The Simple Things

After a long day at work, I am thankful for a long hot shower and my memory foam mattress.

And I'm still thankful for chocolate cake (and ice cream and syrup).

Mr. Hershey

Today, I baked a chocolate cake.  It was soooo good.

I used the recipe on the back of the Hershey's Coco container.  It's quick and easy and because of that, it has been my go-to chocolate cake recipe for awhile now.

While I was baking today, I thought about Milton Hershey and the stories I've heard about all of his failures, some quite devastating, before he found success with the chocolate.  And as I ate the cake that I topped with vanilla ice cream and Hershey's chocolate syrup, I was quite thankful that Mr. Hershey persevered.

I hope someday someone will be thankful that I persevered.

Oh, and I'm thankful for chocolate cake.

 

Understanding

I have a friend that constantly asks me to hang out and I consistently say no for one reason or another. Today, when I extended my thanks for the invitation and the assurance that I will one day say yes, the response I got was touching.  My friend said, "Oh, I'm gonna keep asking!".

I am thankful for understanding friends.

Matilda

On this lonely Friday night, I'm thankful to have my dog, Matilda.  I can't remember how I filled these kinds of evenings before she came into my life.

Panera

I just had the best salad from Panera Bread.  I always get the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad and it never disappoints.  I also enjoy going to Panera because it makes me think about my dad.  Once, when he came to visit me in Baltimore, we had lunch at a Panera.  It was his first time there and he really liked it a lot.  We had a good conversation that day.  I can't remember what we talked about, but I remember leaving the conversation feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world.

Today, I am thankful for Panera.

Heat

For the past week, my fingers have gone numb in the afternoon because I get so cold at work.  I turn on my heater and it helps, but my thumbs still stay numb. ( "My thumbs still stay numb." Try saying that five times fast.  Lol. )

Today, I'm thankful for my little space heater.  I'm thankful for the person who designed it and all the people that assembled it and shipped it to Target so that I could buy it.  I never thought I'd be using this bad boy in the summer.

Family and Friend

This past weekend, we had a Family Day on my Dad's side of the family.  It was so great to see everyone.  We had such a good time just acting crazy and telling stories.  This was the first time that my Dad and his siblings were the oldest people in attendance.  This gathering was a definite transition. None of them had any responsibility at this gathering and me and my cousins catered to them.  I enjoyed watching them realize that the order of things has shifted, although it also shook me a little bit. I also enjoyed watching my cousin's kids play with each other, although it also made me a little sad that I didn't have a child of my own.  In the end, I mostly felt thankful to be around my family.

Today, my best friend spent almost an hour online trying to register me for classes at a conference next year.  She did it for me because I was in court and couldn't get to a computer.  She could've spent that early morning time with her family, but she decided to help me.

Today I am thankful for my wonderful family and sisterly best friend.

That Time Dad Met James Brown

In 2001, I gave my Dad tickets to a James Brown concert for Fathers' Day.  Our seats were just a couple of rows from the stage and we were right in the center.  I had such a good time watching Dad get down with JB and the boys.  I had never seen him so excited.  There was a point during the concert that both my stepmom and I thought that he might have a heart attack because he was so hype.

After the show we went back to our hotel and hung out in the lobby, and who walks in but The Godfather himself.  I had nothing to lose, so I walked up to him, told him how much we enjoyed the show and asked him if he would come over to meet my Dad since this was his Fathers' Day gift.  He happily obliged.  He even let us snap a picture.

Dad sent me a copy of the picture for my birthday the next year.  It took another few years before I noticed his message to me on the back.

Nothing I can ever do for him will top that.  He still talks about it a couple times a year.

I'm so thankful I was able to give him that experience.