This is Ferdinand and Isabella....I'm not exactly sure what's going on here.

Today I did more laundry than expected.
Ah,I love the feeling of clean crisp sheets.
Allergies force me to wash all blankets and quilts every time
I change the bed sheets, so, I get a really lovely fresh bed
whether I choose it or not.

I didn't do everything on my "to do" list.
I need to be satisfied with those things I was able to do
and not grieve for those not done.

As absurd as it sounds, I was glad to shower today and wash my hair.
These days a shower requires a nap afterward.
So I am not always as fresh smelling as I would like.
And, my hair is ridiculously long at the moment.
This makes a shampoo somewhat of an ordeal.

The long hair is partially a result of not wanting to
spend money at salon...and partially and indulgence since
I went a few years with almost no hair when I was very ill.
At my age a shorter "do" is probably more appropriate,
Though I don't know who made that rule.

Now it's time for me to get to bed.
I thank God for another day and all of His blessings.
GratefulJoy

The laughter of a Joyful friend

This photo shows the wing colors of a bird named Ferdinand who I sent to live in Colorado last year. He was gorgeous!
Though I am grateful to have had him and his sweetheart Isabella
I am now glad they are gone. They were screamers.
The neighbors here are now also grateful.

Today I began the day with a wonderful phone conversation with my Joyful friend.
She and I have a sisterly bond and I love to pray with her on the phone.
When I felt I could not face the day (today) I was pepped up by the Joyful one's
laughter and unique world view. She is as connected to the Spirit of God as she is to anything flesh and blood. I adore her.

I will hold onto hope today. Without hope I sink into the mud.
A little dose of hope carries me over hazardous terrain like a hot air balloon.

I am also glad for the laundry I will do after I shower and dress.
Getting it to and from the Laundromat is the big thing here.
Laundry is my Olympic event.

GratefulJoy

When things don't work the way I want them to work

This photo shows my Lilac Crowned Amazons having a shower.

Today I spent many hours trying to get a good combination of beads for a project I owe to a friend. At the end of the day I am not at all satisfied with any of my attempts. I hate disappointing anyone. I've been "working on" this project for almost two years and have yet to succeed.

How do I find joy in a day I feel has been wasted?
What about when I am unhappy with my attempts at something?
And when other things go undone?

I know the correct attitude is to rejoice in all things, though this is much easier said than done. I suppose it is the same with love. Love is a choice rather than a feeling. When we no longer have gushy feelings for someone then our decision to love needs to kick in or the relationship is doomed.
So, I choose to find my joy deep within rather than as a result
of successes in my art or other projects. This choice will sustain me and keep me from giving up. Perseverance....that's the word.

Though it is difficult, I choose joy today.
GratefulJoy

The dishwasher is humming

It's hard to find joy and gratitude in days such as today when my head hurts and I spent nearly all of it laying in bed. Thinking hurts sometimes too.
I did, though, get up long enough to load up the dishwasher and hook it up to the sink. I have a portable dishwasher which I wheel to the sink and hook to the faucet each time.

Considering the piles of dishes surrounding me here
I am grateful that at least one dishwasher load of dishes is humming away while they become spic and span clean.

I also spent some time working on cranberry colored bead projects.
All said, I am glad I lived today.

GratefulJoy

Rain is great

It has been nice and rainy this winter in San Diego.
Since we are a costal desert we see very little rain.
I love sleeping in my warm bed on a rainy night and feel so safe.

I am glad that I put a row of bricks at the front of my apartment complex so that I don't need to soak my feet whenever a water puddle floods my walkway to my car.
Those bricks have been utilized more than I'd expected.

Today's photo is of a Totem village in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Alaska gets so much rain that they measure it in feet rather than inches.
Contrast that to San Diego where we measure rain by the 100th of an inch.
In fact, Ketchikan residents don't use wells or city water...they have sumps that
collect rain water and filter it for personal use. Amazing. Convenient.

