Celebrations Wrapped into One!

No wonder Meg loves her roommates so much.  They all know how to have fun!  Since they were all going their separate ways for the Holidays and one was getting married after Thanksgiving they decided to combine and celebrate Thanksgiving, Meg's birthday, Christmas, and New Year's Eve.  In case you want to do this some day I'll give you a little run through.  They had Thanksgiving dinner (but with ham because it was easier to cook), next they had a birthday party for Meg with gifts they gave her from things in the apartment, Then a family picture in their matching PJs (and the puppy with matching pjs!) and then they had sparkling cider to welcome in the new year.  I love that Meg is a part of such a creative group of girls.  What a blessing!  Thanks for sharing these cute pictures Meg.

Happy Birthday Meg!

 22 Years Old

Cousins

 

Perry was the last to leave and as you can see his cousins didn't want him to go.  I loved how
sweet all of you were to the young ones these last few days.  Katie has got to be the best
cousin in the world and bless her heart she never had a minute to herself because she
was so adored by Eden and Graham!

Thanksgiving!

Here are a couple of pictures of our wonderful Thanksgiving feast.  More pictures will follow but I wanted to share just a couple of an amazing day and wonderful food.  Thank you all for coming and thank you for pitching in to make it a memorable occasion for me.  Thank you Amy and Christian for sharing your beautiful home and backyard and for Perry's smoker that filled the neighborhood with the wonderful odor of roasting turkey.  It was truly a feast!

Blessing #15 of 30

I live in a beautiful area surrounded by farmland.  As growth encroaches it may not be for much longer but while I still get to see furrows of dirt, acres and acres of different crops growing throughout the year (the advantage of an Arizona winter) I am so thankful for farmers.  It is such an easy thing to take for granted as I go to the store and pick up food without a thought about the hours of labor that produced the wonderful fruits, vegetables, and meats.   When I walk out of my apartment at times and my nose is assaulted with the pungent odor of manure I stop before I can complain because I know that the land around our area is being plowed for a new crop to turn those furrows of dirt into something lush and green that will sustain life.  Brett Brian wrote; "Farming is a profession of hope."  I am so thankful to those who haven't walked away from the land and go out each day with faith that what they plant will help them reap a harvest.  Farmers are a blessing.  

Blessing #14 of 30

I am so grateful that I am a grandma!  It is absolutely the best icing on any cake.  I have had the privilege of watching each of you grow into amazing young adults and still have the joy of the sweetness of the younger grandkids.  Aunt Amy sent me a link to Eden's Thanksgiving program at school.  As I watched her sweetness when she recited her part and sang the Hoki Poki song (using turkey words instead) I was filled with awe that she is one of the jewels in a crown that I get to wear.  I am so impressed with the kindness you show to me and you showed to Grandpa.  You included him in your pretending, you walked a little slower so he could keep up.  You touch bases on occasion to let me know what you are up to.  I often get to be reminded of things your mom and dads did that always made me smile as you often have some of their similar traits.  The 10 commandments teach us that we must honor our father and mother so that our days may be long,  I thank each of you sweet grandkids for extending that honor to me as well.  I am truly blessed!

Blessing #13 of 30

I am so grateful that we have the Scriptures.  When I finished reading the Book of Mormon recently I made a decision that I would read it again along with reading the New Testament.  It has been such a testimony builder to read the words on the Prophets in Israel and the words of the Prophets on the American continent.  Today in reading in Jacob 4:3 I loved this comment made by Jacob.  "Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents."  From these beautiful words I then read in Luke 10 the parable of the Good Samaritan and was given direction by the Savior to "go and do likewise."  As I  do my daily scripture study I am encouraged, chastised, warned, and enlightened because I am able to bear witness that Jesus is the Christ.  How could I not be grateful for that!

