Twelve Things I am Thankful for on December 12th

For those new to my blog, my son Andrew was killed in a drunk driving accident on August 12, 2013.  His official date of death is August 13 because the accident happened in a remote area of the Texas Panhandle and it took a while for the ME to get there to declare the five young people dead.  The 12th of each month brought a bit of sorrow to me for the first ten or so months.  Then I decided to make that day a day of thankfulness.  Thus, my monthly “Twelve Things I am Thankful for on the 12th” posts.

This month I have much to be grateful for.  It seems I always do.  In fact, my last few lists have been more than 12 things.  December will be as well.

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  1. Traveling through new states with my husband.
  2. And stopping to go tubing with him in Utah.  If I was at home and knew how, I would post the video he took while we tubed down the hill of man-made snow in 50 degree weather.  It was great fun!
  3. Ron’s laughter.  In the middle years of our marriage, there were times when I rarely heard him laugh.  He has gained much joy the last 6-7 years, even through the deaths of his mom and our son.  I love that he has joy and I get to hear him laugh.
  4. My big brother, Robert.  He is amazing and interesting.  Always on an adventure.  He is sailing the world in a 44 foot sailboat.  I did not expect to see him this Christmas season, but he surprised me by flying into Denver to see his new lady friend.  (I really like her).  Ron & I are in Denver for a couple of days so we got to have dinner with them last night!  I think Robert got tired of me hugging him.
  5. My step-mom.  For years I introduced her as “my dad’s wife”.  At some point, I began introducing her as “my mom”. She is my friend and sister in Christ.  She was there for me at times when my mom was not.  I adore her and was thrilled to spend the last two days with her.  Denver will be on my agenda this spring. regardless of where Ron’s travels take us.
  6. The majesty of the Rocky Mountains.  They are beautiful! Evelyn & I drove up to Estes Park for lunch yesterday.  So much fun.  And Claire’s has great chicken salad if you are ever in Estes Park for lunch.
  7. Hampton Inn business centers – where I can catch up on blog posts and work on www.memverse.com to help me with my scripture memory.
  8. Jill Sullivan, co-founder of While We’re Waiting.  There was an issue on the FB group yesterday.  A gal I adore got her feeling hurt.  That happens when dealing with grieving parents.  I am not placing fault; however, a man commented in a way that could be misunderstood.  Then my friend commented, then he commented, then she commented, then…you get the picture.  It was ugly.  Jill handled it with grace and honesty.  My friend is still hurting.  I wish I could make it better for her.  I love her.  And I love that Jill is following the leading of the Holy Spirit in moderating the WWW FB group.
  9. American Airlines – they are the only airline that flies into our town.  I am glad I get to fly in and out of WF instead of driving 2-3 hours to DFW. I’ll be flying home Monday.
  10. The Word of God.  Powerful and alive.  I am working on memorizing 1 John 1.  The whole chapter.  I don’t like to memorize just one verse.  It’s too easy to take out of context that way.  So I memorize chapters. Or large parts of chapters.
  11. The love of Christ and the ability to share it with a lost and broken world.
  12. My daughter Lyz who is house-sitting while I travel.  She takes great care of our home and our dogs.  She spoils the dogs, actually.  Essential Oil rubdowns, special treats, playing ball numerous times each day.  I would not be able to travel if she did not do such a great job.
  13. The EMT’s on Lookout Mountain who cared for Margaret when she passed out at work last week. One of them asked her some questions to figure out who she was and where she lived.  He figured out that her brother-in-law was one of his good friends, whipped out his own cell phone, and called Mark to let him know what happened.  Her big sister was there within five minutes.  She rode in the ambulance with Margaret.  I can’t imagine how scary the whole thing would have been for her if her sister was not there with her.
  14. My daughter Meredith who took such great care of Margaret and called or texted me through the whole thing so I knew what was going on.  I would have been panicky if not for her updates.
  15. The image of Margaret laying on a backboard with a C-collar while still dressed in her Elf costume.  And the fact that she was laughing about.  “Mom, I looked at myself in the ceiling of the ambulance and thought “i just look silly”.”  I love that she has such a great outlook on life and rolls with the punches.  My youngest daughter.  She is special to me.
  16. Friends who loved me, encouraged me and even found a replacement for me when one of my nativity sets got damaged.  Baby Jesus fell in the disposal.  Not good.

 

As for Margaret, we still don’t know what caused her to pass out twice in three days.  Or what is causing her dizzy spells.  If you are a believer, will you pray with us that the source can be found and fixed?  Tests have all come back normal.  More to come.

Be blessed today.  And take time to count your blessings.  Would you comment on this post and list a few things you are thankful today?

 

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We stopped for gas in Utah and saw this

31 years of marriage, Gratitude, travel


KathleenBDuncan

I write about my life, my journey, my family, and my faith. I am wife to one, mom to seven with one in heaven, and grandmother to many. I am also full-time caregiver to my stepmom E who suffers from dementia due to Alzheimer’s. In my spare time I like to read, travel, crochet, bike, and play with our black pug Molly.

Comments (7)

  • The photo of the airplane is hysterical!

    and I am thankful that my parents are traveling all over and so get to send my boys postcards from all over the US! they are loving them. and that your travels often bring you east near us!

    • It was odd to pull up to a gas station in the middle od nowhere Utah and see a plane filling up. Then they drove away and took off. The things we see on the road.

      And uou daddy got more postcards to mail today!!

  • Oh Mrs. Duncan (that feels weird, I feel like I should refer to you as Momma Duncan),

    I don’t believe I’ve had the privilege to meet you personally but I, like so many others, knew your wonderful Andrew. Please know I’ve been following your journey and I admire you dearly for sharing your journey, continuing to send prayers and hugs your way daily.

    As for Margaret, I will be praying! I dealt with a similar situation in high school, I know how scary it can be not knowing what’s causing it. In my case it was due largely in part to low iron (technically no iron, my level was literally zero when it should have been in the 60-80 range) and what my neurologist believes was absence seizures (no convulsions).

    Praying whatever is causing Margaret to pass out is much less minor than it was in my case and it can be fixed quickly!

    • Marissa, if you knew my Andrew, you know was larger than life and lived to the fullest every day. He brought joy to many. Still does. I smile when i think of his grin, his clumsiness, his live for dance and his horrible pickup lines. Thank you for praying for us. Hugs back to you.

      • Oh yes, his horrible pick-up lines and his not so great coordination are forever printed in my mind. If I remember correctly, when we met he introduced himself like, “I’m Andrew, **insert terrible pick-up line of the day here**”. He certainly knew how to leave an impression :).

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