Three Things...Gratitude Thread

[slo]

Happy Monday Friends

#1 - My iPad - I love the convenience of a small portable computer

#2 - Pill Holders - So convenient to just open one day for what you need instead of several bottles every day

#3 - Amazon - you can’t any more convenient than that

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Not only online shopping but the fact that they’ll bring it right to your door so I’m not just saying Amazon but like Target I don’t have to go in the store it saves me time and money because you know as well as I do when you walk into target you end up buying more than you originally intended to get

I like how grocery stores have more food in the deli that you actually want to get that you could eat for dinner they have full dinners now not just deli meat you don’t feel like cooking just go to the deli department they have everything you can get any kind of food just about you don’t have to go to the frozen foods anymore and get something that taste like cardboard you can go to the deli department and get something that tastes delicious

And I will third rotisserie chickens things are absolutely delicious especially the ones at Costco

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Waving good morning dear friends

Definitely online shopping

Dad and I live in an area convenient to needed shopping and other places.

My room here is located close to the kitchen that makes getting a water pitcher refill handy.

 

[citruscurtis]

Imagine a gas station designed complex that pumps water into the container you bought from home... just drive up, deposit 1.00 and go home with 5 gallon with very drinkable water. Yuma water is drinkable but tastes horrible so folks have system in their home or not...we don't so the convince of driving 3 blocks is luxury

Mail at driveway...newer developments being built with the metal stand of all mailboxes in one location

 

[clappyclaps]

1. Online shopping - I'll add another vote for online shopping, not just Amazon but anything. Its so easy to find anything and everything you could ever want, maybe a little too easy sometimes! And the invention of second hand shopping like eBay, Vinted etc is ideal.

2. Online food delivery - I don't necessarily mean groceries, more fast food and restaurant deliveries that you can now get to your door. Probably a little too convenient sometimes how easy it is but there are days when it can be a lifesaver!

3. My Kindle - I love a good real book. However I can't deny how incredibly convenient and useful it is having a Kindle and being able to carry 100s of books around at once. Especially when you go on holiday and dont need to worry about packing enough books to keep you going.

 

[bluecastle]

Frozen vegetables

Online ordering

Taking photos with my phone, seeing them immediately, being able to edit them, and best of all, being able to share them so easily! I remember when my daughter was born having to make sure I had the right film, take it someplace to get developed, wait until the prints were ready, then get duplicates to snail mail to family!

Honorable mention: online Disney research! Once upon a time I would go to the library, take out guide books and take notes!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Because it's the birthday of:

Today's Topic (Tues, 6/3) - 3 things you're grateful for about your grandparents or other wise/inspiring older people in your life

 

[slo]

Good Tuesday Morning!

My grandparents were a huge part of my entire life until they passed and taught me so much. I still live by my lessons today and have taught them to my girls as they grew up. Narrowing it down to 3 is difficult because there’s so many of them.

#1 - From Grandpa as walked to the town drug store to buy his Sunday paper - Never walk with both hands in your pockets because if you trip and fall you can’t catch yourself. * I never ever walk with both hands in my pockets today.

#2 - From Grandma as I’d complain about things - Don’t be a complainer, because complaining just makes things worse. There is a time to voice some complaints, but being a chronic complainer just makes you unlikable. *I really try to live by this and do my best to stop myself if I start falling into a cycle of complaining.

#3 - From Grandpa as I’d eat a meal - Slow down and enjoy what you’re eating. Chew your food 20 times before swallowing. Rushing through a meal isn’t healthy for your mind or insides. Not everyone has the gift of a good meal, so slow down an appreciate it. *I very much live by this today. We say our prayer, we give thanks and we take our time eating together as a family and always at the kitchen table. I may not chew my food 20 times, but I do savor what I’m eating and not rush through it.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Well since I didn’t get to know my grandparents because they lived halfway across the country and I only got to see them twice in my life I really can’t do my grandparents because I really don’t know them and they really weren’t a big part of my life I can say that my grandmother used to send me Christmas presents And they were usually items that she made and I cherish those items but did I know her no I did not

There was an older lady that lived with a couple that was an older couple next-door to us she used to sit outside every night and she just looks so lonely and I was preteen back then and I decided one night I was gonna go talk to her and I was so glad I did to listen to her stories Was just so interesting so this had to be in the 1970s and she told me stories about when she was a kid and they had a horse and buggy to get around and all the things she did as a kid it was just so interesting to me and I so enjoyed talking to her every night And I did this for years until she passed away and it just made me so sad when she passed away I can still see her sitting outside in the rocking chair on the front porch