Blessing #12 of 30

I am grateful that I live in a country where we have a voice in the selection of the leaders of our country.  I consider it a great blessings that we have Presidents who direct our country's future even when there are times I don't like the direction that we are going.  For the past three weeks I have immensely enjoyed a documentary done by Ken Burns about the legacy of the Roosevelts.  When I was born Herbert Hoover was the president of the United States.   Grandpa and I have had the opportunity to visit the Presidential Libraries for Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Dwight Eisenhower, Herbert Hoover, John F Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt.  We would have visited the Gerald Ford's library but when we got there on our way home from our mission it was closed because of a bad snowstorm.  I hope that I will complete my bucket list of visits and go to the Bush Libraries, and eventually Donald Trumps.  The others--not interested.  In my lifetime as a voter I have voted as a democrat and as a republican.  Grandpa and I both changed our party affiliation at the end of Bill Clinton's presidency.  Never been sorry I did!  I have my favorite and least favorite list.  One of the things you come to realize as you study history that many of the people that we admired and voted for were morally weak human beings.  In spite of that many good things were accomplished under their watch.  Of the president that I actually voted for was Jimmy Carter (but only once because I thought he did a terrible job) and then I voted for Ronald Reagan (although I was a Democrat at the time).  I voted for Bill Clinton and since that time I have voted for Republican candidates.  Just for my opportunity to share I'd like to tell you the Presidents who I thought have been the best and the worst.  Best: Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump.  Worst: Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama.   One of the historians about the Roosevelts said something that I thought was very interesting and true.  He said of presidents.  "They kept a process going despite their shortfalls and they kept alive the possibilities of progress.  Each in their own way changed the world."  I love and feel truly grateful that I get to vote each four years for President of the United States.  I didn't vote for Biden and truly feel that he doesn't have the mental capacity to do the job, but in spite of that,  I will pray that he will be blessed and protected as he serves as the head of this great country.

Blessing #11 of 30

I am so thankful for friends.  Yesterday I had a wonderful day with Beth Andreasen who came and spent the day with me.  We used our time together to see the progress on the Mesa Temple and then drove to the other side of the valley to see the Phoenix Temple. We had breakfast at Kneaders and Lunch at Macayos as well.  The best part was we talked non-stop all day.  I met Beth over 30 years ago in Victorville and it has been a friendship for life.  She inspires me by her knowledge and I love that she knows my shortcomings but loves me anyway.  Today I went back to the west valley to have lunch with another amazing friend who I love spending time with.  Barb Walker is one of the most positive people I have ever known.  She loves life and I am so grateful that she loves me.  She is my traveling buddy and we are both counting the minutes until we head East to visit the Amish, church history sites, and my favorite old stomping ground in New England.  How blessed my life has been because of these two women.

Blessing #10 of 30

I am grateful for my Book Club!  I have only gone twice and yet I feel like I have met up again with long lost friends.  I thanked them today for accepting me so quickly as part of their group.  They have been meeting for some time and yet I feel like I have always known them and they have known me.  Talking about books is such a wonderful way to discover things about other people.  What they love.  What stirs their souls and  inspires them.  Beside the wonderful perspectives they shared on the book we read today I loved reading this book.  They have all the books for the next year and I am excited at the choices they have for each meeting.  This month we read a true story about a German pilot and an American pilot who met in the air and in a moment the German pilot put honor over expectation and did not make the final attack that would have killed everyone on board.  Instead he helped direct the pilot back towards England where he landed the plane safely.  Needless to say he never told anyone what he had done until the war had been over for many years.  Much of the story is told from the German pilots experience of being in Germany under the dictatorship of Hitler.  Definitely worth a read.  Next month--Persuasion!  And a Christmas luncheon.

Blessing #9 of 30

 I am grateful for repentance.  I have needed it more times than I'd like to admit but especially during this political season.  On Sunday I listened to a talk given by Elder Holland in 2012 at a BYU devotional.  During the speech he told three incidences that he knew about and from those he gave three lessons that we should learn from those stories.  The first was "Never Check Your Religion at the Door."  The second, "Show Compassion, but be Loyal to the Commandments and the third was Use Gospel Values to Benefit Communities and Countries."  What humbled me was that I have had a tendency to check my religion at the door as I was disappointed by people I had held in high regard and in fact had to hold myself back from making snide comments about their poor choices!  You are right as I'm sure you are thinking--who made you large and in charge?!  Elder Holland said the following during that talk.  "You never check your religion at the door.  Not ever.  My young friends, that kind of discipleship cannot be--it is not discipleship at all.  As the prophet Alma has taught the young women of the Church to declare every week in the Young Women themes, we are "to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that we may be in.  Not just some of the time, in a few places, or when our teams has a big lead."   Because I disagreed with choices others make I had to remind myself that we are all given the gift of agency.  What we do with that agency is between the person who made the choice and the Lord.  It means they get to choose and I get to choose and if our choices are different so be it.  Don't worry I didn't comment on Facebook about their opinion but I may have at times put a "Wow Emoji" or a "Sad Emoji"  or an "Angry Emoji."  You know ultimately we will all know the truth about our opinions.  Were they good or were they poorly thought out--only time will tell.  In the meantime there will only be one thing to remember--"You never check your religion at the door--not ever!"

