gratitude – August 2021 – Page 2 – Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie

August 16 – More Wedding Prep

August 16, 2021August 16, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in gratitude - August 2021

It is days away from my son’s wedding and I am getting ready for the drive and the big day. There is not that much I had to do – hotel reservations, haircut, outfit to wear, gift, that sort of thing. Husband Dan will get the Jeep ready. Son Dan and Amanda have their arrangements all made so there is little to be done for them.

Now, my biggest challenge is getting myself ready. Son Dan is a good man and we are delighted that we are able to go to celebrate his marriage to Amanda. Amanda is an amazing partner for him. She is funny and intelligent and caring and bursting with the energy necessary to keep up with Dan and their three children plus run her own small business! Most of all she is always saying that she is grateful for Dan, as we know he is for her. That is so huge for both of them and their relationship. Many couples focus on the faults of their partners. It is heartwarming to see a couple who constantly focus on each other’s strengths.

So, we are happy for them and we look forward to seeing them and celebrating with them. But, all is not roses. There are a couple of challenges going into this weekend.

The first being that we will be spending a weekend with my ex and his wife. To be honest, I do not have an issue with my ex being there. He is the father of my son (and his siblings). We have been divorced longer than we were married. Quite frankly the last few years of our marriage were so bad that I never wanted either of us to hold any lingering animosity or the such once it ended. I do have issues with his wife. For the past twenty years she has been on some mission to rewrite our history, discredit me, victimize my ex, and basically (with the help of my ex’s family) brainwash my sons into believing her version of our past.

The second challenge is that our Prime Minister called a federal election yesterday. This should hardly be a cause for alarm at a wedding party for a loving couple and their beautiful blended family. Except, this party is being held at a Saskatchewan/Alberta border city. Chances are, this will get ugly. I do not care that I do not agree with the politics of most of the people who will be there. I seldom, if ever bother to argue politics with others. But, there is a time a place and I would easily get upset if anyone decided that this would be a good time or place to start a political rant.

So…. I have my work cut out for me this week! I am digging way deep to fill my heart and soul with enough peace and love and happiness to get through this weekend with a positive mindset. I want to add to the joy of this weekend for Dan, Amanda and their family. I want to have a good weekend away with my husband Dan. I want to enjoy this very special weekend! 💞

I just finished a nice meditation, which I enjoyed in my little space under our big tree. I am feeling good and feeling surrounded by an energy of peace and contentment. Now I just have to build on these feelings and I will be the ‘Mother of the Groom‘ that I truly wish to be. 👍

Please wish me luck, and keep me in your thoughts and prayers. All will be truly appreciated! I don’t know how many can relate. This is one of those situations that may sound rediculous but that can be totally challenging to find oneself in. 🙄

**I have little Dom here this week to help me attain the right mindset.** **He definitely has the ‘peace’ vibe going right now.** 🥱

Take care, have a great day and see you tomorrow! 💞

August 15 – From the Heart

August 15, 2021August 15, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in gratitude - August 2021

I grew up before the internet, social media, or the like were invented. Even in those days, people often quoted popular ‘words of wisdom’. One such quote that I never cared for was “Anything worth doing is worth doing right”. I am not sure who first coined this phrase but I have seen sources attributing it to Aristotle.

I don’t know why I did not like this phrase back then. Chances are, it was because it typically came from someone who was nitpicking and judging me for what I was doing or how I was doing it. It just annoyed me. 🤨

Nowaday, I know why I have issues with this quote. To me it suggests that, in all of our endeavours, perfection should be our ultimate focus. That does not resonate with me. I am not, nor have I ever been, a perfectionist. 🙂

My mother was an amazing cook/baker. Her food looked great and tasted better. If asked what her secret was, she always replied that her secret was love. She was so right. My mother put her heart into every meal she cooked and the result was seldom, if ever, less than perfection.

