thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…Honoring Our Peace Officers
- 05/14/25 05:14 PM
Thankful Thursdays…Honoring Our Peace Officers This is National Police Week (May 11 through May 15, 2025). It is a week to honor the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving their community.
Today, May 15, is Peace Officers Memorial Day. Growing up, our parents and our teachers taught us to respect our police officers. A few years after my brother’s friend joined the Houston Police Department, my brother followed him.
My brother(left) and my cousin, Ben. Graduation Day.
If you are of a mind, say a prayer for all of the officers who sacrificed their lives for us. And add prayers for
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…Grateful For Your Time
- 04/16/25 05:06 PM
Thankful Thursdays…Grateful For Your Time Since 2020, on Tuesdays afternoons at 1 PM C.S.T., I have had fun getting to know some of the ActiveRain members. What began in early 2020 (I can’t remember when, can you Debe Maxwell, CRS ?) grew into our Weekly Zoom Calls. ActiveRain member Marie Story asked anyone interested to join her in a Zoom call. She lived in Southeast FL, in a condo, and needed human interaction. We had so much fun, we met again and again. To keep it going, we decided to add topics or speakers.
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…for GOOD People
- 04/02/25 04:34 PM
Thankful Thursdays…for GOOD People It’s Good People Day at least that’s what my calendar app tells me. I celebrate GOOD people! You know them…you may be one yourself. Haven’t you known someone who when asked to describe them you say…They’re GOOD people. Note…I say “They’re good people” not “she’s a good person.” The term Good people falls into a category of its own. Some people are generally kind, and positive and do the right thing. Hopefully, those of us reading the above fall into that category. However, in my opinion, Good People are at the core of their being… GOOD. They’re not perfect
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thankful thursdays: ThankYOU Thursday…For YOU…Roy Kelley
- 02/25/25 05:32 PM
ThankYOU Thursday…For YOU…Roy Kelley Last month’s ActiveRain Challenge asked us to share our plans for 2025. Since I’m retired, one of my goals was to return to reading the many books I have in my office, bedroom, and “Read next” list. It’s not that I stopped reading, however there are so many other avenues I’ve taken that keep me reading all of the time. So… Roy Kelley suggested that were I to post a book review every week or so, you would know that I’m on schedule. Talk about being held accountable! Any-hoo… I popped open a book in my Kindle app and started Og
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…For an Abundance of Family
- 12/25/24 06:00 PM
Thankful Thursdays…For an Abundance of Family If this were a Wordless Wednesday post, my title would be Pooped. We had 35 for Christmas brunch. My feet are killing me and I am a pooped. However, it’s the kind of tiredness you feel when you’ve worked hard and had a good time. Family is the most important thing in life. We had family and family’s family and in my world that boils down to FAMILY.
The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Richard Bach.
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…Gratitude for My Wise Sellers
- 12/11/24 01:53 PM
Thankful Thursdays…Gratitude for My Wise Sellers Even though I’m retired from providing staging consultations and vacant home staging, I have fond memories of sellers (and agents) who helped make my job easier. Holidays are hard for sellers because as much as they want to sell their home, they are also knee deep in decorations. Allow me to express my gratitude for sellers who… ~Allow buyers to see their curb appeal without blocking it with large Grinch and other blow ups that during the day look like trash on the lawn when they are deflated.
~Make it easy for buyers to enter the home without having to
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thankful thursdays: Thanksgiving Week…My Cup Runneth Over
- 11/24/24 01:53 PM
Thanksgiving Week…My Cup Runneth Over While we are grateful throughout the year, Thanksgiving brings out the urge to give serious thought to our lives and what we are thankful for. When I get the PPM cloud over me (Poor Pitiful Me), the first thing I do is actively think about everything in my life…all of the wonderful people, my friends, my birds…everything! Reading Brian England’s Sunday posts are a weekly reminder that no matter what I think I don’t have, it pales in comparison to the real life woes of others. While my life has not been perfect and yes, I do have some
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thoughts…For All the Twists and Turns
- 11/20/24 01:18 PM
Thankful Thoughts…For All the Twists and Turns Have you ever driven from Omaha, NE to Denver CO? Or from Houston west to Lubbock, TX? I have. The roads (as I remember them) are straight and downright boring. Looking in my rearview mirror, I’m thankful for the detours, twists, and unexpected turns I’ve had in my life. For example, had it not been for breaking up with someone I dated for 6 years (5 years too long) I would never have moved to the apartment complex where I met Larry.
I might have lived a life like many of my friends and taken their
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thoughts…For the Strangers We Meet
- 11/13/24 04:11 PM
Thankful Thoughts…For the Strangers We Meet Have you ever met a stranger and after a conversation (no matter how brief) you walked away with a pep in your step and a smile on your face?? It happens to me all of the time and for that I am grateful. Usually the chance meetings reinforce my belief that in every person there is some good. God bless you… When I was in Target doing last minute Halloween candy shopping, I noticed a young girl around 4 or 5, along a side aisle admiring the toys. I looked for a parent, then saw her father. I quietly pointed
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thankful thursdays: Who Raised These Kids? I’ll Tell You.
- 11/06/24 01:33 PM
Who Raised These Kids? I’ll Tell You. One of the things I love to do is observe people’s behavior. Halloween never disappoints, particularly the children and their parent’s influence.
Recently a talking head on one of the news stations said on air “Who raised these people????”