Blessing #8 of 30

 I am so thankful for Pilgrims and Pioneers!  While in New England grandpa and I visited the replica of the Mayflower and saw Plymouth Rock.  I had no idea at the time that I actually had an ancestor who was on that ship.  His name was John Alden and he was 22 years old.  I am related to him through my Grandpa Hickey's line.  John was a cooper and crew member on the Mayflower.  After arriving in America, he signed the Mayflower Compact and decided to stay rather than return to England.  According to the information I got he performed extensive public service for the colony, serving in roles such as Treasurer and Assistant Governor.  He married a fellow passenger named Priscilla Mullins in 1623 and they had 10 children.  He died in 1687 in Duxbury, Massachusetts at the age of 88.  When he died he was the last surviving signer of the Mayflower Compact.   

Grandpa had a relative who was one of the original pioneers who crossed the plains and came into the Salt Lake Valley. His history said he went back 21 times by Ox team to help other saints emigrate to the Valley.  His name was Homer Duncan and he was your Great grandpa Duncan's grandfather.  He was born in 1815 at McIndoe Falls, Vermont (we visited the area while on our mission)  He married Asenath Banker and together they had 10 children.  He was called to go to Cedar City, Utah and help develop iron production in the area.  He eventually came back to Salt Lake and was a farmer there.  He died in 1906 a the age of 90.  The courage and  fortitude that was required to do such a monumental undertaking by both the Pilgrim and the Pioneer is truly inspiring to me and I hope for you.  

Owen

Owen managed to get the Covid 19.  He is now a member of the "I survived the pandemic crowd!"  I have kept in touch with Aunt Becky each day to see how he was doing and for the past two days he is definitely feeling better but still is pretty worn out from the experience.  The doctor told him no playing the trombone for a while which knowing Owen that will be hard to do!  I know there are many people who have had experience with this miserable illness and many who didn't fare as well as Owen did.  I am grateful that he is on the mend.  I found this trombone playing Santa and will give it to Owen when he gets here.  At least he will have some trombone music to listen to!

Blessing #7 of 30

 Last night I was clearing off old texts on my phone and I came across this sweet picture of Grandpa and Uncle Christian.  I have had so much help from all of you as I dealt with Grandpa's illness and then learning to live on my own.  I speak truth when I say I couldn't have done it without you!  I don't know if I ever told you how many times Christian stopped whatever he was doing when I had an emergency with Grandpa.  If I called he'd be at the house in minutes.  He was so sweet with Grandpa and I think his patient demeanor did much to calm grandpa down.  I am grateful for Christian.  He is a kind and gentle man who truly tries to do the right things.  He works really hard to take care of his family and works at a very stressful job.  He is meticulous in each task he takes on.  I suspect he overthinks most activities he is involved in because it is important to him to do it right.  He is a BYU football fan and a Dr. Pepper lover.  I love him and appreciate his sacrifice and love for his family.

Blessing #6 of 30

 I am so grateful that we have a prophet on earth.  When our family became members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, David O. McKay was the prophet.  I remember seeing pictures of him with his thick white hair and a smile of his face.  Each prophet who followed had a large impact on my life.  In the Come Unto Christ manual it teachers that "Prophets guided God's people throughout biblical times--and continues to do so today."  I know that is true.  In Amos 3:17 the scripture tells us that "Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."  It is such a great comfort to know that we do not have to wonder what God would have us do.  We are guided daily by a Prophet of God here on earth.  When President Nelson was called and sustained by us at the General Conference I was so touched when they put the camera on him and he had tears in his eyes.  How could I not be honored to call such a humble man a prophet of God.  I can't think of a greater blessing than that! 

 

Russel M. Nelson, Prophet of God

Blessing #5 of 30

I am so grateful for my life!  When I read this quote by Sister Hinckley I knew what my next post would be.  I have so many wonderful experiences that are tucked away in my heart.  Many of them because of all of you!  I have shed my share of tears, laughed until I hurt, worried myself sick, and basked in the glory of another day.  I have marveled at all that I have been given by a generous Heavenly Father who I knew loved and cared about me.  Throughout Grandpa's illness as hard as it was there was never a moment that I didn't have something to remind me that everything would be okay.  When Grandpa died I was so shocked by how much he had struggled and in an instant he was at peace.  I hope that when he reported in that he was able to say, "Wow!  What a ride."  I don't believe our lives should be a piece of cake.  It should involve stubbed toes, hurt feelings, painful experiences, disappointments and trials.  But sprinkled among those will be times of incredible happiness and joy.  I'm not in a hurry to have this journey end but everyday I plan to say Wow, what a ride!  I'm practicing for when I see grandpa again!