My next-door neighbors they’re an older couple and there is the nicest people in the world he is like a dad to me he helps me so many problems with the projects I’m doing he won’t let me buy any tools matter fact it’s to yell at me not to and tells me I can use his tools he forbid me to buy them he tells me to use his tools he’s always available to answer my questions or he just comes over and does it for me and he’s always willing to show me how to do something they’re just a nicest

I had a coworker that was an older lady she was like a mom to me we were really close for over 30 years we work together for almost 10 years and then we were main friends after that we would do lunches every other Saturday and we talked every week for hours on end I miss her so much I think she was probably the nicest person you would ever meet in your life

 

[bobbiwoz]

Most of my grandparents memories are of my maternal grandparents because for many years we lived in an adjacent apartment to them. Babci is my word for grandmother, and Dzadzie is my grandfather. We are of Polish heritage, and I am Babci to my 5 Grands! We distinguished each by location, either Newark, or Bayonne.

Having breakfast with my grandparents before Dzadzie went to work.
Feeding squirrels peanuts with Dzadzie in Vailsburg Park, Newark, NJ.
Babci Bayonne’s Kruchiki’s….she made loads of them each holiday! The best!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good Tuesday morning friends,

My paternal grandparents made a life saving and changing difference to me especially growing up.

Grandpa, by my faith belief, as I have gotten older I realize was my first witness to Christ. Grandpa cared for anyone and everyone. He was a reminder that kindness is what matters.

Grandma, was a feisty spirit who fiercely loved anyone blessed to know her. She cared and you knew it. She was also the cleanest and neatest person I have ever known. Even in later years, her home was immaculate until dementia horribly set in more. She and grandpa also both loved sweets especially ice cream.

My late friend Mary from church was another spunky lady who cared so much. She would scout pews for anyone new on a given Sunday and make it a point to welcome them to church. She let them know that she was glad that they were there. On a Disney note, Mary once gave me an old non expiring Disneyland ticket that she had found cleaning out stuff. I was able to use the value of that ticket toward free admission on my birthday that year.

So many others!

 

[clappyclaps]

This is an interesting one!

1. 3pm tea & cakes - my grandparents would make sure wherever they were that they would always have a hot drink and a cake/sweet treat at 3pm. It couldn't go past 3pm without my grandad looking at his watch and nudging us towards the kettle or the nearest cafe. Some of my most enjoyable trips when I was younger was going out to a local cafe and having cake with them. While I dont stick to the 3pm time frame anymore, I think they taught me to really appreciate and enjoy chilling out with a nice brew and a sweet treat.

2. Garden centres - some of the above mentioned cafe trips often took us to the cafe of a local garden centre. I think this gave me a love of garden centres in general when not many kids would be too enamoured with hanging around somewhere like that, and to this day I still love wandering around them. And stopping for a coffee too

3. Puzzles - i think my grandparents have helped inspire my love of puzzles. My grandma used to buy a weekly magazine and from a young age I'd help her out with them, filling in the gaps in her crosswords. And I have fond memories of sitting with my grandad and doing wordsearches.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Convenience...

Grab and Go Items at the Supermarket - While it's still pricier than making it yourself, it's cheaper than restaurant take out and it's great when you're on the go.

Grocery Pick Up - Truth be told, I haven't been utilizing this of late, but it is nice when your schedule is overloaded and someone else can scour the store for your stuff while you just drive up and click a button to say "I'm here!"

Chat Help - Our help desk at work used to be all dial up but it is so much more convenient and efficient to have it done via chat. I guess this goes for anything with chat assistance vs. calling, but it's so nice at work since I don't have to worry about sitting on long holds (because calls seem to take longer) and I don't have to worry about accents and making sure I understand the person trying to help me.

Grandparents/Older/Wiser...

Saving/Not being wasteful - My grandparents all made it through the Great Depression and WWII era. My mom's great grandparents were also a generation that fled life threatening conditions in other countries for the promise of safety and prosperity in America...meaning they didn't come here with much and imparted extra bits of that resourcefulness on my grandparents. Seriously...when they made us oatmeal, I had to consume every single oat and they were all about bringing in outside snacks for the movies to save a little.

