Thankful For The Hodgepodge…

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Let me begin by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!  I count my blog friends as special blessings, and treasure each and everyone of you.  I’m thankful for The Hodgepodge and all of the people I’ve ‘met’ through it.  I’m especially thankful for our hostess, Joyce, and the great job she does keeping The Hodgepodge up and running.  She is amazing.

All of that being said, here are this week’s questions:

1. What’s something you might say runs in your family?

I think I’ll say “a stubborn streak”.  Some of us are more stubborn than others, but we all have our moments, from time to time.

2. I read here a list of ten things you should do before 2017 arrives (in less than six weeks!)…which tasks on the list might you do? What would you add to your own ‘before the year ends’ list?

visit your Dr. or dentist, deep clean your home, donate unwanted items to charity, look someone in the eye and tell them you love them, write an honest letter to yourself, clean up your inbox-desktop-photos, travel to a place you haven’t been, compliment a stranger, watch the sunrise, think ahead to your goals/plans for the new year

I’ve already been to the doctor, donated some unwanted items to charity, complimented a stranger, and looked loved ones in the eye and told them I love them.  However, I really need to clean up my inbox (there are almost 5000 emails in there), and do more deep cleaning in my home!  I can’t think of anything I’d like to add to the list.

3. What’s something other generations (not your own) misunderstand about your generation?

Since our parents grew up and lived through the ‘depression era’, and us ‘baby boomers’ grew up and lived during times of plenty, I don’t think they ever quite understood our “lack of thriftiness”.  Sometimes, I find myself thinking the same thing about this current generation.

4. Sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread dressing-which would you miss the most if it weren’t on the holiday dinner menu?

Cornbread dressing.  A turkey dinner wouldn’t seem right turkey without cornbread dressing!

5. What are you overthinking right now?

I’m overthinking the Thanksgiving Day menu, and how I’m going to get everything ready.  I’ve been preparing, off and on, for about five days.  It’s not that I’m cooking that much food, it’s that I’m moving slower, these days.

6. Your favorite slang word lately?

I don’t use any of the recent terms I found on the internet, so I’ll just go with LOL.

7. Write an acrostic for the word grateful.

Grateful to God, from whom all blessings flow

Really should do more to show Him my appreciation

Always seem to receive more than what’s given

Trying to do better, but I can’t out give God

Every day I will go to Him in prayer

Forever in His debt for all He’s done for me

Ultimate sacrifice was made so my sins could be forgiven

Living my life in a closer walk with Him

Random:

For two and one half years, our oldest son has been going to a local assisted living home, every Sunday afternoon, to preach to the residents who live there. All of the residents living in this particular home are suffering with varying stages of Alzheimer’s.

A while back, Ed and I began to join our son for these services. Sometimes, Ed makes an attempt to play the piano, but the three of us always make an attempt to sing a couple of hymns before the message, with or without music.  We usually average about six (not counting the three of us) in attendance.

Even though all residents are afflicted with this terrible disease, they are some of the sweetest folks I know.  Some can still carry on conversations, but others cannot.  Some wander around aimlessly, as if looking for something.  The thing about Alzheimer’s is you never know how it’s going to affect a person from day to day.  There are good days, there are bad days, and there are interesting days.  Last Sunday turned out to be one of those interesting days.

During the middle of the sermon, one of the male residents, whom I’ll call Mr. B, was restless and began wandering around the room during the message. (Mr. B happens to be someone we’ve known most of our lives)  In the middle of the sermon, Mr. B wandered over to where I was sitting in a chair, with my legs crossed. Suddenly, he bent over in front of me, and began trying to untie my shoe!  He tried so hard to get my shoe off, meanwhile our son never missed a beat of his message!  After Mr. B failed to get my shoe off, he became interested in my knee hose.  I sat there, with great interest, as Mr. Billy rubbed the hose, covering my lower leg. using both of his hands.  He must have really liked the texture of my hose!  Meanwhile, our son just kept on preaching.  Afterward, I laughed and told our son this was the first time I’d ever had someone try to steal my shoe or rub my leg during a sermon–all done with the sweet innocence of a curious child…