Blessing #4 of 30

When I was in high school my mom told me that she really wanted me to learn to sew.  Apparently, she was sorry she didn't do it when she had the chance and told me not to make the same mistake.  I did try to do whatever my mom asked and so I took a sewing class in high school.  I actually really enjoyed it and I was able to make many of my clothes when I was in high school and after.  Today I was making a dress for Eden and I thought a lot about my mom while doing it.  She loved to cook and she was really one of the best there was.  I am truly thankful that I had a mom who gave me good advice and perspective.  I have made a lot of dresses over the years and definitely used the things I learned while in the class.  I do have a confession though--I am never totally satisfied with anything I sew.  I know every mistake I made.  I often feel disappointed with the end results.  I am terrible at picking the right material and it always takes longer than I thought it should.  But I am at my last granddaughter that I can sew for.  I wanted to make her some dresses because when I see her in one of the outfits I made for her I am a happy and proud grandma!  I am blessed because I got to learn to sew.  I was blessed that I had a smart mom! 

Blessing #3 of 30

I am grateful that I was the child of the "greatest generation."  I recently watched a documentary on the Roosevelts, both Teddy and Franklin.  I realized something while watching it that I hadn't really thought of before.  Much of my parents childhood occurred during the depression years.  My mom and my dads' stories were much different because my Grandpa Hickey worked as a fireman throughout the depression and although their family had struggles it was nothing compared to life my father lived during that time.  My father left home when he was about 12 years old, jumped on a passing train and ended up in California working on a dairy farm.  He loved the farmer he worked for but was worried about his sisters and brother and so he left in a year even though the farmer told him he wanted him to stay with them.  That same "great depression" eventually brought my dad to Phoenix as a member of the CCC making a park on South Mountain just south of Phoenix.  Then our history began when they met and married and eventually had four children.  I was one of them.  But the struggle to survive wasn't over yet.  The United States was brought into World War II after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor.  Now my dad began his second great battle.  Survive the war in Europe and come home to his family.  He did survive and returned home.  For that I am truly grateful because I wouldn't have been able to tell this story since I wouldn't have been born!  As the saying goes..."adversity makes you strong."  My mom and dad were strong people and I am truly proud of both of them.  They walked through a bad storm and didn't quit walking once the storm ended.  For that I am grateful!

Blessing #2 of 30

 I am so grateful for cars--especially mine.  It got me through a terrible accident with only a few painful bruises.  In spite of the damage it was able to be repaired.   It took Grandpa and I across the United States twice and all over New England and even into Canada.  It has many miles on the odometer and still runs like a champ.  My recent reading about church history made me realize what amazing ancestors we had who came to settle this great country by walking across the United States or by boat, wagon, handcarts and the lucky ones came by train to their new homes.  I literally walk a few steps to my car and once in I turn a key and I'm off on an adventure!  No blisters on my feet of callouses on my hands.  I still remember trips to Texas as a little girl in a car with no refrigeration.  My mom would literally put wash clothes in our ice water jug then wring them out and hand it back to us to wipe away the sweat and cool off.  Now I drive in total comfort with the air conditioner blowing in the summer and heated seats and a car heater in the winter!  I can be entertained with books on tape in the CD player and when I'm really adventurous I can open up the top and let the air blow through the car.  Today I took a long ride around the edges of Gilbert to see places I had never been before.  It was a wonderful reminder of what a blessed life I have and what a nice car I have!

Thoughts from Aunt Amy

Aunt Amy wrote the following on her blog about politics and I wasn't sure how many of you read her blog so with her permission I wanted to share her thoughts.  She said it so well and I think it is a reminder to all of us that in spite of who we wanted to become the President we are family first and should show respect of love each other even if we don't agree with the others political views. 

