Thankful Tuesday

Welcome to another edition of Thankful Tuesday!

Today I am thankful for:
1.  Homeless Christmas Tree
There is a tree on a  hill east of Beach and I-30 that was planted as a Christmas tree for homeless people in Fort Worth.  It is decorated year round for all the homeless in the area to have a tree they call their own.  We have the benefit of driving by it every week on our way to my granddad's house.  It's a great tree and a great story.

2.  Bumper stickers
Instead of staring at the redlight I am stopped at, I like to entertain myself at intersections by reading the bumper stickers on the cars around me.  Bumper stickers are like tattoos for cars.  They are almost always worth the read.

3.  Exciting detours.
Recently we were on the way to somewhere and had to turn around to see an exciting site.  There are two fields in our neighborhood that were the site of recent apartment demolition (another detour event).  We got to see a water truck park in the street between the two fields and a man watered both fields from one spot in the middle of the road.  He had a firetruck hose and a pivoting stand where he kept rotating and watering.  He watered two entire fields just from one spot.  It was really interesting, and I'm afraid that we creeped him out just slightly because we were so excited that we actually followed him to watch him refill his truck at a fire hydrant.

4.  Trees on the horizon
I drive to Irving once a week to go visit my grandfather.  Last week I was driving and thinking and realized how much more interesting trees make the drive.  I can't imagine how boring the drive would be with no trees to look at as I whiz by.  Of course I don't recommend only staring at the trees, but they are nice.

5.  Shade tree escapes
We have a giant shade tree in our front yard.  I think it's an oak, but you should really ask Adam because he knows for sure.  Twice this summer we've looked out our window to see an exciting site under our shade tree.  One time a limo was parked in front of our house.  I got out to offer the guy a bottle of water, and he said he was waiting to go to a wedding at the church down the street and just wanted to sit in his limo in the shade for a while.  I told him to stay as long as he wanted and to take us with him, but alas, he didn't.  Last week a trash truck parked under our shade tree so the driver could get out and take a break visiting with his girlfriend in the car behind, also under the tree.  Who knows who will park under our tree this week....I guarantee it will be exciting!

6.  !!!!!!!
I have recently been informed that I am an exclamation point abuser.  I have since calmed down my exclamations in professional writing, but at home, I am showing my true enthusiasm for life.  !!!!!!!  I am now super concious of how much I use these !!!! but also how much they usually truly reflect how I feel when I write the sentence that ends with !!!!!

7.  Cute kid crafts
Part of being active at church is that the kids bring home cute darn crafts every week.  Paul brought home a shoebox shaped like a whale last week and the week before that he brought home a water bottle with blue water and a balloon floating in it, both illustrating the Jonah and the Whale story.  Claire has painted two flowerpots this summer and made an awesome rock cross.  I love decorating our house with kid crafts!  (Yes, that exclamation point was purposely used.)

8.  Hope
I love surprises as much as I love mysteries.  I haven't checked the weather report today, but I look outside and see rainclouds that I hope to bring forth rain.  I have already been informed that these clouds won't bring rain today, but if you already know what's going to happen, do you really pay attention to the shapes and colors of the clouds and hope?  I don't prefer ignorance, but I do prefer hope.  The weathermen aren't always right and that cloud over our house is pretty dark.  With some events, I just find it better not to know what's going to happen.

9.  Connections to the outside world
Last week I took our laptop to my granddad's house and began interviewing him again about his personal history.  I have done this in several different formats through the years.  I have cassette tapes of me interviewing him, I have a journal of questions and answers, and now I'm typing his answers.  He is 86 and full of exciting stories that will die with him if I don't get them recorded.  Last week we talked about his job as a lineman for the electric company.  He taught me about wire insulators and that they really aren't much different today than the first ones he installed in 1949.  Since then, the kids and I have been looking out the car windows spotting wire insulators on the electrical poles.  It's exciting to look at those and know that they are tied to our family history.

10.  Kids pushing me to be better
Somedays I wake up and decide, "Today, I am grouchy."  Yes, I know this is ridiculous, and it rarely happens.  Sometimes, though, I forget to set the coffee up at nighttime, or I don't get to have my personal quiet time, or I'm woken up because Paul has just wet the bed.  On days like that, I get frustrated and I just say to myself, "I'm grouchy or I'm tired."  Fortunately for me, the kids never let me stay that way long.  They will unknowingly say something hilarious or ask me to do something that makes me feel better.  Recently I was exhausted on a Thursday afternoon.  I was ready to pack it in and head home, but then I told the kids that our church was hosting homeless ladies that night.  "We have to go!"  Claire said.  Tired or not, I turned around and took us to church.  We were blessed and I wasn't grouchy any more.  Darn those kids always making me a better person!  (intentional exclamation point.)