July Blessings

For the month of July
A Sampling of the my entries in my blessings basket

Honoring life 
3oth Birthday of a Nephew and the death of his grandfather
The Circle Life and connections

Shiva Prayers

Last min decision to stop at a bbq

Working in a/c on a humid day

Scrabbled egg sandwich on toast dinner (yummy)

Mint Tea

Watching sappy movies

Coffee

Co-worker friends

Cousin time with adult cousins

Historical tours

Holding a four-week old baby

Stopping at a farm stand

Burgers & Facebook snooping with a friend

Reading poetry with a nephew in the audience

Visiting a library

Helping to decorate for a baby shower for a niece

Daughter craft time  in the late evening

Seeing adult children interact :)

Pool time at  campground

Pinochle games

June Blessings

June's Blessings

Clip on sunglasses

Midnight smore's with the family

Jumping ocean waves

Meditation cancelled= Dinner with friend

Hearing a grandma read in a sing song voice in the library

After midnight chat with daughter

Photo of fixer guys

Truck fixed

In-service season

Son excited about new business

Funnel cake

Spontaneous after work pizza with Rose, Becky, and Marissa all talking "girl talk" = Happy 2nd day of summer

A card from a friend in mail saying 

"Enjoy What the day brings"

Celebrating a retirement 

May Blessings

Quiet moments of insight

Opportunity to work at jobs that I like

Helpful co-workers offer to follow me home when car acts up

Chairs that come in pairs  (Mother's day gift-sort of)

Daughter catching brake problems before they fail

Son finds a baby bird

Listening to someone share memories of their deceases spouse and seeing them smile with the memories

Off on a rainy day

Bumping into a Stockton Alum on the boardwalk

Breakfast with my Susquehanna peeps

Dryer warranty

Catching a new DVD at the library

Sending cards

Unexpected schedule change- morning off for errands on a sunshiny day



Buying my mother the same book she bought for her mother (many years ago) on Mother's Day

My niece is having a baby boy- Loved the excitement of seeing her find out at the barbecue - surrounded by family  

Home Where He Belongs

Home Where He Belongs by Kathleen Moore

Grand pop sits on his leather easy chair bouncing bald headed three-month-old Adam over his knee.  The little boy clad in blue brings unspeakable joy into the hearts of the family. As they sit rocking and bouncing, I snap a photo.  The photo hangs on the wall long after Grand pop leaves this world. 

 This baby boy came into this world against all odds. Born at Episcopal Hospital in Philadelphia, he weighed in around four pounds.  Arriving in February, long before his due date in April, he fought against odds for survival.

 In May, the little darling needed to be hospitalized for a hernia.  From what I heard the procedure would be a same day surgery event. It wasn't, it turned into an overnight hospital stay.   My worriment about bringing home a little infant who may require medical help on the weekend overwhelmed me.  Unable to get answers on the phone, I prayed and persisted.   Finally, Dr. S, a kindly pediatrician, who never met either the baby or me, made a call to the hospital on my behalf; he told me that all infants required an overnight stay after procedures.  He ensured me that medically, the baby was fine and that his office was open on the weekend morning for emergency appointments.

 The next day, I awoke full of anticipation.  My world would change.  The baby would be released and I could take him home and smother him with all the motherly love that I held inside of me.  We drove down around 10am but as hospital releases go, there were delays and we became nervous with anticipation.   Taking a drive and walking around a little park located on Allegheny Avenue, we awaited word that this little boy was ready to come join his family.    Sometime around the early afternoon, Aunt Tootsie and Nancy, his Guardian angels, came out with the baby wrapped in a blue blanket.

 The Sun shone brightly, or at least in my memory, it must have.   I experienced an overwhelming feeling of serenity that rushed into my heart while holding my son for the first time He was safe from hunger, safe from being left with a six-year-old to care for him, safe from the cries that gave him a hernia.  He laid safe and sound in his mother's arms -a child born of my heart, not of my womb.

 My years of crying, sitting infertility doctors' offices, avoiding baby showers, ended with the touch of his skin. Adam was brought home and welcomed as our child, the 2nd grandchild to my parents, oldest male grandchild, first nephew to my brothers and cousin to my niece.   On my husband's side, he eclipsed a long gap between grandchildren and came at a time when great-grandchildren were starting to arrive.

