30 Days of Thankful - The Little Things

DAY 7: It\"s the little things in life that sometimes get us by...



I could hear the birds singing as I left my house this morning. The air was clear, and cool. The sky was beautiful. I stopped at the corner gas station, as I do every morning, to get my Diet Dr. Pepper fix. The clerk was so friendly. As I was leaving, I found a penny on the ground, heads up, and I knew it was going to be a good day.

 

 







All I could think about as I was driving to work were the little things in life. I though about the "Sunshine and Smiles" box that my neighbor left on my doorstep last week. Such a kind gesture that really made my day. Another day last week, I was out checking my mail, and a random stranger stopped in the road and told me how much she loved my house. Just a simple thing for her to do, but it sure made me feel good.

 

About a month ago, I went to "visit" my Dad. It did my heart good to see that someone had put a basket of fall flowers on his grave. It brought me joy to know that he is still loved and missed by so many. 

A few days ago, a co-worker brought me a soup mug and some cute napkins "just because". It\"s the little things like this that make me feel appreciated!

Every night before bed, my kids are quick to tell me they love me. Now, I know they love me. But to hear it? Every night? What a blessing! 

 

 All of these things have gotten me to thinking... if it is the little things that make me so happy, that get me through, day by day, then I need to be much more aware of the little things in life, and not keep looking for "the big things" that I think I need. And it also makes me realize, that most of these little things are a direct result of someone\"s random act of kindness, and that I need to get on the stick and do some random acts of kindness for others!

30 Days of Thankful - My ‘other’ Brother and Sister

DAY 6:  "MY OTHER BROTHER & SISTER"



When you look up the term "in law", here is what you get:

in-law

  [in-law] 

noun

a relative by marriage

Although that term is "correct", my  Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law are so much more to me than just "a relative by marriage".

First, my Brother in law, Bill. I could say so many things about him. He is one of the finest examples of a christian man that I have ever known. We have had a long-standing OU/OSU feud, and he is so good-natured. We always have a good time teasing each other. But that is such a small part of him... such a minor part. He is just GOOD. Simply, good. He is wise beyond his years, soft spoken, kind, caring and compassionate. I know I could go to him for absolutely anything and he would be there for me, as he has been many, many times. I am very thankful for him!

Bill Retherford

And, my Sister in law, Debbie. She came into my life as I was a little older. Debbie is a hoot. She is a "tell it like it is" kind of girl. You always know where you stand with her, and I appreciate that so much about her. We have had many, many good times together. We have also shared some heartache and hard times when Dad was so sick and then passed away. Through it all, Debbie was a rock. She jumped in and helped take care of Dad, not because she had to, or felt an obligation, but because she loved him, just like we did.

Greg and Debbie Morris

I\"m luckier than a lot of people. I have these two amazing people as my "other brother and sister". They are blessings from God.

30 Days of Thankful - My Brother

DAY 5:  



Today I am thankful for... my brother. As a little girl, I always felt so special because Greg would let me come into his room and watch Star Trek with him. It was so exciting, because Greg was the ultimate "trekkie", back before "trekkies" were cool. Of course, this was back in the dinosaur days, so there weren\"t VCRs or DVRs. But, where there is a will, there is always a way. Greg proved that. He would set his cassette tape recorder right beside the tv, and during the shows, he would record. He\"d threaten me with my life if I talked during "recording". I\"d just about burst, holding all my words in, waiting for the commercials when I could FINALLY talk and voice my opinions! It was torture waiting, but oh man, I loved watching those shows with him.



Greg also had a "magic" dresser. When he was young, you could remove the top dresser drawer, and there was always candy hiding under there! As he got older, there was even better treasure under there, because it was money. Haha! He thought he was so clever, but the whole family knew it was there. (By the way, just in case a robber or someone else wants to know, he doesn\"t do that anymore. LOL).



Greg wasn\"t so good at hiding his candy and money, but one thing he was VERY good at hiding was his talent. We didn\"t know that he could sing until he was a junior in high school and got a solo in choir. We were so shocked! He has a great voice. As he got older, he sang in some church singings and wrote some songs. To this day, when I hear any of those songs, I tear up immediately.



Greg was always into electronics. He had to be the first to get anything new that came on the market. I remember his first big screen tv. Man, that thing was HUGE. I think it took up a good 5 square feet of his living room, but it was awesome! I remember that he also had "Colecovision"... one of the first video game systems. I was so jealous!



Greg moved away when I was in my 20s. He and my sister-in-law lived in Provo, Utah for many years, and then they moved to Rotterdam, Holland, The Netherlands, for several more years. During that time, we never got to see them as much as we would have liked. About 3 years ago, they felt that it was time to "come home", and we were so thankful to see them move back to Oklahoma. 



When our Dad had his heart attack last November, it threw us all for a loop, but Greg stepped up and was there for Dad all the way. He took such good care of Dad, and helped him to keep his dignity to the end. Greg showed love, care, kindness, patience and compassion... all the things that Dad had striven to teach us his whole life. Obviously, Greg was a good learner. 



Since Dad has been gone, Greg has striven to keep our family close. He has went out of his way for me, time and time again. I love him with all my heart. He represents all that a big brother should, and I am so thankful that God gave me him in this life. 