During my career days I worked in the construction industry. I dealt with many homebuilders. Some built houses to make money, some built houses that were stunning – straight out of the glossiest magazine. Then there were a few who built beautiful, high-end, custom houses, perfect down to the finest detail. These were houses that had practical, convenient floorplans and quality, durable finishes. These were houses that invited you into a kitchen to prepare a meal or into a family room to relax with loved ones. These were houses where you wanted to live your life and raise your children. These were homes. As I met and became familiar with the homemakers, I learned that the ones who built the ‘homes‘ put their heart into every house they built and who worked with employees and subcontractors who were like-minded. Their results were consistently perfection.

Since I have been on WordPress, and following evermore sites, this philosophy of mine seems to ring true more and more often. I follow sites that are authored by gardeners, writers, nature hikers, animal lovers, photographers, poets – a diverse number of sites. I am always amazed by the love that people put into their homes, their yards, their creative, physical, or mental endeavours. One would never get the results shown by dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s. These results come from the heart. 💝

Today, I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for all who share such sites. It is so special to be allowed to share in the beauty and passions of your lives. There are too many to mention and I would feel terrible for inadvertently missing anyone, but I do appreciate your posts! And they are perfect! Thank you, so much! 💞

**Photo by Dan**. **Golfing at sunrise.**

**Also by Dan. Up close and personal with our favourite squirrel.**

Wishing all a perfect Sunday! Take care and I will see you tomorrow. 💞

August 14 – Wedding Prep

August 14, 2021August 14, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in gratitude - August 2021

Dan and I went shopping this morning for clothing to wear for son Dan’s wedding. Things did not start well. My go to shop (Suzy Shiers) at Southland has closed down permanently. Doubly disappointing as I just read that they had taken over the La Chateau line – and they were my favourite is go to place for ages before they closed down.

We tried Cleo’s and the woman there was just the sweetest but she only had one dress that I thought would be great. It would have been except the top was two sizes too big and the bottom was two sizes too small. It was also one of those super wierd designs that are impossible to get in to. I got my head stuck on an armhole – twice. 🙄

Finally, we went to Suzanne’s and yay! I found the perfect outfit and it is the perfect fit – and it was on SALE! I am so grateful that I found it at the first mall we went to.

We tried a couple of men’s shops and Dan got a pair of dress pants – smaller than he has worn for years but a perfect fit. (No doubt another bonus from working in the melt shop all summer!) He did not find a shirt he liked but he is off the next few days so he will do more shopping around

We were pleased enough with our shopping finds that we went to Bonzzini’s for lunch. I had my beef dip and Dan had his club house. Both were amazing.

After lunch we stopped by Walmart to pick up a few things and I found myself a new blow-drier and it was on SALE. We stopped at one other shop and I scored three new camisole type shirts – on SALE!

Very grateful that I got everything I needed and did not break the bank. 😊

Have to head out to deal with my poor neglected yard.

Have a great day and I will see you tomorrow!💞

August 13th – Neighbours

August 13, 2021August 13, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in gratitude - August 2021

Dan worked the night shift last night. Everything seemed fine. Kat and I had a quiet evening until we headed off to bed at about eleven. At twelve thirty our doorbell rang and Kat hopped off the bed in a frenzy.

I followed Kat to the livingroom. As soon as I glanced out the window, I realized our Jeep was running. I have no idea why, but I suspect it has a wiring issue or some demonic possession happening. I looked out to our front steps and saw a big man standing on the landing. It could have been Dan – or our neighbour Liam, or possibly some random serial killer. I couldn’t tell. He saw me and pointed to our Jeep. Charades isn’t my strong point so I finally gave up and opened the front door. Fortunately, it was Liam. 🤗 Totally fortunate that it was not the random serial killer. 🥳 He told me that our Jeep had been running for quite some time and he had come to check on us. He offered to go shut it off if I would use the key fob to open the door for him. I did. He did. It was all good. 😁

I am so grateful that we have Liam for a neighbour. We do not know him well, but we chat from time to time and I know he is someone I could reach out to if I ever needed to.

