Alphabet Soup - Letter "J"

Continuing on with the challenge to list blessings that I appreciate for every letter of the alphabet I will name these:

JUGGLING - this is something I am determined to learn. I have been practicing a off and on but still am not very good at it yet. No matter - I'll keep trying until I master the art. It just seems like it would be a fun way to add a little levity to life!

JET PLANES - I love to travel and have been fortunate enough to see various parts of the world: Egypt, Costa Rica, Fiji, Mexico to name just a few. I am ever so grateful for the ability to travel far and wide made possible by modern transportation.

JOINT CHECKING & SAVINGS - Every couple must find their own balance for how they will handle their finances. I know a few families in which husbands and wives clearly delineate "HIS" money from "HER" money. While I respect that may work for some, I am so thankful that in my marriage we have a different way. We throw all our resources into one pot and mutually share whatever bounty may come. Early on my husband was the only one working for a wage outside the home. Then little by little I started to contribute as I worked my way up the career ladder. These days I make a bit more than him. But it doesn't really matter. It's all OURS and we manage it together with no greediness or secrets. I like that.

JOB - I like my work. The past couple days have been horrendous as my boss and I have teamed together to compile a big, complicated end-of-year report. The reporting required for federal grants is truly excruciating. But even with tedious tasks like that in the mix, over all I am very pleased to be working where I do, and mindful that having a good job of any kind is something not to take for granted.

JELLO - Just because there's ALWAYS room for Jello! I especially like Jello brand instant tapioca pudding. YUM YUM!

JESUS CHRIST - and of course no "J" list would be complete without including the Savior. It is through the atonement of Jesus Christ that I can be forgiven of my sins to return one day to live in the presence of the Father. That is something for which I will always be especially grateful.

Alphabet Soup - Letter "I"

INTIMACY is a special blessing - one I am ever so grateful for. This word means different things to different people. To me, it is the ability to connect with trusted others on a deep and authentic level that warms my soul.

ISLAND - My husband is a scuba diver so we have gone to several tropical places on vacations that have taught me to appreciate island life. Whether it be Hawaii, Fiji or the Bahamas, there's nothing quite like squishing my toes in the sand as I walk on the beach with sun kissing my skin. I don't think I'd care to live long term on a small piece of land surrounded by the sea, but for a get away week I'll take islands any day!

IMPOSSIBLE = I'm Possible - Back in Aug 2001 I participated in the Avon 3 day walk for Breast Cancer. Over a period of 3 days I walked approximately 60 miles, from Enumclaw, WA to Seattle. It was a gruelling journey of body and spirit and taught me many important things. One of the lessons that has remained with me since that event is the message that Pallota Teamworks kept reaffirming - that with just a little re-defining the impossible could be shifted to the belief that I'm Possible.
I learned that it was indeed very possible for me to do some big and important things. The whole thing was a very powerful experience I hope I never forget.

INDIAN SUMMER - these are those lovely warm days after the chill of fall has come. They offer a last hurrah of playing outdoors before the bleak cold of winter begins. Often coming in late October, I love going for walks to see the trees decked out in autumn colors on a mild Indian Summer Afternoon.

Alphabet Soup - Letter "H"

I am going to cheat on this one and simply link to the things that Morning Glory said on her post about H because I so agree with ALL of her words!!!!

Alphabet Soup - Letter "G"

Number one on this list is easy - GRANDKIDS I have four grandchildren who are my blood relations and and four more inherited through my son's marriage. Each and every one of them is special to me.

GOD is a big part of my life. At various points I've had different beliefs about who or what God really is or what my relationship to Him could be. Over the years my spiritual understanding has evolved considerably. There is much I still don't understand. But I believe that God is very real and is mindful of my life.

GARDEN - I'm not a great gardener, but I do enjoy getting out to dig in the dirt and watch things grow. I usually am very ambitious about it in the spring but by late July or early August when it is getting hot I've lost the heart for weeding. Still, I manage to raise some lovely blooms and a respectable pile of veggies each year.

GUESTS - I enjoy having people over for dinner or to stay at our house for a long weekend. I'm not a fancy entertainer, but having chances to connect with family or friends in my home is something I really like.

GUITAR - I don't play at all, actually haven't got a musical bone in my body. But my husband strums and sings quite often and I've always been so grateful he has music in his life. It has blessed our home. Also, my older brother is a serious player. I love listening to either of them pick out a song.

GOULASH - is a spicy dish, originally from Hungary, usually made of beef, onions, red peppers, and paprika powder. HMMM I'm getting hungry...think I will GO now!

Alphabet Soup - Leter "F"

I wrote about this one previously over HERE.

Alphabet Soup - The letter "E"

Moving right along through the alphabet I come to the letter "E".

First and formost for this letter for me would have to be Eternal Marriage.

Because I am active LDS I believe in the concept of being married for "time and all eternity" rather than "till death do us part." Being sealed in the Temple by one who holds authority to perform such does NOT give us any guarentees - but rather opens the door to sacred potential of continuing together througout forever, if we make the right choices along the way. That is incredibly comforting to me.

