December 17, 2012 Being Thankful

I guess I am still trying to wrap my mind around the mentality of a person, 20 years old, extremely intelligent, tho with some mental issues.....smart enough to graduate after 10th grade, that could do something so horrific as killing a bunch of young children and women.  How does one get to that place that they feel they need to do a thing like that ...... I just don't know. 
It isn't that I am not or haven't always been thankful for what I do have and the place I live;  but, after something like that happens, you really stop and think about how lucky you are to live in a place where you can look out the window and see scenes like the photo above.  To go outside and interact with the critters who have come to trust you is such a pleasure.  The peaceful spot I live in is such a source of satisfaction and enjoyment.

To be able to just go for a walk in the woods with my dog (see Toby in center) and take my sister's and my sister-in-laws' dogs along with him and not really have to worry about the problems in the world for a little while......that is something to be thankful for.
That little piece of time I take, each day, twice a day......when I hit the woods with my dog for our long walk in the peace and quiet, with only critters for company, that is something I have really come to cherish.  And, I do it .....rain or shine.   I am kind of like the proverbial mailman....and I used to work for the U.S.P.S. until I retired, where neither rain nor snow nor hail nor dark of night will keep me from my appointed rounds.  After an especially busy or harried day at work, it was so nice to get out in the woods and not think about the "real world" for a little while.  Now, without some of the cares of that business world, it is still pleasant to go and just be. 
I am thankful for friends to talk to about things when things need discussing.  I would hope none of us ever has such an awful thing happen in our immediate community that we ever have to cope with that.  I think tho, that even small communities are learning we aren't immune from bad things happening. 

I am thankful at the end of another day, I can look out my window and see this view.....and be glad that all is well in my little world.  I/we....made it through one more day.
Be thankful for friends and family......one never knows from one day to the next, anymore, how long you will have them.  Enjoy them to the fullest and tell them you love them.  Give them a hug. 
Be thankful......and keep your eyes and ears open.  Life can and should be good.