Greg, Me and Kim

30 Days of Thankful - My Sister

Day 4:  



My poor sister had the misfortune of being 10 years older than me. That means that she had to put up with a little spoiled brat for years and years (hopefully I grew out of that at some point!). When she wanted to go "cruise town", she had to take her 6 year old sister with her. Of course, I would tattle when we got home, telling Mom and Dad how many times she stopped and talked to friends, or how she went "sideways" across the bridge. When she would have a boyfriend over, I\"d either force them to play Monopoly with me, or promptly go in her room and do something ornery, like count her skirts, and then march in announcing loudly, "Kim has 32 skirts! 32!" When she was off to work, I\"d come in from school and "tap dance" in her high heels. Boy, she had some great heels... before I got a hold of them. 



Thankfully, I did grow up. As I got older, we started to become friends. One time after I graduated high school, I went by her house after I got off work. We were riding to the mall together and she told me, "You know, after all these years, I FINALLY like you!" She was kidding, but I\"m sure there was some truth to what she was saying.



After I got married, I could always count on her to be there for me. She was my friend, as well as my sister. She was more than willing to have us at her home. And she always, always made us feel welcome, and went out of her way many times to make us feel special.



Along with being my sister, Kim is a wife, mother, Mimi, daughter, aunt, friend, helper, midwife, defender, protector, and many other things, to many people. Her care and compassion make her unlike any other. 



Unfortunately, there came a time when my world was turned upside down. I happened to be at her house the day I found out Bob had left. Needless to say, I was devastated. And my sister was there, as usual, with kind, caring words and compassion.



Since that day, we have been closer than ever. She has been to my house time after time, and I have enjoyed every minute of her visits. We\"ve done "the baby thing", we\"ve shopped, we\"ve eaten out (too much!), we\"ve talked, laughed, cried, shared and have just simply been together. I can never express my gratitude for her. I love her. She is the best sister I could have ever wished for.

30 Days of Thankful - My Daddy

Day 3:



Today (as every day), I am thankful for my Daddy. You know, anyone can be a father. That is the law of nature. But it takes someone special to be a Dad. And let me tell you, my Dad was sooo special. 



When I was little, he would lay on his side in the floor, and let me lay on top of him. I would call it "My Daddy Bed". I would lay there for hours, watching tv. I\"m sure he got so tired of it, but he never complained. Never. Because he loved me, plain and simple.



As I got older, we spent so much time together. Both my sister and my brother got married when I was 11 years old. After that, it was just me and my parents. Dad took me all over the place with him. I loved to go to his office with him, to the dump with him, out to eat with him, or even simply riding in his truck with him. Dad was so fun-loving. He loved to laugh, and make other people laugh.



Dad was always willing to give me his time. And his hard work. Every time I moved into a different house, he was always right there, helping us move, installing ceiling fans, new light fixtures, shower heads, faucets, etc. He built me clothing racks for my yard sales. He trimmed my trees. He fixed my plumbing, time and time again. He hauled stuff for me in his truck. It didn\"t matter what my want/need was, he would try his best to fulfill it... because he loved me. Because he was my Daddy.



A year ago today was the beginning of the end for him. Dad had a heart attack. He was suffering, and in so much pain. It was so hard to watch. And for the next 2 months, he suffered. And went downhill. Sadly, he passed away on January 3, 2013. But, as always, he taught us lessons during those last days. He taught us about faith. And about long-suffering. About waiting upon The Lord. About patience. About care and compassion. About dignity. About laughter. About love. And family. The whole time we were caring for him, he cared and worried about us. He was the greatest example that I could ever have asked for. I will be eternally thankful that God chose him for my Dad. I love you Daddy, always. Watch for me... I\"ll see you again.

In loving memory of James Howard Morris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTnWFT3DvVA

"I\"ll See You Again", by Carrie Underwood

30 Days of Thankful - My Momma

Day 2:  There are so many things I want to choose from, that I\"m having a really hard time picking. Today, I will choose my mom. My mom has always been My Friend. I\"m sure there was a time when we were just mother/daughter, but I can\"t remember it. Both of my siblings got married, 2 weeks apart, when I was eleven years old. At that point, it was just me and my parents. We did EVERYTHING together. (I am also extremely thankful for my Dad, but that is another post because I\"m too emotional to post about him today!). At a time when most teenagers fought with/hated their moms, I was friends with mine and told her everything. As I got older, got married, had children, divorced, and have lived life as a single mom, she has always, always been there for me. No matter what I needed (babysitter, errand-runner, seamstress, shopper, chauffeur, etc), I can always count on her. Not all girls have that with their mom, and believe me, I really do know how blessed I am. 

Here she is, my beautiful mother, Barbara. She may not love this picture, but I have always loved it. It shows her smiling, fun self. I love you Mom!

30 Days of Thankful - My Kids

For the last 3 years, I have read everyone else\"s "30 Days of Thanks" posts on Facebook. At times I have wanted to join in, but have hesitated, because I\"d think, "What if people think the things I think are important are stupid? Or shallow?" I\"d feel SO MUCH PRESSURE to do it right, that I wouldn\"t do it at all. So, I decided that this year, I would do it anyway. After all, God already knows if my things are stupid or shallow... right? And He loves me anyway. So, here goes...

DAY 1:  Today, I will be predictable. And not stupid or shallow. LOL. But trust me, those days are coming fast. Haha! For the first day, I truly am thankful for my kids. Let me tell you, God sure knew what He was doing when He gave them to me. We have had our ups and downs, but THEY ARE SUCH A BLESSING. Many, many days, THEY are the reason that I have gotten up in the morning. Many times, THEY are the reason I have made it through the day. And time after time, THEY are the reason I keep on keeping on. They will never, ever know how much I love them. Yes, we definitely have our moments. Don\"t we all? But they are MY kids, and for that, I will ever be grateful.