 As Grand pop hands me back my son, his eyes welled.  "Kassy" he said, "Never tell him, he is adopted."  I just smile and hug Grandpop.    Kathleen Moore

April Blessing Sampler

For the month of April
A Sampling of the my entries in my blessings basket


Allergy pills
Motrin
Cups of tea offered 
Co-workers swapping class times
Paid sick time

Taking time to realize that I need to heal

1 person class.  Lots of paperwork caught up on

Random Pizza messages and surprises from a friend

Sun shines after a rainy, windy afternoon

Eva and the Thursday meditation group

Being able to Print up Carol Brill's last blog for someone.  The ability to connect at the right time.

Calls from my mom

Easter bunny crocheted items brought in by a co-worker

Insurance bill miracles

Learning to be grateful for the quiet moments and finding peace in the noisy moments.  Finding Value in all moments

Meeting other people with adopted children.  Sharing the experience.

Belated birthday celebrations.  The opportunity to see a daughter's smile.

March Blessings

For the month of March
A Sampling of the my entries in my blessings basket

Pulling out random stray shoes from under the bed to find a match
A sneaker, an old comfy one, a dress shoe 
Getting upset but then realize that this is a 1st world problem
Thankful for my many choices, even if it takes awhile to find them

Joining online groups focused on Gratitude

A photo sent to me via text
Father making pancakes for his grown son

Hearing the word "mom" from a daughter in law

Having a daughter that gave away her newly crocheted blanket to her brother's birth sister.  She has never met the birth sister but the fact that they share a brother.  Made me think of this blanket as threads between sisters.

Dinner with co-workers at the start of the season

Good book (Perk for working at the library)

Truck may be older but I had the ability to give rides to some who needed one.

Freezing cold in the training room. Free  coffee warmed me up a bit 

Celebrating birthdays early

Kmart closing = Picking up gifts for my nephew

Making it out of work in time to go to a library event and hearing a woman from one of the writing classes I went to speak about her memoir

Talking to an old friend and hearing the excitement about her daughter's upcoming wedding

Hard working family-Proud of that


A co-worker sharing a pear


Quiche made by a co-worker

Welcome interruption to my morning routine- a photo of my niece's ultrasound via a text

Homemade soup and food dropped off by a sister in law

Seasonal job that starts in March

Finding my ATM card

Unexpected trip to Wawa and my favorite soup was available that day

Not able to spend my daughter's big birthday with her but looking forward to celebrating at a later time

February Continuation (The theme of Water)

It seemed that many of my distractions that I had to look at through a better lens revolved around the conversion from well water to public water.  I felt this deserved its own post.  Here is something I wrote poetically.  I shared it with the writing group I belong to.

House Water

 Ebb and Flow

Kathleen Moore

Blessing Basket 

2017  (February)

With preparations underway for the conversion from well water to township water, I dreamed of the next storm causing an electrical outage and smiled with the knowledge that I no longer would need to store jugs of water in the garage for task such as toilet flushing.

• Estimates for work ✓
• Permits obtained ✓
• Money saved   ✓

One evening, I heard a holler from the bathroom

Mom, did you just run the dishwasher?

No

There’s no hot water

• Plumber Called  ✓
• Part replaced  ✓
• Put away the pots for heating water  ✓

A few days later, digging, drilling, banging and clanging,  I dreamed of the water flowing through my pipes and smile with the knowledge that  I would no longer have to schedule my household tasks around  the water pressure

One evening, I received a text at work

Mom, did you hear leaking under the hall closet?

No

I had to use the shut off valve and turn off the water

• Call into the plumber  ✓
• Text the boss to say I'll be in late  ✓
• Get the water buckets back out of the garage  ✓

The next morning, digging drilling banging and clanging, I dreamed of a warm shower and smiled with the knowledge that I was not one of the ladies I saw during a Super Bowl Commercial walking miles with buckets for clean water.

The following morning, I heard singing coming from the shower

Mom, Isn’t this great to have hot water?

Yes

I’ll get rid of the buckets in the garage today

• Take my shower ✓
• Be Grateful for my blessings✓
• Say a prayer for those less fortunate✓