is a bit strange, but it came from my thoughts after some observations at Disneyland today.  I noticed a little boy, not yet even to the security check-point, excitedly pointing out to his even littler sister, three circles in the shape of Mickey Mouse.  His parents chuckled and tried to get their children to hurry up, so they could see the real Mickey Mouse inside the park.  A little bit later, I noticed a young child and her parents near a decorative water fountain.  She was enthralled with the splashing, dancing water, and her parents seemed in no rush to leave.   I use those observations not to pass judgment, nor to say that one set of parents was right and one was wrong, but to reflect.  I understand that the first set of parents probably had limited time to spend at Disneyland, and that it doesn't make financial sense to spend hundreds of dollars to ooh and aah over 3 little circles that could probably be duplicated at home. Howeve...

I was so excited to see that this month's visiting teaching message is all about The Family:  A Proclamation to the World .  You might remember that I did a series of posts about the proclamation last year; a link to most of those posts can be found here , and the final two posts are here  and here . 

I'm linking up again with Six Sentence Stories .  This week's prompt:  change. 

Figuratively and literally, rain comes to us all eventually.  This week, I've experienced moisture from the sky.  Also this week, losses have come to friends and acquaintances.  I'm happy for puddles, and saddened at tears, but thankful:

As I began to write this post, I noticed that this is my 975th post--not for the TToT (although hopefully the TToT will continue for that long), but for this little blog.  Wow.  Regardless of my inadequacies as a blogger, I can't argue with that number.  I'm going to refrain from making any quality v. quantity comparisons, and just be delighted for a moment. (1) I'm thankful for blogging. For the past few weeks, my mailbox has been filled with greetings from far-flung friends and family.  I like seeing photos of smiling faces and catching up on the events of the year.   (2) I'm thankful for connections.   After the full house of Christmas, we had the just-the-three-of-us house of the New Year.  For reasons we still don't know, oldest daughter's original return flight was canceled, so we got to enjoy having her for an additional day.   (3) I'm thankful for time together. Deedee is old enough to venture out in public now.  She's acc...

As one year draws to a close, and another begins, thoughts turn to resolutions. Goals are set, motivation is high, but often, after some time passes, resolve fades, and feelings of inadequacy are all that is left.  Sometimes the discouragement sets in even before resolutions are made!  Despite the inevitable failures, though, people seem compelled to seek self-improvement. As I've considered my own goals for this new year, I've realized that, left to my own devices, I could make unrealistic or even unimportant goals.