We are fortunate that we have two kind and thoughtful neighbours on our block. There is Liam, his wife and their two adorable little girls who live two doors south of us, and there is Kim and her young exuberant son Kingston who live two doors north of us. Both are the kind of neighbours that anyone would want to have.

Having good neighbours is something I really appreciate and something I doubt that I will ever take for granted. Over the years, I have had a few neighbours who were great people and became good friends. 😊

I have also had a number of those ‘other’ neighbours who make us really appreciate the good ones! I didn’t think it could get worse than one neighbour I had in North Battleford. That was the guy who tried hitting on me as I was walking past his house. I was nine months pregnant, had a toddler and a tot in tow – and he was throwing up over the railing on his front steps. “Nope. I do not want to party.” 😳

Then we had members from a violent gang living next to us. The only thing worse than the noisy parties were the drug deals that went down in front of our house. The day after a couple of their guests got into a fight and ran into my car, they toodled off to a new neighbourhood. 🙂

The neighbour that bothered me the most was a miserable older man who lived next door to us. If I was outside working on a project in our yard, he would be sitting in his half-ton, on his driveway, adjacent to our yard. He would stare at me the entire time I worked. When I finished my task at hand, he would call me over to his truck to critique (criticize) my work. If I did not come out of our house to work on our yard, he would frequently storm over, pound on our door, and indignantly tell me what I should be doing outside. We went to his funeral a few years ago. I was not sad to lose him as a neighbour, but I was really sad that anyone would waste their life trying to control how others lived theirs. 😥

Anyway, I digress. This blog is about Liam and the neighbours I am, or have been, grateful for. Thank you, Liam! If I never have the opportunity to pay back your kindness, I promise that one day I shall pay it forward. 💞

Have a great day. Take care and I will see you tomorrow! 💞

May your neighbours respect you, troubles neglect you, angels protect you, and Heaven accept you.
– Irish Blessing

August 12th – Moments of Gratitude

August 12, 2021August 12, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in gratitude - August 2021

There were many years when Dan and I would barely see each other, except when we took holidays together. When he was working shifts and I worked Monday to Friday 8-4:30, we would have a couple of weekends a month that we were both home at the same time. On the Saturdays, Dan would often golf and I would be out with my daughter – shopping, lunching , or doing something with the kids.

Since I retired, it is much easier to spend random time with Dan. On Wednesday morning, we ran out to do a few errands. We had to wait a few minutes for one shop to open, so we took a little drive down Pinkie Road on the outskirts of Regina.

They aren’t the best, but I did snap a few photos to share.

**Goose poo is an issue on this course.** 🙄

We did not have time to go very far, or to linger very long, but I am always grateful for those little times that Dan and I get to spend together now.

I hope this is a good day for all! Take care and I will see you tomorrow. 💞

“Enjoy the little things in life for one day you will look back and realize that they were the big things.“
– Anonymous

August 11 – Growing Up & Growing Old

August 11, 2021August 11, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in gratitude - August 2021

I had a number of reasons to feel grateful yesterday. One of my favourites was a short visit from two of our granddaughters – Brook and Genie. Brook was in town and she dropped by to tell me that by Christmas I would be a great-grandmother! I love babies, tots, kids, tweens, teens and as high as our grands take it. But seriously – I am going to be a 😳😳😳 great-grandmother!

Becoming a grandmother seventeen years ago was a bit of a wake up call but I could work with it. Genie called her mother ‘Mommy’ and I was ‘Mom’ (That is what everybody else called me in those days 🤷).

Rory followed soon after, but due to medical issues – specifically muscle and joint issue – he barely spoke for quite some time. Dan was ‘HaHa’. I was more of an ‘AhAh’.

Gabby was next. We seldom saw her so she was a bit too shy around us to throw the ‘Grandma’ word around willy nilly.

Brook was five when she was brought into the family and she already had a Grandma. I have always been ‘Anne’ to her.

