Sunday Gratitude – 16.VII.2023 – Pulling the Weeds

The week seemed to fly by, no doubt because there was a lot to do. Thankfully, it wasn’t so much that there were a lot of things scheduled, but rather that I’m trying very hard to bring some order to the house when all other forces seem to be against me. I am grateful that I’m not worrying right now about keeping a roof above our heads, that bills can be paid, etc.

I forgot to mention this last week or the week before, but I am grateful for people who have hobbies that help people. I was working on finding information about my Norwegian great-grandmother’s family, and on Familysearch.org, I was noticing that somebody was working on information about her family as well. I messaged this person, and no, he wasn’t a relative, but he was helping somebody else research a family who lost all four of the children that they had in 1879 to some epidemic (diphtheria, if I’m not mistaken). Buried in the family plot was another child, a boy of 12, who was not one of this family’s children. That boy was an uncle of my great-grandmother, his death taking place in the year in which she was born. It’s amazing, in the realm of genealogy, that there are so many people who use their spare time to help others; transcribing records, taking pictures of headstones, doing research, etc. I know this helpfulness isn’t limited to genealogy, but for all the craziness that is out there, to see such genuine helpfulness and cooperation is incredible. I still don’t know the name of the person who stumbled across my great-grandmother’s family, but he came across some very good information that helped me know more about her family than I ever could have imagined.

I went back to a place I hadn’t been for years for the second time in a month. This time, I had the opportunity to talk with a couple people I hadn’t seen in years and it was amazing. It was as though they held little pieces of my shredded soul, and with their words, could at least sew back some part of it.

I am grateful that a good friend and her family made it back from an “epic” trip safely. I missed them, and they missed us as well.

I am grateful that I got to talk to a friend who seemed to be growing distant. I know that I need to understand that right now is kind of a phase of “alone-ness” through the struggle; there’s a loneliness to it as well, but the goal is to hold on to God even in the deepest darkness.

I am thankful for the kindness of random people on the internet who take the time to spare a kind word or thought.

I am thankful that I got a little bit of a chance to be outside this week with kids; I am thankful that I got to sit down and read a bit. I’m thankful that although I got a little bit of a “breather”, the kids are back at home.

I am thankful for each one of you, for reading, for those who share their writing as well, and for those of you who support this blog in whatever capacity, even if it’s with a random “hello!”

---