I’ve had a pretty rough week, pain-wise. I’ve had that “cramp-in-the-tukas” feeling all week, as well as the overall pain and fever we sometimes get. But, I have to say, there are a lot of things I’m thankful for and I want to share a few:
My bedroom window. We put in new windows last fall after having windows that didn’t open (or wouldn’t open without more energy than I’ve had in the last 10 years combined!) and now my hospital bed is right by the window, so that I can just reach over, flip up the lock and slide the window open, smelling the fresh spring air, hearing the birds singing and the neighborhood kids playing - what a wonderful thing!
My husband - should have put him first, but I trust you know I mean it that way! He’s really trying hard to be supportive and keeping snarky comments to himself. I think this means he’s moved into an “acceptance,” stage. Either way, he takes such good care of me.
My sisters, Kim and Hazel. We’re the three youngest of six, the three oldest have all passed on. I’ve enjoyed the unusual closeness of my sisters (at least everyone tells us it’s unusual) for all of my married life (before that they were all married and I was just the spoiled brat at home 
) As we’ve lost each of the older sisters, we’ve treasured one another and our families all the more. And our kids have grown up treasuring that, too. What a blessing!
The cleaning girl that Hazel hooked me up with. Our house is very tiny, and with just Faron and me in the house, there’s really not much heavy cleaning to do, so Hazel hooked us up with her next door neighbor’s daughter, who is mentally retarded but can clean like nobody’s business, as long as she has some direction. I can give direction! And, now that she’s got it down, she’s only here for two hours, and we only pay her $15 a week. A clean house changes my entire perspective, especially when I’m in bed for days on end, as with this week. She’ll talk your ear off about half that time - all we want her to do is to dust through the living room, clean the bathroom, and mop the kitchen floor. She loves to sweep, though, and she ends up sweeping the whole house, vacuuming the whole house, and them she Swiffers everything but the bathroom (which has an ugly old carpet I hope we can replace one day.)
Most of my favorite things to do are sedentary. I do polymer clay, which I now sell on Etsy, with a teeny bit of success, and I can reach almost all of my supplies without exhausting myself. I love to read - books are in a box at the foot of the bed. I can handle that. Music - stereo is here, as well. Computer - I have a wonderful laptop and the overbed table now (same goes for claying) and watching movies, which I’ve been doing mostly on the laptop because it’s the easiest thing in the worldto do! 
I hope this doesn’t come off as smug. I’m not bragging at all, but rejoicing in all situations is a directive from God via St Paul, and when I feel my worst, I concentrate on this ready-made list.
me< (Cindy)