Voice teacher - My first real voice teacher was from this same age group. While my maternal grandparents were big into classical music and the theater, they usually stuck to smaller productions and groups to save. My voice teacher, on the other hand, often headed into the city for formal performances at the Met and other more elite musical settings. In addition to training my singing voice, she used her wisdom in this area to train me about society and how to carry myself should I ever get to perform at this level and need to mingle with the wealthy patrons that often make sizeable donations to the arts.

Paternal Grandparents' Food - Truth be told, we dined out a lot or got take out with my maternal grandparents, but my paternal grandparents were the cookers, bakers, and candy makers. Most of what they made us what a blend of British, Irish, and German roots and many of the fresh ingredients came from their expansive garden, forest-like overgrowth areas, and nearby farms of friends. It was always a feast when we went to their house.

 

[bluecastle]

I loved visiting my maternal Grandma’s house. Other than being a very warm person, I remember her always saying yes whenever the ice cream truck came around. My mom almost always said no and so this was a real treat! I try to say yes to my DGD as much as I can (within reason, of course)

My Italian Grandpa (Dad’s side) indirectly taught me how cool it was to hear a language other than English spoken by my family. I especially loved eavesdropping on my Dad’s phone calls with him which were a mix of Italian and English.

My Grandpa (Mom’s side) played the violin and we would play Christmas carols together every year. (me on piano) This taught me a love of being a skilled accompanist. As he got older he would skip lines or change tempos and I learned to stay right with him. I struggled with stage fright, but never when I was an accompanist. It was my job to make the soloist sound good!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Both of my grandmothers, for teaching me the value of weekly and seasonal rituals and having something to look forward to

An older couple we lived next door to when I was a pre-teen, for taking an interest in all the neighborhood kids and really demonstrating the value of cross-generational social networks

My "adopted grandma" at college - she was the mother of one of my mom's best friends, and happened to live in the town where I went to school. She made sure I always had somewhere to go for a little dose of real life away from the dorm if I needed it!

 

[citruscurtis]

Grandpa Bill was a horse wrangler...bowed legs, pearl button cowboy shirts, cowboy hat...4th husband of my dad's mother. He was hired by Dick Curtis to manage the livestock used in the making of movies in Pioneer town, Yucca Valley, California...a western town Hollywood studio set that Gene Autry and Roy Rogers would fly to in the winter months to make cowboy features. That is how we ended up in Joshua Tree living on an abandon dude ranch that was at its height during the filming of westerns. Grandpa Bill was a good reference to two hollywood actors who owned the ranch...so my dad signed the rental agreement.

after the fad of western movies faded away grandpa Bill became a manager of trail rides offered to the public at rodeos, Arrowhead region of California and Salton Sea. We visited him on vacation and on slack days we rode trail on really big horses. He eventually retired to Morongo Valley and was a frequent visitor to Joshua tree ranch. this is what I learned in Gratitude

1. COMPASSION. My father raised rabbits to sell as delicacy meats as many retired folks in the 1960s still savored wild game that they were familiar with during the Great Depression. As a young child it was difficult to see how something so soft and innocent could come to such an end.....so..... one day grandfather arrived about the same time my father returned from work and out in the yard visiting my dad came back from the barn furious....Curtis...go grab the belt..I am going to give you a whipping......I began to cry and take shelter in the arms of my grandfather....my dads says Curtis why didn't you water the rabbits when I asked you to this morning....my reply..." I wanted to give them a day off from dying"...My grandfather immediately burst out into laughing, slapping is denim bow legs....the story goes that how was my dad going to give me a whipping when grandfather was laughing with tears.

2. DESIRE . Every boy wants to spend as much time possible with his father, but I guess I was rather needy as I was constantly asking for things. They were taking a trip to palm springs for a doctor visit and i so desperately wanted to go...but dad says no....your always begging...grandpa bill says let him come along,,, but dad says okay you are going to stay in the backseat and BE QUIET!!!! So after a long morning and doctor visit Grandpa Bill says..Hey Floyd ..why don't we stop for a burger ...I immediately jumped from the backseat crying in fear...Daddy..I didn't say anything...my Grandfather laughing again...Curtis..we are going to make your hamburger a double

These are the two STORIES that have become LESSONS that my dad shared over and over and over to every girlfriend I brought over to visit, visitors out of town...etc....COMPASSION IS ALWAYS NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND THE DESIRE OF A STRANGER.