WOW! Women On Writing Blog: thanks

A Little Thanks Goes a Long Way

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

I absolutely love this time of year.

Here in Wisconsin, the leaves have mostly left the trees

and every step you take you'll hear a crunch

as they're all beneath your feat.

It's a delightful time of year for baking (see picture above)

since the added warmth

and the delicious smells are sure to

entice the entire family to gather around

the table (or at least head to the kitchen).

And sweaters...

It feel so good to grab a mug of coffee, tea, or cocoa and

throw on a soft warm sweater.

I adore walking outdoors in the morning watching the

steam from my coffee then visiting with my horses

in their warm stable.

I begin each day making a mental list

of things I am thankful for

Here's why I do that and why I think you should too:

-When you count your blessings you realize how bountiful they are and regardless of your bank balance you'll feel rich!

-While you're thinking about things to be thankful for, you can turn off the noise of the world for a little bit - it's an emotional and mental break from stress.

-As you think about things to be thankful for, you will relax your muscles and begin to smile and breathe more deeply which is good for mind and body.

-When you are thankful, you'll start looking for more things to be thankful for throughout the day and we all know that when you look for something you'll find it.

Nothing I'm saying here is new and if you prefer hearing it from someone older, wiser, and famous - check out what Shakespeare himself had to say about being thankful

"Oh Lord that lends me life,
lend me a heart replete with thankfulness"
~William Shakespeare

As you know, thanksgiving is quickly approaching here in the United States. Yes, this year is going to look a little different than years past, but the fact remains we can still take time to be thankful, show thanks, and smile.

What are some ways you can step up your thankfulness game?

-offer to pay for someone's groceries

-send a thank you card to someone who has touched your life

-call someone you haven't spoken to in a while and thank them for their friendship

-thank someone on social media for brightening your day with their pictures and stories

-speak to the manager at a store and tell them you're thankful for a particular employee who went above and beyond to provide you with delightful customer service

-thank an author for writing such lovely stories (don't forget the best way to thank an author is by leaving a review)

Please leave a comment on this article and share your thoughts and ideas about spreading thanks today and always! Thank you for taking time to read this today and thank you for being you!

Hugs,
~Crystal

and now...a little more about me...

Shown from left to right:
Delphine riding Honey
Mr. Otto holding Eudora
Crystal riding Marv.
Thank you Forward Farm, LLC

And now she runs a virtual classroom for her children who are distance learners!

You can find Crystal milking cows, riding horses, and the occasional unicorn (not at the same time), taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books here, and at her own blog - Crystal is dedicated to turning life's lemons into lemonade and she has never (not once) been accused of being normal!

1 comment attitude, attitude of gratitude, gratitude, thankful, thanks, thanksgiving

Thank You Helpers

Monday, March 30, 2020

WOW! I don't even know where to begin - the world is upside down. I've journaled about how a trip to the grocery seems surreal and somehow dangerous. I want to remember these days. I also have the same feeling in my stomach I would get as a child watching a scary movie. Daddy would see me hiding under the blanket and remind me there would be a happy ending and ask "don't you want to see how it ends?". I'd try to stick it out as long as I could, but I'd give in to that topsy turny feeling in my tummy and run to the bathroom until it was over. I didn't care how it ended, I just wanted it to stop. The grown-up me knows we need to see this COVID-19 thing come to an end. The grown-up me knows once it's over we will appreciate one another more. The grown-up me knows I need to come up with fun ways to keep the children entertained.

Yet ... here I am hiding in the tub with a glass of wine wondering if maybe when I come out it will be over.

Most days I don't feel very grown-up. I'm worried about finances (I'm a musician and half our income each year comes from that) so I'm baking and taking on more author work to supplement our income. I'm worried about the elderly - so I'm shopping for people and leaving groceries on porches. I'm worried about my family and their health (physically and emotionally) - my mother usually sees the children several times a week and it's been 3 weeks since she last held the baby on her lap for a nap. My husband says I wake up in the middle of the night scared saying things like:

"I gave it to all of them - Ken warned me"

I internalize things. My friends and family see my humorous posts about being the new gym teacher, hairdresser, etc... and inside, I'm wondering if I remembered to sanitize my phone before lunch. My hands bleed from the excessive hand washing, and I keep counting the jars of vegetables to make sure no one will go without.

I know on a certain level we are all feeling this. We are all trying to do our best under some very trying circumstances. I want you to know I see you. I feel you. I'm on your side.

The ONLY thing keeping me smiling right now is doing what Daddy taught me. I'm looking for the helpers. I see the man from Koeppel Concrete who donated gift cards to healthcare workers to purchase scrubs from the local small business Working Man's Friend. I see the woman who is on furlough who is helping at the local Festival Foods making sure shelves are stocked. I see the nurse who works tirelessly with the elderly and during her time off cares for her special needs son while also sewing masks for fellow healthcare workers. I see the teachers juggling their own children while putting together online lessons for their students. I see restaurants making deliveries and donations to healthcare workers. I've always seen you - but right now I NEED to see you. I've been posting on social media asking people to tell me about the amazing acts of kindness they see each day.

With so much sadness and fear in our world right now, we need to thank the helpers, but more importantly we need to see them. We need to hear about them. There are so many ways to help right now - and new ideas are popping up every day. Big or small, your help is bringing a smile to more than just one person. Keep helping and please know we are seeing you!

Thanks for listening - I struggled with this post - and now can you do me a favor? Leave a comment about something you've done, something you've seen, something you plan to do that will help someone else? These stories help me get through each and every day - you have no idea! THANK YOU <3 p="">
Hugs (hopefully in real life again someday),
~Crystal

Crystal is the office manager, council secretary, financial secretary, and musician at her church, birth mother, Auntie, babywearing mama, business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Press Corp teammate for the DairyGirl Network, Unicorn Mom Ambassador, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their five youngest children, two dogs, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, horses Darlin' and Joker, and over 250 Holsteins.

You can find Crystal milking cows, riding horses, and riding unicorns (not at the same time), taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books here, and at her personal blog - Crystal is dedicated to turning life's lemons into lemonade and she has never (not once) been accused of being normal!