Then Maddy came along and there was no denying. I was ‘GRANDMA’. Grandma, grandma, grandma…. Maddy started speaking fluently when she was about five minutes old and ‘Grandma’ was her magic word. After the seventeenth ‘Grandma’ in a row, Maddy scored whatever she ‘needed’ – panties, sneakers, McDonalds, boots, Playdoh, coloring books and one balloon on a stick! 😂

Prim at 6, Lucas at 4, Cason at 4 mos. Now 9, 6, & 2

Since Maddy, four more grands have joined the family. Prim, Lucas, and Cason joined ranks with Maddy. ‘Grandma’ became official and I officially got older.

Except for Dominic. He insists on calling me ‘Nana’. In turn, I call him ‘Fred’. He does not like it but he has yet to figure a work-around. 😁

With one more grand on the way in November, now I have to face reality at a new level. Great-Grandmother!

Regardless, it will all be worth it to have another little one in the family. We are beginning a new generation and I am sure each and every one of these babes will be unique, amazing, and someone in our lives to be infinitely grateful for.

“The trick is to age honestly and gracefully and make it look so great that everyone looks forward to it.”
– Emma Thompson

(What a lovely legacy to leave one’s growing family!)

Wishing all a great day! See you tomorrow 💞

August 10th – It’s Raining Again 🎶

August 10, 2021August 10, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in gratitude - August 2021

After a hot dry spell, we had a beautiful, refreshing little rain last night. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

**This rain barrel is full and our big tank on the other side of the garage is looking good too!**

**I won’t have to water the garden today and rain is so much better for it than city water!**

**Everything looks cleaner** **and brighter – even the rocks around the pond.**

**We didn’t get the front lawn fertilized but Dan got it mowed before the rain.**

**It will be cool enough to get up and clean the playhouse today. That will be nice for Dom when I have him next week.** 🤗

I do appreciate the nice, refreshing rain but that is not all we have to be grateful for today! Dan got approved for time off so we will be attending son Dan’s wedding reception! Three days to celebrate Dan & Amanda and their beautiful (official) family. 💞

**Pandemic internet wedding December 31st, 2020. It wasn’t the in-person experience but beautiful all the same!** (As lovely as their wedding was, the reception will not be held in their basement 😂)

That’s it for today and that is plenty to be grateful for! 🥳

Have a beautiful day and see you tomorrow. 💞

“It is not the joy that makes us grateful. It is the gratitude that makes us joyful. “
– David Steindl-Rast

August 8th – Feeling It

August 8, 2021August 8, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in gratitude - August 2021

**Dom has never left without leaving me a reason to smile. 😂**

Sunday afternoon and I am just feeling grateful.

I had my coffee and toast this morning before venturing out into our yard to fill the bird and squirrel feeders.

We are having a major sticky aphid infestation so I washed down the patio furniture and barbecue. Then I fussed over our garden for a while – spreading crushed eggshells for the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, doling out pails of diluted Miracle Grow, and finally giving everything a good soaking before washing down the birdbath and adding water to the pond.

I came inside to do some laundry and relax with a bit of meditation. I found a nice Nicky Sutton video on You Tube and slowly melted into a nice peaceful place.

By the time Nicky finished doing her thing, I was too relaxed to be terribly motivated so I switched to some soft meditation music and let my mind start to drift.

Before long, I had drifted to a place where I started to think of all that there is to be grateful for. We are so fortunate to be living this life. I cannot imagine how one could not be grateful for any of it. What would be the point in having anything at all, if one could not appreciate it ?

Anyway, here I sat, on a beautiful Sunday morning, just feeling grateful – for my life, my body, my mind, my soul, my husband, my dog, my siblings, my sons, my daughter, and my grandchildren, my memories – so many memories 😳, the trees, the flowers, the fresh vegetables and the green grass, the skies, the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, clean water and abundant food, our house, our furniture, our vehicles – So many things and everything to be grateful for.

I cannot imagine how there was ever a time, when my mind was so full of things that I wanted and things that I did not want, that I could not feel grateful for all that I had.

