“You are strong because you are imperfect and you are wise because you have doubts.”
—Clementine Churchill
This is a reminder of the little girl I once was. My sister found this card in the library book my nephew brought home from school last week.
What are the odds and my first thankful after musing on what it’s like to turn another year older, all while discovering those reminders of the girl you used to be.
I’m thankful for the short story I managed to come up with at my writing group, even if my braille display did crap out on me (dead battery) right before I finished it.
It was a short story about a young girl, living in Europe, only a few years before the breakout of World War II and she is celebrating her birthday with a skating party with friends.
I will finish the story and read it out loud at the next writing group night.
I’m thankful for an inspiring first meeting with some new peers living with chronic kidney disease.
We met to discuss how those of us who’ve been and are currently living and dealing with kidney disease can help a new generation of those going through or about to go through it.
Some were on dialysis and some, like myself, were transplant recipients. One was even newly diagnosed and didn’t know where to start. I hope we didn’t overwhelm that person too much.
So much excellent discussion went on. It felt empowering, more than I’ve felt in a long time, as I’ve been off of dialysis for so long that you start to forget what it was like. I have this chronic condition, transplant or no transplant, and may need help from these same sorts of people again one day too.
I am thankful, also, for the guy next to me who got up and brought me a new plastic fork after I broke mine trying to stab a cucumber out of the pasta salad on my plate as the presentation went on.
I hate those cheap plastic forks.
I’m thankful for Apple Music.
Now, for a monthly fee (after the first three free months) I have millions of songs at my fingertips, right on my phone for streaming.
I’m thankful for a surprise right before my birthday.
Native Traveler, awarded gold in the audio story/blogging category from the NATJA
The host submitted the Native Traveler show with my piece on No-limits Travel for the Blind to the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) awards , among a couple of others. The show won Gold in the radio broadcast category!.
North American Travel Journalist Association awards list for 2017.
I’m thankful for the card, flowers, and butterfly for my keychain, all from my wonderful neighbour.
The card was one of those singing ones.
The butterfly has now become a symbol with meaning between the two of us. I am keeping it with me. I like to trace my fingers around the wings. I used to love to draw bright, colourful butterflies when I was younger.
The flowers were fragrant, but the stalks were so heavy that my mom had to prop up the flowers, using a cooking pot and some cardboard.
I’m thankful for all the well wishes from family and friends, on Facebook and off.
I wasn’t feeling so well on my actual birthday, but it was nice to hear from people. It cheered me up a bit.
I’m thankful for the cake my mother made for me.
Cherry chip with a cheesecake swirl and white chocolate icing.
She is amazing with certain kinds of cake. It was made with love and care. Thanks Mom.
I’m thankful for a snowy day on my birthday.
I felt unwell, stayed inside the whole day, but I was glad to know what was going on, a snowy world, just outside my window.
It was a perfect February day, even if the next one brought rain and then freezing to produce slick conditions for walking.
Someone on my blog wished me this and I had to look it up, but was super glad they’d said it:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/penblwydd_hapus
I’m thankful I can learn new things, even and especially at thirty-four years old.
Penblwydd Hapus to me.
Her Headache 
Wishing you many happy returns of the day!
Thank you Mimi.
How cool is the Award? (hand waving frantically in the back of the room, “ I know! I know!!”)
….very cool
(well, I had to, the mental image that came, quite un-prompted, was too strong to resist.)
It sounds like your writers group is everything a (writing) group should be, supportive and still provide a push to get you to go beyond your own (current) limits.
HB, yo, HB
Thanks, Clark, for the frantic hand waving and the HB wishes. Yes, my writing group is so awesome.
Sorry you were under the weather on your birthday, but glad you had a nice day anyway. Congrats on the gold award!
Well, it’s not the Olympics, but it’s gold just the same. Haha. Thanks.
Great list of thankfuls. I love the library card, that is cool.
It sure is.
Hapus may be the shortest welsh word. Most of them are so long, and seem so difficult to pronounce, but then again I haven’t tried to learn the language. Maybe it is easier to learn than I think.
What a beautiful scene to look at from inside a warm home.
It is great that you can be part of a support group for those dealing with kidney disease. I’m sure that those things that you are able to share from your own experiences will perhaps encourage someone in the group.
Poor timing on the dead battery, but maybe it gave you time to ponder that ending of your story a little more.
Great TTOT.
Thanks Pat. I heard the words and spelled them like I saw them, but I’d have trouble saying them out loud. Cool thing though.
I think that is the coolest thing! Your nephew taking out the same book you did as a child and seeing the library card with your name on it!. Takes me wa-ay back when my mom and I would go to the library each week. I remember wandering, spending time in the quiet, amazingly quiet library and then bringing my books to the front desk to have the card taken out of the cover and get stamped. I loved it 🙂
That sucks being sick on your birthday but it looked to be a beautiful snow day:D
Congratulations on your award Kerry. May there be many more.
Nothing like a million songs at your fingertips, is there? Excellent 😀
I loved it too.
Yes, they don’t use that card system nowadays, but they never bothered to remove some of those cards from the back of the books. I always loved my town’s library and the library in my school, from the first day it was a tiny cornered off area in my tiny school and then a portable we had to go outside to access.
I love snow days, even more especially when I am warm inside, but I still know what’s waiting for me, just outside.
That’s amazing about your nephew and the book! WOW! So cool. Sorry you weren’t feeling well on your birthday but glad you had an enjoyable day and that your mom made you an amazing cake. Cake helps so much 🙂 xoxo
Right you are. Cake always helps.
That is so cool to see your name on the library card your nephew brought home! We go to the church library at preschool and the kids check out books there every week, and I’ve found books with my son’s name on the card from 1999 and it makes me smile! Glad you were able to enjoy your birthday even though you didn’t feel well, and I hate plastic forks, too!
So cool is right. Like a time machine to see/hear that after all those years.