While I don’t know specifically, let me share two Halloween related stories. On Halloween in a town in Michigan, a mother left a note outside her home that said… My son is in the hospital. Sorry no candy. I’m no Pollyanna so I know that in some neighborhoods, the home may have been egged. However, the door camera caught
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…My Techie Gizmos and Gadgets
- 10/09/24 05:09 PM
Thankful Thursdays…My Techie Gizmos and Gadgets Michael Jacobs wrote a post for this month’s October 2024 ActiveRain Tech Tools Challenge. I loved Michael’s post and it is a reminder that technology is in the eye of the beholder! In case you don’t know, I love technology and the many apps that add that “wow” layer. I grew up when you used a phone to call people not in your presence. If you wanted to take a picture, you used your camera. When I was a kid, I wanted a Dick Tracy wrist watch that actually worked! I had to wait about 50 years but I
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays… A Little Time, A Big Impact
- 09/18/24 02:08 PM
Thankful Thursdays… A Little Time, A Big Impact
Have you ever had someone say something to you or spend 5 minutes with you that changed your life? Well maybe not your whole life but at least your attitude?? When I learned we were relocating to FL, I was devastated. I thought my whole world was ending. Everyone I told looked at me with sad faces as well. Until… someone in my group smiled and said how excited she was for my new adventure. That was exactly what I needed! Instead of reading the regular attempt at news, I like to look for feel good stories. Allow
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…Texan Through and Through
- 09/04/24 05:20 PM
Thankful Thursdays…Texan Through and Through (This post is for the September 2024 Blog 53 Words Challenge)
I am thankful I was raised to do the right thing. Growing up a Texan made me value God, country, and family. Respect for others, standing up for those who can’t, football, Tex-Mex, bragging and cowboys shaped me. While I loved living in Florida, Texas will always be in my heart and soul. And now for the rest of the story… Why this topic? Not a day goes by when I don’t think about all that has been given to me…the people in my life…and the experiences I’ve had. Lately,
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…For Being Happy
- 08/05/24 04:56 PM
Thankful Thursdays…For Being Happy Given a choice, I’d prefer to be happy. Happiness, in my opinion, doesn’t just happen. Being happy is a choice for us to make…it is a habit we practice…and it is a state that takes nurturing. Who wouldn’t choose to be happy? And yet, we’ve all met people who never seem happy…or are waiting for someone or something to make them happy. There is also the person who sets themselves up to not be happy. When I find myself in “unhappy-ville” I do everything I can to return to my happy-place. It may mean physically removing myself from the person, place
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…For My Lucky Moves
- 07/24/24 05:21 PM
Thankful Thursdays…For My Lucky Moves Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400’s post yesterday reminded me of my many moves. She asked me in response to my comment… “With all your relocations, you could fill a book on this topic. Any idea how many houses you've resided in?” Excluding the home I grew up in, I’ve lived in 12 different homes. Two of those were apartments. In fact, I moved from my first apartment on the second floor to a first floor apartment. We lived in Orlando two different times. Twice Larry’s company rented a home for us in Orlando when he built there. We kept our home
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…So Much
- 07/10/24 05:35 PM
Thankful Thursdays…So Much Beryl has been fodder for my post topics this week. Even with no power- we have a generator that kept us going. We have our must-have coffee, fridge, microwave, lights, etc. We have plenty of Ethanol-free gas to power the generators. And to re-supply the gas for the generator, we get to go to Buc-ee’s! Thankfully we kept our DVD’ s so we’re having fun watching movies since we have no cable or Internet! We went to Lupe Tortillas so we could be in air conditioning. It was delicious and before we left, our cute waitress asked if we’d like some ice water
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thankful thursdays: Happy Birthday to the Land That I Love
- 07/03/24 01:42 PM
Happy Birthday to the Land That I Love When I think of this beautiful land I was born in, I can’t help but thank my grandparents (both sets) for finding their way to this country. I am forever grateful. And, while I’ve always liked the song God Bless America, since 9/11, I get goosebumps and a lump in my throat when it’s played. Remember the night of September 11, 2001, when members of Congress came together on the steps of the Capitol and spontaneously began singing “God Bless America”?
While the storm clouds gather far across the sea, Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free, Let
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…Going the Extra Mile
- 06/19/24 05:08 PM
Thankful Thursdays…Going the Extra Mile Has anyone ever gone out of their way to help you without expectation of a reward or because they had to?
Those acts stay with you, don't they!? Recently we were with friends in a large outdoor retail marketplace. While waiting for another friend we searched for a coffee shop.
We thought we’d found a Starbucks but it was closed for renovation. We must have had that “I have no idea where we are” look on our faces because a lovely woman stopped and asked us if she could help us. She suggested a few places, and rather than just pointing
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…For the “Git R Done” People
- 06/12/24 03:34 PM
Thankful Thursdays…For the “Git R Done” People Have you noticed there are the “Git R Done” people and the “Someone oughta" people? Some of the walking paths at Kickerillo are along Cypress Creek. In some areas, there is a 125-foot sheer drop into the creek. Recently a sinkhole developed…under part of the path. Orange cones were placed at the sinkhole but this was just the tip of the issue. Our friend, Greg, who does everything imaginable at the parks in this area, is a Git r done guy. Rather than wait for the Road and Bridges Department who are stressed with repairing things after
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thankful thursdays: Thankful Thursdays…For Waiting Rooms and Good Ole Boys
- 05/01/24 05:24 PM
Thankful Thursdays…For Waiting Rooms and Good Ole Boys Most people I know would rather have a root canal than wait in the airport, a long line, or the doctor’s office. While it’s not my favorite activity, I think it’s fun to observe people. You never know what you’ll learn or who you’ll meet.
The other day, while waiting for Larry to have one of his eyes tweaked. (from his cataract surgery a few years ago) I had the opportunity to chat with my favorite character…a good ole Texas boy. An older gentleman walked in, sat on a loveseat, and promptly tried to get up.
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