I am so grateful for this time that I have now. I am so grateful for this opportunity to appreciate all that I have and all that I have had, in my life. I used to think some people 🤨 were so blessed. I am glad that I now realize that I am one of them. 🤗

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you are having a great day and I look forward to seeing you again💞

“If we don’t feel grateful for what we have, what makes us think we would be grateful for more?”
– Anonymous

August 7th – Family Day

August 7, 2021August 7, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in gratitude - August 2021

Every day is a day to be grateful for, but today was an extra special day for us. Son Mark and Grandson Dominic dropped by for a visit. 😁

We started our visit with brunch. Our power went out just as Dan was cooking the eggs and making the toast. Luckily, he was able to finish cooking outside on the barbecue and everything turned out perfectly delicious!

After lunch, Mark, Dom, Kat and I spent some time up in the playhouse. When Dom tired of the Playdough, we managed to watch a movie, play with Lego for a bit, and take a splash in the pool before it was time for them to head home.

**Dominic, happy to dig into the Playdoh.**

After our company left, I still had enough energy to get things cleaned up and back in order around here. 👍

**Unlike Kat, who obviously had no energy left after keeping up with Dom.**

I hope you are enjoying a pleasant day! Take care and see you tomorrow 💞

At the end of the day the most important thing is that your family is safe, you have food to eat, and you are grateful for what you have.
– Anonymous

August 6th – Grateful for a Guru 💞

August 6, 2021August 6, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in gratitude - August 2021

I made it to, and through, my dentist appointment. I am grateful that is over! It was a long one as it was the first appointment for getting a crown.

I was getting ready to go to my appointment yesterday. It was one of those days when the smoke from northern forest fires was really bad. This concerned me as I worry about having respiratory issues in the middle of a dental procedure. Inhaling wood smoke was not something I wanted to be doing on my way to the dentist.

I was driving to the dentist, through woodsmoke, and I saw a train passing at the end of our street. My preferred route is via Elphinstone but avoiding it to miss the train was not a big deal. I took Avonhurst to Albert and the same train was crossing Albert, blocking traffic. I was starting to wonder if I would make my appointment on time. The train moved and I was off – until I hit a construction detour. There were fifty cars in a ten block radius and they were all jammed up at the intersection where I needed to turn. By then, I was wondering if I would make it to my appointment at all. 😳

I made it to my dentist’s office, with moments to spare. I turned in and – ta da!! A UPS van flew around the corner of the building and darn near took me out. 😱

With a collision avoided, I parked and headed inside. Dr. Bryden and his assistant were ready for me. I did really well throughout the procedure until we got to the making of the permanent crown template. My mouth was filled with expanding foam and I was told to relax and wait for FIVE minutes without moving my mouth. I can’t cough, I can’t sneeze, I can’t breathe. I was not relaxed! 🙄

I decided I that could do this. I remembered a You Tube video I had watched a couple of days ago. It wasn’t a meditation. It was a spiritual guru giving a talk. He was talking about having maximum power to manifest whatever it is that you want or need in your life. He spoke of focusing your mind, your body, your emotions, and your energy to create one desired result.

I decided to manifest myself some serious peace and calm. I thought peaceful, calming thoughts. I relaxed my body – head to toe. I felt peaceful and calm. I allowed that peaceful, calm feeling to expand around me and to envelop my dentist and his assistant.

It was an amazing experience. I felt so peaceful and calm. The five minutes were over and the appointment was completed, stress free.

I drove home by a different route than the one I had taken to get to my appointment. It was a bit longer, but peaceful, calm, and incident free. I arrived home feeling good. I felt good for the rest of the day and my day was followed by a good night’s sleep.

I am so grateful for the spiritual guru who posted his video to You Tube. I wonder if he knows how much his wisdom and insight helps others? I doubt that he is someone who ‘needs’ validation but I hope he knows that he is appreciated.

Time to get on with my day. I wish I could share that You Tube video with you but I cannot find it today, for some strange reason. When and if, I do come across it again, I will share it in another post.

I hope all is well with you and that you are having a really good day. Take care and see you tomorrow💞

The struggle ends, when gratitude begins.
– Neil Donald Walsch