EARS give me the capacity to hear music, the laughter of children, the sound of rain falling in the trees. Hearing is a wonderful sense that blesses me in so many ways. I know I take it for granted too much.

ENDIVE - who doesn't love a good salad?? Seriously, I am tremendously grateful to live in a time and place where I can go to my local market and get all kinds of fresh veggies year round. Just a couple generations ago that was unheard of - our pioneer forfathers ate what they grew, found or killed and not much else. I love the produce department!

Other e-blessings are described in my earlie post HERE, as that was written when I first discovered alphabet soup.

Alphabet Soup - My Letter "D" Blessings

On delightful dog days I dreamily dangle my toes into dangerous waters.
Determined to decipher my destiny I demand dungeons of duty desist from their decadent drills of doom in my brain and damn them to dark corners - liberating my thoughts and will to dance new steps of delicious delirium in freedom.

Yeah, D is a fun letter to play with.

For blessings...

DOG - my trusty basset hound, Morgan dog brings sweet friendship.

DREAMS - not the night time kind - for me those range from weird to creepy. But I have many dreams of things I hope to do one day; some become specific goals with an action plan for reaching them. Some remain fantasy of how I'd like things to be but will probably never follow up on. Nonetheless, I enjoy dreaming. Whether it is conjuring up images of walking on the great wall of China, learning to paint, getting serious about social activism or running away with the circus...it's fun to dream!


Dandelion Memories - I have this incredibly powerful image in my mind of my first born son sitting in a field of dandelions, giggling and grinning with complete enthusiasm and glee; I had no camera at the time, but took a picture with my heart. That moment is carved in my soul with such sweetness and wonder. He was about two at the time - so it was 30 years ago. He is all grown up now, doing his best to face life's challenges. I honor the man he has become. But in my heart, he is still my dandelion baby.

Daffodils - I just love their cheerful faces announcing spring has finally arrived. I have several different varieties planted around my yard.

Dining Table - Last night we had three other couples come to dinner. We laughed together about inane aspects of life, pondered some over weightier matters, and thoroughly enjoyed one another's company. I love having a sturdy oak table with many leaves that I can put in to change the size from little to big in just a shake so I can accommodate gatherings of this sort. Many a meal has been savored at this table. I've also used it for game nights with friends, sorting out glass, wrapping gifts, and all sorts of things. It's the heart of our home in many ways.

Decorations - Right now that dining table mentioned above is decorated with baby pumpkins and a garland of fake autumn leaves. It feels festive to commemorate the coming of autumn with these things. At all the major holidays I will put out a few treasures collected over the years - my Easter Egg tree, a leprechaun wreath, and of course go out full tilt with lights and garland and bows galore come Christmas. It's fun to mark the seasons and special days with decorations, some of which I've had handed down to me from my mother and grandmother.

Dancing - I am not much of a dancer. I simply don't have the grace. But I am married to a man who doesn't seem to mind that I flunked waltz when we took a ballroom dance class a couple years ago. He dances with me anyway...holding me close and spinning me through the room with tenderness in his eyes. Whether it is is in union with my beloved or simply times when I boogie to blasting music by myself while cleaning house - I firmly believe in the adage that says "Dance Like No One is Watching." It feels good to just let my body move and celebrate life!

Alphabet Soup - My Letter "C" Blessings

While the obvious answer for "C" would be Christ, for my spiritual blessing for this letter I choose to focus on COVENANTS. Covenants are two way promises - and those I make with God are the most sacred agreements of my life. I have baptismal covenants. I have temple covenants. I hold these to be holy and they strengthen and direct my live in more ways than I can name.

Computer is key blessing for me. Because I teach online classes for it is part of my livelihood. Beyond that, it is my way to stay connected with a myriad of friends and family scattered over the earth. It is a tool for finding information. It provides entertainment. It keeps me organized. I would be lost without it.

College is a huge part of my life. Getting an education had a lot to do with making it possible for me to turn my life around from the mess that it was to the stable and satisfying path I'm on today. Beyond that, I have taught college classes for the last dozen years. I've worked in many different capacities over the years, but when I am teaching it truly feels as if the planets have all lined up and the angels are singing in the heavens...I'm in the ZONE. I love it! I'm sure I'll still do lots of other things as years come and go, but college life will always hold a special magic for me.

Crayons - I love to color with my grand kids - or anyone else for that matter.

Cinnamon - whether in pumpkin pies or sprinkled with sugar on toast, I love the taste and the smell of this yummy spice. Scent is a powerful sensory experience for me and I adore walking into the house when it is filled with good smells!

Capillaries - just to remind myself to be grateful for the small unseen things in my life that give me strength. It is easy to recognize the big, shiny, impressive blessings that call attention to themselves. But I know there are a million and one tiny and unseen factors that make my life so sweet. Capillaries to do their job of spreading my blood all throughout my body in tiny little pockets to be sure oxygen and nutrients get to every spot. So thank you to capillaries and all the rest of the wonderful C words in my life!

Alphabet Soup - Letter B

I have many blessings that begin with the letter B

Baptism - I was eight years old when I was baptized. I scarcely remember it and doubt that I fully understood the sacred nature of the covenants I was making with God at the time. But in the 40+ years since then I've had many occasions to ponder the significance of that event it my life. I am ever so grateful that I can renew those promises each week when I partake of the holy sacrament.

