Renewing an old tradition

For a long time, I had a yearly tradition that I started long before the advent of Blogs, Facebook Posts and Tweets where I took a minute or three to write down all of the things that I was grateful from the previous years. I called the list my Great-Full List and even kept them in a small metal box for decades. Of course, over the course of 30 or so years, that box has long since vanished from 1000s of miles of travel and many different life changes. I recall that I did do one Great-Full a few years back on one of my blogs, but have long since fallen out of the habit of doing it.

Part of that, especially in recent years, is due to the fact that things have not been the greatest and I oftentimes felt that I had very little to be actually grateful for. Another part is sheer laziness. Between writing books and short stories and three very popular blogs, I have really felt that I didn't have the time or the energy to mess with this once yearly tradition that I followed for so long. Well, with all that has happened to me in such a short period of time, I feel that this is an excellent time to bring an old tradition back. I have so much to be grateful for so here is the first Great-Fulls list of a brand new tradition. Hope you like it.

I am grateful for my amazing Wife. She has stuck with me through hard times and good times while putting up with my insanity and oddness. She has loved me and supported me for over a decade and I simply cannot imagine life without her. Actually that is a lie, I have a very good imagination and can imagine my life without her, but it isn't a world I would want to have to live in. Thank you, Paula for being crazy enough to marry me and dedicated enough to stay with me.

I am grateful for my Family, both blood relations and the ones I have been fortunate enough to find as the years passed by. Being the oddball that I am, I have not always gotten along well with my blood kin, but I still love them and am proud to call them my family. Through the magic of the Interwebz, I have rediscovered several people who are not my family by blood, but by choice. Men and women who are just as much my brothers and sisters as my biological ones. Phil, Ben, Shag, Mary and so many more make me a better person and make my life better.

I am grateful for my newly rediscovered faith. Times right now are especially hard and I oftentimes wonder if things will work out. The love and support of amazing people that I had never even known half a year ago have given me a strength that keeps me going. I still have my doubts and fears, but I also believe that things will work out in the end.

I am grateful that, for the first time in 5 years, I have a job. Admittedly it is only a seasonal job which will end at the end of December, but it is employment bringing in some much needed income. I also have a chance at a job that I really wanted and that gives me hope for the future.

I am grateful that my health still continues to be well. As a Diabetic, I live in terror of the many complications that can arise from the disease, but so far in the four years I have been ill, none of the horrors one reads about have happened. I work hard to keep myself healthy and I am grateful that so far my efforts have worked.

I think that everyone has their own Great-Fulls and I hope most people see them even when things get hard and dark. What kind of Great-Fulls do you have? Do you recognize them? Do you appreciate them?

Amen

Blessings upon Blessings. I am not worthy.

So last Tuesday I contracted what I thought was going to be a minor cold. I get them often because of the suppressed immune system effect of Diabetes. I am usually sick for a few days and then feel better. Well, needless to say that didn't turn out like I expected. Instead, I wound up with a serious body wracking, lung tearing “Gee why won't someone shoot me” kind of cold that is stilll going on 10 days later with no sign of stopping even though I am feeling better.

During this period I had to return to Georgia with my wife to try and get our old house cleaned out and ready to rent. I was so sick that she had to drive the entire 1500 mile round trip by herself and I am ever so proud of her for doing that. Thank God we managed to get almost everything done that we needed to do even though I was barely able to breath the entire trip.

I want to give a MAJOR Shout out to our Elders who took it upon themselves to take care of our 7 (Yes 7) animals while we were gone. The biggest worry that I always have when we are out of town is that something will happen to one of the 5 cats and two dogs that we proudly own. It is a truly wonderful group of young people who are willing to come into someone's house twice a day to feed animals and scoop litter boxes. It is an even more amazing group that is willing to pick up the rather substantial amounts of poop that my two horse dogs leave behind. When we got back, all the animals were healthy and the house was spotless from an animal residue. Way to go, Elders! My Elders totally rock!

While I was gone, one of my Geezer class members, Brother Schneider texted me and asked if I needed a blessing before my cold. I said no for two reasons. One I felt at the time it was a very minor cold and also I kind of felt like I was being greedy. Not a month before I had the Flu. (Suppressed Immune Sytem strikes again.) and had been the recipient of a Blessing that did me wonders so I felt like I was being greedy asking for another.

Well, once we got back I had changed my tune. I literally had not slept more than two hours a night in over a week and I was so sick that I truly felt like I was dying. So I texted Brother Schneider and asked if I could still have the Blessing. He sent over Elders Berg and Wray who performed an incredibly uplifting and loving Blessing that had me feeling better moments after they were done. I was still sick, but I could feel their love and God's love coursing through my body. Now a day later, I feel better than I have in almost 2 weeks. Between their amazing gift and some very good medications from my new Doctor, I actually feel like I am going to be okay.

The Church has given me so many blessings since we joined. Love, support and more new friendships that I can even begin to count. Not sure if I truly deserve them all, but I am trying every single day to be worthy of these amazing gifts. I will probably never truly be worthy of them but I will never stop trying. God has given me so much in such a short period of time and I am truly Blessed

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

A Wonderful Announcement.

     It is only a seasonal job for 8 weeks or so, but it is great pay and it will do a lot to help us keep things together.  GOD IS GOOD!

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.