Time to Give ― Be Grateful ― Reflect

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Pat

Time to give, time to be grateful, time to reflect ― it’s almost Thanksgiving in the U.S. and, like most, we’re busy planning and preparing. But, this year will be a quiet celebration for hubby and me. We’ll be hanging around home eating, watching football games and old Hallmark movies ― just the two of us.

Sounds traditional, but not really, I can already feel the closeness of home and energy of gratitude. I cherish these times together and remember it was just last year when hubby took ill suddenly and was in and out of the hospital a couple of times between Christmas and New Year’s. Continue reading →

Acknowledgements: John Koenig at "The Dictionary of Obs more...

Little Things: #Story #Poem

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Pat

Fall colors in the Rockies — © Pat Ruppel

We’re moving right along into the heart of the holiday season not being too far removed from Halloween. With gratitude and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’m honored to be Susan Cooper’s guest at “Finding Our Way Now” with the contribution of this month’s story.

I hope it will bring you home to the things that are important in your life. Please enjoy:

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The Little Things

What is one thing that you still remember to this day that warms your heart and puts a smile on your face? I’ll bet it was something spontaneous and incidental but you still remember it as if it was just yesterday….where you were, who was with you, the sounds and smells.

It’s not anything big – you tune into the little things. It may be a twinkle in the eyes of a loved one as they tell you some exciting news or read something to you that inspired them.

My husband wrote a poem years ago that is one of those special little things that means a lot to me. I have it hanging on the wall.

He was taking some classes in college at the time and not long before we had left our roots in Toledo and Cape Charles, VA and headed west.

It was 1969 and our trek was similar to a modern-day wagon train except we were in our Volvo station wagon with 2 dogs pulling a U-Haul. . . (read more)

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Thank you, Susan, for the opportunity to share my story with your readers. It is my hope this will kick off the month with love and gratitude and carry throughout the holidays.

Blessings ~ from Pat at the ‘ol kitchen table (also see “You Were There“)

You Were There

Humbled

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Pat

Underwood No. 5 keys Photo by Pat David Courtesy of PhotoDropper

I was humbled today in a very tender way. So much so, I felt embarrassed and was moved to tears. It led me to write this post to capture what I felt so I would remember.

As is the case, I’m grateful in not having to plan most of my days. Instead, I enjoy watching them unfold. I found myself this morning watching this day unfold by attending to techy, computer work. Hubby had gotten another external hard drive with more space to back up our files as I had run out of room on the other drive. I tend to accumulate stuff and have difficulty purging. That’s a topic I’ll save for a different time.

It seemed simple. Create a new folder on the new drive and copy and paste files over from my laptop. As he was giving me the instructions on the new drive, I found my chest and throat tightening to a point where I was having trouble talking. I was panicking about something new to learn and afraid of messing up something I believed to be important. I know it sounds crazy.

I’ve felt this before when I’ve had difficulty understanding, afraid of losing something or screwing it up beyond repair. I don’t know why I get myself so worked up with computer stuff. Lord knows I’ve worked my way through so much in creating a blog, videos, and e-book, even worked as an administrative assistant for some 25+ years. So, on it went with the banter back and forth until I just copied the ‘dang’ files over . . . and then it happened. Continue reading →

Memorial Day – Lest We Forget

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Pat

Always Faithful, Doberman, Military Working Dog, MWD, World War II Memorial, War Dog Cemetery located on Navel Base Guam - Courtesy of PhotoDropper

Always Faithful, Doberman, Military Working Dog, MWD, World War II Memorial, War Dog Cemetery located on Navel Base Guam – Photo © by Beverly & Pack – Courtesy of PhotoDropper

I remember when my father passed away in 1999. He was a WWII Veteran. They paid tribute to him by presenting a 21-gun salute and playing taps at his funeral. It was a moving ceremony for my sister and me. I know he would have been honored.

Continue reading →

Tick Tock ― The New Year is Almost Here!

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Pat

New Year’s Eve Photo by Fire At Will [Photography] Courtesy of PhotoDropper

Tick Tock! The clock is winding down for us in the Rocky Mountains, USA, bringing 2013 to a close. The New Year is almost here with new hopes and fresh promises. Continue reading →