As a child I was blessed with three close friends. We spent a lot of time together. We loved each other and we also created a lot of drama. Often times we would create friends through mutual enemies. We would say something like, "do you know what 'Susie' said about you?" Then we would band together in mutual hatred against "Susie" having created a bond. Unfortunately that bond never lasted. We often loved being together but frequently were laden with bad feelings from past drama. I love all of those women today and I am grateful for what they contributed to my young life. But I have seen that pattern replicated in my adult life. It is a very sad pattern and one I wish more people could understand (and be aware of and REJECT). As an adult I confided in a friend that I felt left out from a certain group of women. Later that day I got an angry phone call from one of the women I had felt didn't want to be my friend asking me why I would tell someone she excluded me. I was devastated. The original friend I confided in literally became the best friend of the woman I complained about. Obviously my role in that story was idiotic and I hope I have learned my lesson. Fast forward to today when I am wise and all knowing. Well not really, but I will move forward despite the actual truth that I have flaws and imperfections and I don't understand things fully. I won't have been the only one. But I feel for historical record I want to remember and understand something that has bothered me lately. Everyone's favorite subject: Politics. I don't frequent social media, and I never use it as a news source. I use it to keep up with family and friends. But recently I have felt hurt by friends and family members posts (and comments from other sources than social media) about the election. I came to my political beliefs by experience. I voted democrat in my young adult life because I literally knew nothing about politics. The world has been blessed by me not having access to social media at that time. My young self might have said all sorts of embarrassing things about what I didn't understand. (Let me make clear that it wasn't the party I voted for but the lack of education and understanding of politics that I regret)  But today's world has social media to help us find friends through mutual enemies. Here's how it looks today. "Did you hear what X party believes about this? Everyone who believes that way or votes that way is exactly the same! Who is with me? You agree with me? Let's be friends! You disagree? You are one of them!!"  It is hard when I see these types of  ideas posted or re-posted by family. I feel like they should know me better than to say that I am a particular thing because of our differences in politics. To me politics are very real and important. Policies that I support politically I have come to through life experience. But those policies and beliefs aren't what many believe them to be. I love people of all races, I love people of every sexual orientation. I believe God wants me to love his children. I believe God loves all the family of the earth and wants them to be treated equally under the law. I believe in taking an active role in making and keeping this earth beautiful. I love this earth and I believe God gave it as a gift. I believe women should have equal standing under the law. I am grateful that women are able to participate in the political process and find it hard to believe there was a time that that wasn't the case! I believe history wasn't always pretty. I don't always live up to these beliefs perfectly. I have a paper plate problem for one. But I try to move my life toward the one source of actual truth, Jesus Christ. To me there is only one truth. There isn't a corner on the market for truth in one political party. I believe most people have more in common than they know. And I know that every individual is precious in God's sight and that even with their flaws (and ours), prejudices, and misunderstandings of truth He demands that we love them. I always align myself with conservative politics. I do this because I believe in personal responsibility and I find more emphasis on individual responsibility in conservative philosophies. Notice the use of philosophy. Philosophy is not truth, rather it is an idea. My philosophy is that the role of government should be small and the the personal responsibility of each citizen should be paramount. I connect this belief with my understanding of the constitution and believe I share this philosophy with Abraham Lincoln who said, "Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." I believe in personal responsibility even in regards to global pandemics. I believe that no person was sent to this earth with greater privilege but that our choices affect our privileges. I think that God has made clear that when we live his commandments we prosper. I feel that blessing is available to all, especially in a free country. To people who disagree with me on this point, I can understand where you are coming from. I know it is hard to watch inequality in the world. But it is my philosophy that personal responsibility gives us the freedom to benefit from our good choices. It is also my philosophy that saying someone else is responsible for your problems is a devastating hopeless place to be and may lead to rage. Most people have experienced the hopeless place of feeling others people's choices have cancelled out ours. But frequently (and NOT always) we can rise above our circumstances if we lift ourselves up through how we choose to live our lives. This is my philosophy and my understanding of truth. It come from my personal experience not my perfect knowledge of truth. Two people whose lives have helped me come to this belief are Clarence Thomas and Gavin Newsom. Clarence Thomas started in poverty and ended as a Justice of the Supreme Court. Gavin Newsom overcame severe dyslexia to become the Governor of California. Do I agree with everything these men have done or believe, of course not. I do admire that people can rise above circumstances. The dyslexia diagnosis hits closer to home. Duncan has been diagnosed with severe dyslexia and I know from personal experience how agonizing it is to have to learn to read and overcome your challenges. It isn't fair, and it doesn't help to be angry. It just takes more work than literally any other 11 year old I have seen read. But we won't give up. One last example of why I vote conservatively is the issue of abortion. I would never support a party that promotes freedom of one person to take life from another. I have personally experienced motherhood. I know the sacred responsibility God gave us when he gave us the power to create human life. I believe if you chose to use the sacred powers of procreation in the wrong way you should be responsible for the life you created. For me rape and incest are not a choice and are not included in that responsibility. I know life is sacred and I know it better than some. I have experienced three losses of pregnancy. Following one of these losses the doctor's office contacted me and let me know that my lost baby had been a girl. I learned then that it wasn't just a loss of tissue but a loss of human life. I also learned that it is our responsibility to protect human life. When I was 19 weeks pregnant with Duncan my water broke. I was told (not by my primary doctor) that his quality of life would not be worth preserving and that an abortion was advisable. Duncan is the light of our life. At 26 weeks he was a little sick human and he was worth preserving. Every moment of our lives we are grateful we made the right choice. One of the things I like about Donald Trump is seeing him with his family, especially his grandchildren. One of the things I appreciate about Joe Biden is that he knows what it is like to lose a child. I also love that he had a child sacrifice to serve in the military. I love and support all good from both parties. I am not a "Trump Voter". I voted for Trump despite the good qualities of both candidates. It may seem like the other party is full of people that all think the same but THOSE PEOPLE DON'T EXIST. It is a myth. Everyone on this earth is an individual, if their philosophies don't align with yours you need not make them into enemies to make friends with those within your own party. Make friends with people who need friends. Simple

