Tag: blessings

Gratitude and Compassion

by annemariedemyen, posted in retirement

Saskatchewan has officially frozen over. It has been this way for a few days and there is no end in sight for these frigid temperatures.

In years gone by, I would be miserable and exhausted by now.  This year I am happy, rested and GRATEFUL that I am retired.   Every time I glance outside or see a weather report, I am reminded how fortunate I am to be at this place in my life.  I have nowhere I have to go, nothing I have to do. We have everything we need to keep us safe and warm.

My life these days revolves around eating heathy, working out with Dan, sitting by the fireplace crocheting a cozy blanket, and meditating.  My favourite meditations involve going within and sending love and peace to our world – the plants, the animals, and especially the people that inhabit it. 

These days when I meditate, I have been focussing on the people who are most affected by our brutal weather. I think of the children who are trudging back and forth to school on our icy streets. I feel for those who are dealing with the miserable drive to work and back – more so for those brave souls who are working outside in this frigid cold. My heart goes out to those desperate souls who have no home to provide shelter from our Saskatchewan winter. There are shelters where those on the street can find a warm bed or a hot meal – if they are lucky. Facilities are overwhelmed at times like this and sadly some must be turned away.

It is hard to look out at our frozen neighbourhood or watch our weather forecast and find anything good in it – but there is. There is the opportunity for gratitude. There is a reminder that there are those who need and deserve our compassion, kindness, and generosity. And there is hope that things can and will inevitably get better for all.

Strawberry bedding plants. When spring arrives, we will be ready for it!

Productive Weekend

by annemariedemyen, posted in family

Dan was home this weekend so we got more than a few things accomplished.

Dan cleaned the pond. Looking forward to repainting the planters and trim boards in our yard. They are looking a little too rustic for my taste.
I did all the laundry, plus all of our bedding including our pillows. I made up the bed nice and fresh. I gave Kat a bath. I scrubbed down the entire bathroom because it smelled like wet dog. Kat got into our room, jumped on our bed, and went into some psychotic whirlwind of a thing. ALL of our fresh bedding – including the fitted sheet, ended up on the floor smelling like wet dog. Do over!
I made cookies.
Dan mowed the lawn again – it needs a serious watering!
I enjoyed some texting with son Dan
And scored a sweet, new photo of Cason
And I did some texting with son Mark.

Hope you all enjoyed a good weekend!

194 More Days

by annemariedemyen, posted in retirement

194 Days until I am retired! I cannot wait for the freedom to get up and know I am free to plan my day around the weather and my personal whims 😊

I really thought that I would face retirement with some reluctance. The truth is, I am READY! I have enjoyed my career, especially my current position, but these last two years have been so frustrating and stressful an the past couple of weeks have brought so much miserable winter weather. I am just so ready to start this new chapter of my life. 💃💃💃💃

Top Stories of 2019

by annemariedemyen, posted in life, Uncategorized
Happy New Year

Tonight I watched the news with my husband. I generally avoid watching our news as it tends to focus on politicians, social issues that are never resolved and news that never happened. Our newscasters once interviewed a golfer who did not get hit by lightning during a storm. That was special. We also heard of Regina’s connection to the Concord that crashed years ago. Fyi – there was no connection. That was the story. 🙄

One of our news segments tonight was looking back at the top five news stories in Saskatchewan in 2019. I do not know who chose these stories but for what it is worth, here we go.

1. Fighting the federal carbon tax. For the record, our premier argues against anything the federal government proposes. Personally, if the carbon tax cost us anything this past year, it was not noticeable and we got a rebate of about $750.00 on our taxes last year to cover it. We spent it on a new patio set.

FYI we have a real patio – the grandkid’s pool is on it🙄

2. Federal Election. It was painful to watch but ultimately hardly newsworthy.

3. Saskatchewan farmers terrible season. I don’t remember a year when that one did not make the top five news stories for the year.

4. Regina Bypass Opens. Government spends billions to solve a problem that could have been solved with a couple of traffic lights – but it would not have been nearly as impressive. 🤷

5. Mac the Moose from Moose Jaw received a new rack to regain his title as tallest moose in the world after a moose sculpture from Norway took him down.

Personally, I would not have rated all, or probably any, of these stories as top newsmakers in 2019. Regardless, I do think these choices reveal something. In Saskatchewan we are blessed. We see news from around the globe – news of devastating floods, fires, famine and violence and it is unimaginable to us .

In Saskatchewan, we have social issues and there are personal tragedies that affect families and communities, but as a whole, we live in relative peace and security. That should be noted this year and every year – noted and appreciated.