My Thankful Heart

Thanksgiving this year was low key and relaxing. Once again, Dennis had Hallmak's kitchen prepare most of our meal. All I had to do was to get it warmed up and put on the table. James and Terra were in charge of heating up the yams, making the dressing, Cherry/Cinnamon Jello with apples and celery, and James brought a side dish that his family has enjoyed for many years, Creamed Cheese Corn...trust me, it's yummy!

An hour or so after dinner, James and Terra cut the pie and brought us a piece. I noticed that the Reddi-Whip on the pumpkin pie looked all screwy like Curly Q ribbon run amok. I thought to myself, don't those kids know how to squirt cream out of a can? Well, the next day I got Dennis a piece of pie, got out the Reddi-Whip and it squirted just as bad or worse as when James and Terra did it. Who needs a defective nozzle on Thanksgiving! LOL I guess I should just be glad it came out of the can and made the pie taste good, right?!

I've been reflecting the past few days on how many blessings I have been given. Of course, family tops the list! We sure feel blessed to have children and grandchildren. It's such a blessing to know that our son and daughters have married people that help them be the kind of people Heavenly Father wants them to be. We also appreciate the love they have for their children and how well they are raising them.

This year we added a grandchild to our family when Derrick and Monica adopted Linda. She's an adorable 11 year old and we're so glad for her and Maya to have each other for sisters. We were so happy when she and Maya and Derrick and Monica came to be with us for a week the day after the formal adoption took place in April. The minute she got out of the car and started to walk towards the house we melted and were in love with her.

It's nice to see that Maya and Linda get along so well. They seemed like best friends, not just sisters.

We got a phone call from LInda yesterday asking if when they came to Kansas last April, if she and Maya had left their parkas. They were about to go and cut down a Christmas tree and it was cold and they couldn't find their jackets. And yes...the jackets never made it back home with them. Derrick told us to donate them to charity because they were getting too small for the girls and it was about to get very hot in AZ. Well, guess Derrick forgot about that, tee hee.

Anyway, after the phone call, I checked on how 'cold' it was in Bullhead City, AZ...and the low was in the 40's and the high would be in the high 60's, so I had a good laugh about them having to wear parkas on such a nice day. Here everyone would be running around in bermudas and flip flops. I guess it's all relative though, they are just getting out of the 90's there and it must seem FRIGID.

Ahhhh then come to find out, Dennis said they were going to Flagstaff, AZ to cut down the tree. So, I checked the weather there and it was COLD there....COLD, COLD, COLD. I hope the girls found something to wear to keep them warm! I'm thankful that Derrick and Monica make such fun memories for their family. How fun to leave the desert and go up into the high country of Flagstaff to get a Christmas tree!

Another exciting event happened this year, actually, just a few months ago. Kristen's birth mother found her and made contact through a registered letter. Dennis and I were so delighted that Marianne made contact, especially when we learned she had never married or had other children. I know that if I had given birth to a daughter as special and talented as Kristen is, I'd sure want to know more about her. They haven't met face to face yet, but I think they both realize how special each of them are. We can never thank Marianne enough for the gift of a beautiful daughter to have blessed our lives. Can't imagine life without her! Hopefully they can meet each other soon! It's nice they are getting to know each other through phone calls and emails. Marianne will LOVE Kristen, Dave and the children!

We're delighted that Terra and James are married and starting out their life together and getting all settled in their nice apartment. It's great they live so close and can be here in a matter of minutes. James commented on how they each brought something to the apartment. He brought the technology stuff, big screen TV, electronic keyboard (he's a wonderful pianist), computer and etc., and she has brought things that make it look contemporary and homey. Their dining room is as pretty as any I have ever seen. Dennis helped them hang mirrors above the console and with her accessories and beautiful table and chairs, it's a gorgeous room to dine in. I'm sure it will enhance the Mac & Cheese Terra loves preparing. She is planning to get into cooking other things now, and is happy she got some nice cookbooks as gifts. I give a big High 5 to James for knowing how to cook...he will be able to survive!

Dennis has been very busy painting the living and dining room. Because we got rid of most of our household furniture to move into this house, we thought when Terra took her fantastic red chair, beautiful wall sculpture, etc., that our living room would really be lacking. Thankfully that isn't true. The room has taken on a huge transformation because of the color of paint and new drapes. It sure is nice to have a husband that is so capable of making things nice around the house!

Have I said how much fun Dennis and I are having together? I thought when we got married 44 years ago that I knew what love was all about. HA! I could have never imagined how much more I would love him as the years went by. I thank my Heavenly Father often for guiding me to Dennis. In every way he has enhanced my life! I know this is such a huge blessing and I'm so grateful.

I'm also very grateful for my membership in the Lord's Church. To know that our family can be united for eternity is such a gift! The counsel given to us from living prophets has helped me in my life. I am thankful for my testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ and for the atonement he made on our behalf. I pray that I may become worthy of all the blessings that can be mine if I do what's right. I am also grateful to live in a wonderful ward and to have many of our old friends still in it. It was fun to move back into the Overland Park 2nd ward again.

It's a blessing to call this great land of America my home. I'm grateful for all the places I've lived and even for the opportunity to have lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Buenos Aires, Argentina. I feel that in each place I've lived we have tried to see and do all the things available in that area.

When Dennis and I were out last night getting drapes, we went to Pottery Barn where household items were beautifully displayed and then also at Bed Bath & Beyond where there were so many things on shelves for the home that if they didn't have it, you surely didn't need it. Then you go to the grocery stores and there is an abundance of food, even though a few days before people were crowded in there buying for their Thanksgiving meal. How blessed we are! May we share our blessings with those who are less fortunate!