Blogging - Yes, I love the blogosphere. Some days I just wander at random to see what I can discover. Other times I stick with the tried and true - visiting "friends" I will most likely never meet in real time, but whom I have come to know and enjoy all the same. I'm sole author to five different blogs and contributing writer on another two. It's something that soothes me, inspires me, makes me think. I love to blog!

Brain - I am so grateful for the brain God gave me. I grew up as the middle of five kids in a home that put the D in dysfunctional. My siblings and I are only half kidding we say to each other that we were raised by wolves. But every one of us scrambled our way out of poverty and madness to earn graduate degrees, build strong relationships and create saner families in this generation. I am grateful my clan was given a healthy dose of good grey matter!

Bulbs - I am a flower fanatic. I just love to see my crocuses pop up out of the ground at the first sign of spring - sometimes making their way through the last vestiges of snow. Then come the daffodils, grape hyacinths and tulips. I have allium and peonies, hostas and bleeding heart. The edges of my yard are a wild riot of color from May til July as my bulbs transition through various stages. I love walking the yard when I get home each evening after work to see what new surprise I may find blooming there.

Books - I am an avid, eclectic reader. Some of my best friends as I was growing up were the characters in my books. I used to sit up in the crotch of a mulberry tree lost in reading for hours. Today my life is much too busy for that, and my bones are too old for climbing trees - but I still read as much as I can and then augment that with books on CD for when I commute. I love a good read!

What I Am Grateful For - the Letter A

Over at my other blog I describe a new project I am now working on.

For the gifts I will make for my family I will put in 26 index cards, one for each letter of the alphabet to challenge each one of them to make lists of things they consider blessings in their lives.

What I am doing for myself will be a little bit different. Because writing comes naturally to me, I have more words to share for each letter than what would fit on just one card. So I will put together 26 GROUPS of index cards, with each group of 3-5 cards attached with a small ring. Each group is designated a letter. Then on each card within that group I write a word that begins with that letter, followed by a detailed description of WHY I am grateful for that thing. (For example, right now my "A" group has 3 cards, designated "Atonement", "Airplanes" and Autumn". But because I have them connected by an O ring that clips open rather easily I can ADD to those cards with new words any time I like. Over the years I hope to keep pondering my blessings untill I make each of these gatherings of cards fat with gratitude.

Right now I have this:

On the "Atonement" card it says:
"I believe in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that He personally took on the sins of the world, but more important to me, I have faith in the reality that He took on MY sins, every one of them, so that I might be forgiven and be able to live in the presence of God again. But He did not just atone for the SINS of the word. He also took on every sorrow, every grief, every despairing moment of loneliness, every pain that could possibly be part of this mortal existence. My finite mind does not understand how that was possible. But I know that it was real. This is not just some Sunday School lesson to me. It is a true miracle that makes it possible for me to cope with any struggle I may have. When it feels as if no one in this world understands what I may be going through, I know that my Savior absolutely does understand in a very deep and personal way what it is I am feeling. Because of the atonement, I can go to my Father in Heaven in prayer with every moment of shame, every self doubt, every hurt feeling and be renewed through the Savior's love for me."

On the "Airplane" card it says:
I am so grateful for the chance to see distant places. Through the technology of airplanes I've been able to travel to Fiji, to Costa Rica, to Egypt and all over the United States. I've eaten red beans and rice while listening to great blues tunes in New Orleans. I've gone white water rafting near Denali in the wilderness of Alaska. I've seen volcanoes and been to a luau in Hawaii. I've seen petraglyphs on the walls of Indian ruins in New Mexico and flown a kite on the beach in Key Largo, Florida. I've stood at the top of the arch in St. Louis and eaten Amish pie in Wooster, Ohio. I've seen the laser light show on Freemont Steet in Las Vegas and looked out at the stars during a wonderful meteor shower in Tucson. I've camped out in the woods of Mt. Pilot, North Carolina and gone exploring deep caves in Tennessee. These trips and oh so many more were all made possible to me due to the wonderful blessing of the Airplane. I need to remember that when I am grousing about delays or missed connections. I need to remember that when I feel crowed in coach or anytime I start to complain about the futility of having all passengers take of their shoes going through security. There may be problems and inconveniences along the way, but I am still very, very grateful for airplanes."

My "Autumn" card says this:
"I love the feel of nubby sweaters that keep me warm from Autumn's chill. I love the harvest season when the earth gives up fat pumpkins and apples and and other produce. I love the sound of crunching leaves and the rich colors of the fall. I love the smell of smoke in the air as wood stoves kick in for the first time of the season. I love seeing V's of geese flying south and knowing there is a cycle of seasons to this earth."

Some of the words will be serious and some will be silly. But by giving myself a whole card to explain WHY each thing is a blessing in my life, it takes on deeper meaning. So when I get it all done I will have a "box of blessings" that I can turn to any time I get feeling blue, discouraged or overwhelmed.

I am grateful for all my A blessings, and all the rest of the alphabet - soon to be posted here.