Blessing #1 of 30

This is blessing #1 today.  You know the best  thing about counting your blessings and feeling gratitude?  You come to realize that no matter how hard you try it is impossible to say thank you enough!  This weekend I went over to Walmart for a few things and after finding a  parking space I walked past about 5 empty handicapped parking spaces as I headed into the store.  My first thought was why do they need so many parking spaces that often sit empty?  And then immediately that thought was replaced with a moment of gratitude that I don't need a handicapped parking place!  That thought came into my mind the rest of the day and each time I smiled.  I am grateful that I can walk (and for Relief Factor that keeps the pain in my knees at bay!😂😂)                              

I'm so Grateful!

 I was talking to Aunt Angela on the phone yesterday and she told me that she had done a Zoom Relief Society Activity for the sisters in her ward.  I knew that it would have been wonderful because that is typical of everything that she does.  She mentioned in the conversation that she had shared a story written by a teenage girl in Utah.  It was in the New Era entitled A Spoonful of Gratitude.  Basically she woke up in a "rotten" mood and decided she was going to have a miserable day.  While eating her breakfast she looked at a sign her mom had hanging in the kitchen which read, "Blessings brighten when you count them."  After she read the sign she began to argue with it!  Then she had a thought as she put a spoon of cereal in her mouth--"It would be mighty hard to eat your cereal without a spoon"  From that thought came many more until she came to a realization that she had so much to be grateful for.  For many reasons that article touched my heart and I realized that I need to be more aware of the blessings that I have every single day in my life.  President Uchtdorf once said, "Brothers and sisters, have we not reason to be filled with gratitude, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves?"  And I can answer that question with a resounding YES!  You may not know this but for a number of years I kept a gratitude journal and each night before I went to bed I wrote one word description of things I was grateful for that day.  I'm not sure why I stopped doing it but I've decided that starting today though the rest of November I am going to share with you some things that I am very grateful for.  I hope that each of you will also take a minute each day to "count your blessings" too.

Project Complete!

 Earlier in the year Aunt Cathy had a vision for their front and back yard.  After a great deal of planning and a lot of hard work the front yard is beautiful to behold!  Along with the yard work new window shutters were added and some touch up painting done.  Good job Cathy!

The California Duncans

 This year Ava became Deku from My Hero Academia and Caleb was an Astronaut!                            

                                                           Great job Caleb and Ava!

Graham

 I had to include this picture of Graham.  When he came over to trick or treat he didn't have this cute mask on that Aunt Amy found to go with his Dracula costume.  I love it!

The ND Duncans!

 Great costume choices for Peter and Jeremy!  This was definitely a Halloween like no other.  

A Covid Safe Businessman😂

A Doctor (thanks to Miriam for sharing
her scrubs!)

I truly hope this doesn't become the
norm for giving out candy!

Here's some of their pumpkin carving skills