Thankful Me

The word "Alligator" and an illustration of an alligator is on a blue piece of cardboard As I mentioned in my last post, I have been enjoying having my youngest granddaughter over several times each week for "Grandma Preschool." One of the things I have been teaching her is how to recognize the letter "A." I wasn't sure this particular skill was one that would hold much interest to a young 3-year-old, but I have been pleasantly surprised. I think the allure has come from the fact that I have been letting her use a flashlight to shine on all the A's she finds.  In any case, she is pointing out A's left and right now. Although I have talked about the sound that the letter A makes, I think that is going to take some more time to sink in. As she was playing with some alphabet puzzle cards, I heard her say resolutely to herself, "A is for crocodile."  1. I'm thankful for the example of confidence she gives me. Given the information she

stock photo of a wind-up alarm clock  Time is a funny thing. One minute you're just starting out as an adult. Then life spins around quickly and the next thing you know, forty years have passed and you're attending social events with people you haven't seen in forever. Often these get-togethers, though enjoyable, require a certain amount of emotional effort--"Today I will be an extrovert!"--but I've come away from these recent events energized and looking forward to future reunions.  The first weekend of August, we attended a wedding reception, and spent the evening visiting with friends. One of those friends told me how much she enjoyed reading my blog posts. While I do not write for praise, I realized just how impactful encouragement is, and even though I haven't been as regular about blogging as I used to be, her comment sparked a desire to be more focused in my writing.  The next weekend, John and I flew up to Oregon. We went up for a dual purpose: to