Water is perhaps the most amazing substance I can think of.
It can be liquid or solid. It can cool or it can burn.
It is the first necessity of biological life on earth.
Water can be vaporized and then returns to it's liquid form automatically.
What a great idea. God, thank you for water.

GratefulJoy

Dreams that came true and then some

This is a photo of my feet coming in for a landing during my Alaskan ZipLine excursion in 2009 (photo by my friend DeLynn). Before this cruise ship and excursion extravaganza I thought of Alaska as just another dream. That I was able to go in a bit of style and comfort with a friend I really love...that was a dream come true. We saw whales and bears and eagles and mountains and so many amazing things.

Today was a blur. I spent all but an hour or so in bed.
The bright spot of that was my phone conversation with my friend about dreaming. I may have been half dead physically but my dreams were still working.
She and I joke that her feet are planted two feet under the ground and mine are two feet off the ground. Somehow together we balance things out. Though my idea of balance is still a little afloat.

A house is in my dreams. This dream is more in the hands of God than me.

I think I am an expansionist at heart. In my head I see a picture of land that I own and property I manage and rent out and use for good. I also have a community center that offers ballet lessons and bird club meetings and ping pong tables and stuff for kids. I also own a donkey and have my organic herb garden in my yard (my dream yard).

I don't care if my dreams are realistic or not. How realistic was it for Wilbur and Orval Wright to create a flying machine? How about that silly idea of a horseless carriage? I am now telling myself: "DREAM BIG and dream often."
One saying the skateboarders at the Olympics say is: "Go big or go home."
That's about how I feel about it too.

Thank God for dreams.
GratefulJoy

Sunsets,Smogs, and Sodas

This photo is of a tree in LaJolla near Children's Beach.
I love that tree...it seems to be in competition with the building next to it.

Today started slow but I experienced some small miracles that picked me up.
First, I made it to the Smog test station on time today.
The biggest miracle is that my car PASSED!(?)
I really didn't expect my car to pass that smog. It's a 16 year old Mazda that I am slightly lax on maintaining.

Then on my way down a very drab street, mainly full of auto body shops and questionable taco shops, I got a fantastic view of the setting sun straight ahead of me. It was a little hard to keep my eyes on the road with that huge ball of orange fire setting over Point Loma. It was like getting a real diamond ring from
a ten cent vending machine.

Then I dropped by McDonalds and ordered a Dr. Pepper.
For some reason the workers kept handing me sodas.
They seemed to not get the message that I'd already received my order.
My strange super-power seems to be that I sometimes get a lot more than
I order or pay for at fast food restaurants. Go figure!?

GratefulJoy

Editing my memories and thoughts

One thing I battle everyday is chronic illness and physical pain.
This war has taken a lot of pieces out of me and I sometimes wonder
what is left worth keeping.

I'd dreamed my life would look so different than this.
How ironic that I was blessed with plenty of talent and an inborn drive.

What have I accomplished?
Not much today...not much yesterday...
have I failed?

Other folks seem to be able to rise above thier issues and achieve
amazing feats. Look that those Olympians! So what's my problem then?

The more I go down the road of comparisan and counting achievements
the deeper into dispair I get. I need to remember to stop the counting.

In a world where babies die of diseases before their first birthday
and other people who will never own a pair of shoes in their life,
I need to remember the many gifts I've been given.
I do have shoes and food and shelter.
I've had plenty of shoes too.
In fact, I've had more than your average American's pack of adventures.

One minute of remembering my blessings and I am in a totally
different head space (that's Californian for "attitude").
This does require some mental choices; it means remembering the good
rather than the painful. It's not cheating to edit my memories and thoughts.
How does that verse go? "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds." (New Testament somewhere)

Thank you God for giving me another day with a bed to sleep in and a car that starts every time I turn the key. Thanks that I was able to get up and drive myself to the Smog Test Station...even if they were closed when I got there.

GratefulJoy

Photo of the day: Nelly the mouse. She lived with me here for a few years and was very cute.

