Gratitude Sunday

There is much to be grateful for on this gorgeous first Sunday of the New year:

1. I am thankful for beautiful weather over our two-week Christmas break. I know that much of the country is in the middle of a snowy deep freeze right now, but the past two weeks we have been on Christmas break have been absolutely lovely here in Arizona. The sun has been shining, the sky has been a cloudless blue most days and the temperature has been just right -- not too hot and not too cold. I am so thankful for this weather that has made it possible to do things like clean and organize in the garage, wash the cars, and take wonderful late afternoon walks with my husband.

2. I am thankful that our house didn't burn down last week. As you can see from this picture, we had a little problem that could have become a much bigger problem. Since mid-week, there had been a funny, burning smell in our kitchen which we could never quite pinpoint. We though it might have been one of the small space heaters we had been using to take the chill off in the mornings and late evenings, so we threw it away. The smell continued and got worse. Yesterday afternoon, as my son was vacuuming (his weekly chore) the power in about half of our downstairs mysteriously went out. Examining the breaker box, we found that the breaker had shut off and not knowing why (or putting two and two together) we turned the switch back on and went on about our afternoon. A few minutes later, hubby called urgently for me to come into the kitchen where we found this blackened outlet and the melted plug of the can opener that had been plugged into it. When hubby took the outlet plate off, the wires inside were glowing red. That was time to call the fire department.

3. I am thankful for fire fighters (and police officers). The few times in my life I have had to call the police or fire department, I am awfully glad that there are brave men and women who show up to help me out. This is the back of the fire truck driving down out street after four strong, buff (and good-looking) fire fighters and one police officer showed up at our home Saturday afternoon to help us (and our smoldering electrical wires) out. (I admit that I was too embarrassed to ask the firemen to pose for a group shot - hence the picture of the back of the truck). While in our home, the fire fighters noted that the wall where the wires smoldered was unusually warm. Simply cutting the power to that part of the house (half of the down-stairs) solved the problem and put the smoldering wires to rest, at least temporarily. An electrician who worked Sundays came this morning to rewire and restore the power. The exact reason for the problem is still a mystery - one that we hope won't reoccur!

4. I am thankful for fresh black berries as part of our dinner tonight! They were delicious.

Blessings that I am truly grateful for even though I don't have pictures of them:

Jobs that Charly and I will return to tomorrow after a two-week holiday break.
Money to pay for the house and car repairs we have had to get done over our break.
An easy going teenager in the house who is a joy to have around (most days).
Afternoon and evening walks with the love of my life.
Lunch with good friends.
Enjoying fellowship at church with people I have really come to like and care for over the past twelve years.