“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snowflake.”
- Francis Bacon

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

♫ It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood ♫ Common, everyday blessings + a Veteran's Day thank you



Today I was thinking about things that I take for granted but are so precious to me. Things that I count on to be there when I need them or want them. If they disappeared I'd miss them and want them back. Today I am thankful for the most common, everyday services and experiences but blessings, none-the-less. Do you have things in your life that you take for granted that would be dearly missed if they went away?
  1. Electricity. Think about it for a moment. All you have to do is flip a switch and you have light or warmth or cool air or a running appliance. There are people on earth who live in cardboard houses or tents or mud huts. Our fingertips can activate a little miracle several times each day.
  2. Indoor water. When I was a little girl my mother and I would visit friends of hers that lived in a farmhouse with no indoor water or plumbing whatsoever. I remember pumping water to drink that tasted yucky but cold and going out in the middle of the night to sit on a circular cut-out hoping nothing would grab me from underneath before I was done with my business☺ I had fun when we would go there to visit but boy, was I ever happy to get home to a toilet that flushed and water that came out of a tap!
  3. Telephone. Yes, I mean the kind that is attached to the wall and not tucked into your pocket☺ Sure, I have a cell phone - have for years - but there is something comforting about the old-fashioned ring of a telephone telling you that someone is on the other end that wants to talk with you. Sometimes you don't want to talk with them (people soliciting for business) but all-in-all, the call is usually someone whose voice is one that you are happy to hear.
  4. US mail. Postage costs are rising but when you really think about it, if you gave someone a letter and asked them to take it from Michigan to California and then told them that you would pay them 42 cents to get the job done - what do you think you'd get for an answer? Mailing a letter is still a fair bargain and nothing is more welcome than receiving a card or letter in the mail. You can hold it in your hand and read it several times. You can put the card on your counter for display and then tuck it safely in a box tied with satin ribbon. Even in the age of the internet, receiving mail can be like having coffee with an old friend.
  5. Neighbors. You don't have to be bosom buddies and chat over the fence every day but isn't it nice when you are coming home or getting in your car or walking the dog or mowing the lawn to raise your hand to wave at someone accompanied by your best smile? It's a connection to your neighborhood - to something outside the four walls of your home. My neighbors are always on the go but when we are outside and notice each other it feels good to smile, wave and say hello☺

Joseph Korzecki 1911 - 1999
My last blessing and the one I am MOST THANKFUL for on this Veteran's Day is my father. He fought in the Pacific theater in World War II but never, ever talked of his heroism. He did share with his family the heroism of his buddies.

20 comments:

bj said...

Sweet and thankful post, Mimi..I am thankful for YOU!!
xo bj

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Everytime I take a shower or climb into bed at nite and rest my head, I feel very, very thankful! Unfortunately, as for the mail in Kuwait, it is so not reliable. So many things over the years were lost or taken, so I asked everyone to stop sending things. My mom still sends handwritten notes and cards to me and the kids. Sometimes it is 6 months after the initial mailing before we actually receive them. And we did have a home phone until one day it stopped working. The electrician said it was a Ministry problem; the Ministry said it was a local problem. 6 months on, it was never resolved, so my husband cancelled the line -- and I hate talking on the mobile anymore than I have to. I am thankful for emails and computers and the internet so that I can keep in touch with the world. Best wishes to you, :) Tammy

Zuzana said...

All of these things that you mention here are so common in our lives today and we take them from granted. I too remember houses without running water and when I was a child, for a long time we did not have a telephone.
Lovely post.
xo
Zuzana

~Kristen~ said...

You are so right. We take so much of this for granted. I can't remember homes without electricity or running water, but I certainly can't imagine it. We live in tough times but if more people took the time, like you did, to recognized all the many blessings we truly have in our lives, the world could be a happier place.

Beautiful post, sweet friend! xoxo

GwendolynKay said...

Thanks for the reminder to always count our blessings and not take things for granted. Blessings to you!
Gwen

Karen said...

I take my car for granted. There are days when I wish I didn't have one, so I could stay home and not run around town so much. But I'd be lost without it.

Claus said...