Sharing

I've noticed that food always tastes better when it is shared.
It is also quite fine when I don't need to prepare it myself.

Today a friend of mine called to chat
and casually mentioned that she had picked up some food for me
while she was at Costco. Thank you Patty!
Not that I was starving or anything, but it warms my heart
that she would think of me and spend her hard earned money on food for me.

I want to be someone who gives.
I want others to see God in me through my generosity.
In some ways I've succeeded in that area.
Some folks are still waiting for me to come through on my promises.

I need God's help to complete what I've started and to become the person
I aspire to become.

GratefulJoy

Photo of the day above: A Pacific Parrotlet baby which I raised and sold in 2006.

Friends who care

Happy Saturday!
Last night I enjoyed the Olympic opening ceremony (particularly the dancing) and was
reminded that it is amazing that all of these countries join together for the Olympics.
I really love cooperation and unity.

Oh, my topic!
Even though this is only day 2 of blog-world for me
I have heard from dear friends who actually VISITED my blog.  WOW!
It moves me that I have so many beautiful people who care about me
and take the time to hear what I say and care what I feel and think.

Thank you to my friends.
You are music to my soul.

I laughed when my old pal in St. Louis
wrote that she is "Almost Amish" when it comes to computer stuff.
Well I am pretty close to that myself.
My hope is to figure out how to get to my own blog
through a search engine online.

Another hope is that I can allow folks to add comments to the blog.
If anyone wants to send me an email note to explain how to do that
then go for it.

Today is the best day.
GratefulJoy

The photo of the day: 
Waldo, Jelly, and Daffy hanging out on top of cages in the bird room.

Joy can come even when I am alone

This is my Indian Ringneck named Daffy.
Mmmmmmmm, Grapes.

One thing God has been teaching me over the years is that He wants
to be my source of joy and the One that I share my thoughts and experiences with. Not that I cannot share these with others, but, God wants to be first.
When I see something amazing or beautiful or funny I
immediately think "Oh, I wish I could share that with someone."
Well, God wants me to realize that He is sharing these things with Me.

My friends and relationships are precious.
My relationship with God sustains my life.

The greatest leaders in history have learned to be comfortable being
alone with themselves.
If I am happy within myself then others can benefit from this.
If I am needing someone else to be happy then it will drain my
relationships and pull myself down too.

I am grateful that I have a God who loves me
and wants to share good things with me.
I am also grateful for my loved ones who rejoice in my successes and don't
scold me for my failures.

By the way, the Red Bell Pepper Hummus I had for dinner was quite tasty.
Just another tidbit of good stuff in my day.

Where is my blog?

Friday, February 12, 2009

Seems I have some bugs to work out with this blog thing.
I cannot find my own blog online, so, it is doubtful that others can find it.
Hmmmm........I am grateful that this old dog is learning new tricks.
Keeps that brain going.

Project: Gratitude and Joy...every day

Friday, February 12, 2010

First day of "Project Joy".

As I get older it seems the days pass more quickly and I have less to show for my life. I do believe that if I adjust my perspective then I can find a glimpse of JOY every day...regardless of my circumstances....regardless of my productivity or lack of productivity.

I'm beginning this blog thing at 1:16 am (looking at the clock in the corner of my monitor view) realizing that almost all of my (better) ideas come in the wee hours of the morning when I have nobody to talk me out of them.

I also have my my bird named Daffy on my shoulder as I type.

Having Daffy here as I begin is a great help since he thinks everything I do is amazing. He also gives me kisses and says: "Good bird!" while I write, which, is encouraging...even if he is only a bird. I've posted Daffy's picture here as my Photo of the day

What am I grateful for at this moment?: I am grateful that this old computer has come back to life after a brief unplanned time of dysfunction. I am grateful that I could send the costly replacement computer back to the manufacturer for a full refund (without a restock fee!!).

Now I will cuddle with Daffy while I watch the rest of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and then I will go to bed in my own comfy bed. I really am blessed.

So concludes my first blog post (Whew-hoo!),

GratefulJoy