Thankful Thursday

It doesn't seem anyone is hosting Thankful Thursday these days, though I do hope all is well with Rebecca Jo and that she will one day take up the reins again.  In the meantime, I will continue to carry on since this is my favorite post of the week.

This week I am thankful...

** for the absolutely beautiful fall weather we've had and the lovely scenery it provides. 

I took these photos with my phone on the drive 3 hours north to visit my birth father.

My daughter took these photos today not too far from here. We are blessed to live in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of PA. Her phone takes much better photos than mine!

** My daughter has been feeling better than she has, though she is not 100 percent. She had blood work done today looking for immune disease and it came back negative. She still has to get a CT scan with dye in the veins of her neck and head. The neurologist isn't anticipating anything so we are not too worried. 

** Since she is feeling better, my daughter went job hunting yesterday and was hired at another nursing home. She has orientation on Monday and training on Tuesday. I'm hoping she starts right into work after that because once she is settled I can start looking for a job for me.

** Tim and I enjoyed the drive to see my birth father on Sunday and had a very nice visit with him and his wife. It was a bit bittersweet, however, as both are getting older (he is 85 and she is 90), have some health issues and have slowed down quite a bit in the past year. He kept making comments about not knowing how many more times they will be coming back for the summer or if they will be able to...and he really was pushing for us to come visit him in Texas this winter.

It makes me sad to think that I probably don't have more than another couple of years at most with my father since I just learned about him and met him for the first time in 2020. However, I am thankful for whatever time I do have with him since I truly believed I would never meet him or even know who he was.

** I am thankful for the sister I gained when I met my father. She and I get along well and keep in touch. I have two brothers as well, but one looks at the world MUCH differently than I do and I doubt we will ever have much of a relationship. I have not met the other brother, but he isn't close to his full siblings, either.

** I was able to confirm without doubt that our son and his wife did indeed have a third child in August. While I don't know if I will ever have the chance to know him, I am thankful he is healthy and whole and I am glad my son appears to be happy in his life.

** for a fun lunch with some of the ladies from church today. Our group is growing and those in attendance vary from month to month so it's a great way to get to know more of the women. So many of them have lived fascinating lives.

** Leah slept last night after being awake for two solid days and nights. To accomplish that I had to run out to the store at 10:00 last night for melatonin gummies and I also found a lotion with melatonin and lavender. 

** My boy, Jasper (aka Jazzy), is so loveable when he isn't busy tearing through the house like a spider monkey on crack. The loveable moments are what keep him alive! (KIDDING!!!)

** And of course, I am always thankful for all of you!