There are MANY things so common in our daily life that yes, we do take them for granted, not even thinking what our life would be like without them. Great list today Mimi!

Dogwood said...

I love reading about the things that you are thankful for. My list would be very much the same. I so often forget thost things that I take as common that not all people in the world enjoy.

Thanks.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I love this post Mimi! We are so lucky to live in the era we do with so many comforts and conveniences.

Your Dad was the same age as mine but my Dad passed in 1970's...way to early. He was also a WWII and Korea veteran. Happy Veteran's Day and thanks for your nice comments on my blog I appreciate them!

The Tiquehunters Wife said...

Dear Mimi,
I just want to say how you have enriched my life these past few days as we celebrate the 30 days of Thanksgiving together!
The blessings you share with us are always thoughtfully written, often with some little tid-bit to tickle the funny bone!
I loved each blessing shared today and sure can relate to the one on "running water". Growing up I spent each summer on my Grandmothers farm--there was no indoor plumbing! As a spoiled kid
growing up in the big city of Chicago, this was pure culture shock! I remember washing my hair under the pump in the cow pasture and being scared out of my wits of wasps and other rather large creatures with wings in the old outhouse! I hated it and dreamed of hitchhiking home!, But as I grew older, I began appreciate this strange world and to love it!, So much so-that I have lived in country now for most of my adult life! That, plus my dear grandmothers wisdom, had a strong influence on the person I am today!
Thanks so much again Mimi, for sharing these great thoughts and blessings!
With love from the Cabin!
Claudia O.

Paula said...

A nice post...we do forget to be thankful for the simple things don't we

calicodaisy said...

Great thoughts today! Wonderful photo of your dad. -- michele

Cottage Rose said...

What a truly Lovely Heart felt post.. I really enjoyed reading it.. sometimes we forget just how Blessed we really are...

Hugs;
Alaura

stefanie said...

what a great post, and such a handsome man your father was...we should always be thankful for all the great things we have

Midwest Mom said...

Delightful, Mimi. Thanks.

carolyn said...

Love your post, Mimi
All those things we take for granted.
I am grateful for men like your father who served his family and country for our freedom

Peggy said...

Blessings again Mimi...and what a wonderful simple list but you are so right, we take these things for luxury. Living in Mexico, I have come to appreciate them all so much more...not having many as we have back home. Even with electricity, every time I use my microwave, I loose all power. I do not have a stove, but a two grill stovetop version. I have to buy a tank of gas to heat my water or would need another one for a stove. Right now I so miss a bathtub, showers just aren't my style and cold ones even less. You really do learn to appreciate the regular everyday things! Can't put paper in toilet, it goes in a wastebasket...there water system is highly inadequate and many times the color is not one you'd trust. I bu bottled water for drinking, etc. even for my dogs.

I too am thankful for my father serving in WWII and his sacrifices as well as the many soldiers now defending & giving their lives for our freedom. So many good ideas on this thankful list...may you enJOY the beautiful day in your neighborhood & the comforts of home! Precious...neighbors! Great job! Thanks for keeping on visiting me...I may not get to it for a while now due to internet service problems & power in & out! We'll see but I give God thanks with you.

Anonymous said...

My mom and I were talking about electricity and cable, things that when they go out (like they did) come back up relatively quickly. On any day of the week. We're sometimes finicky about the service, but they are able to get us up and running when it's out. I miss the old telephones like in the photo. (Love your photos). Mom always talked about getting shocked by the phone in their house - a long time ago. And, I miss the letters I used to get. BUT I am so enjoying dropping in on you. Somehow, it's sort of like chatting over the fence...sort of. Thanks YoU!

Jenn

~ Sara ~ said...

During the ice storm that hit the Midwest in 2007, my county being the hardest hit we learned NEVER to take things like electricity, indoor water, phone, and neighbors for granted. We were without power for 5 days and we were lucky to have it on then, most people it was 14 or more days with out power, running water, or phone service (even land lines wouldn't work).

It's good to be reminded though. Thanks :)

Kim said...

I miss neighbors. Since I am in a foreign country, most of mine see me as a stranger and avoid me. I visit with lots of "neighbors" in blog world. My hubby calls it the electronic back fence! So glad you share a fence with me. =)