Thanksgiving in Rosalind

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Alberta, Calgary, Camrose Alberta, Canada, children, daughter, Diana Schwenk, driving, family, friends, fun, generosity, grateful, growing up, laughter, living in the moment, love, parents, Relationships, Rosalind, thankful, Thanksgiving, turkey

Just how great was Thanksgiving in Rosalind, Alberta?

Glad you asked!

I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about driving to Rosalind by myself on Saturday because many of the roads I needed to travel on are so barren and have no cell service. But in spite of the cold, fog with iffy visibility and snow, it was a rather pleasant drive.

Seeing as this was my first visit there, Michaela met me at the Rosalind School parking lot so I could follow her on the gravel secondary highway eight-hundred-and-something to hers and Werner’s long driveway about 1 kilometer from the school.

We turned the corner on the driveway at around 4:30PM revealing the cutest little farm-house and property. It really is too bad that it got cold and snowed so early this year, I would have loved to have walked around the property a bit. But it was that wet kind of cold, you know? The kind that chills you to the bone in just minutes.

Anyway, after settling in, enjoying a nice cup of coffee and playing a few rounds of Macke Been, Werner drove us to the Brew House in Camrose for dinner. After dinner, we headed back to the farm-house, played a few more games, chatted about this and that and turned in early. I slept like a baby!

The next morning, Michaela made us a wonderful breakfast before starting all the food prep and cooking for the Thanksgiving dinner. We all helped out here and there, but for the most part, Michaela had it all under control. There would be five for dinner. Me, Michaela, Werner and his mom and dad, Claudia and Manfred, who I would be meeting for the first time.

It was fun.

Lots of laughter, lots of story-sharing and playful banter.

And what a feast it was, especially since this was the very first dinner party, Michaela had ever hosted!

So just how great was Thanksgiving in Rosalind, Alberta?

it was so great that I forgot to take pictures!

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

And how did you spend Thanksgiving? And what did you non-Canadians do this past weekend?

Happy Thanksgiving From The Middle of Nowhere!

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Alberta, attitude, blessings, Canada, daughter, disappointments, family, farming, food, grateful, Gratitude, Happy Thanksgiving, harvest, Relationships, Rosalind, thankful, values

If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.

~ John Wooden

Well…not exactly nowhere. But when you’re an urbanite like me, driving on a handful of secondary highways to get to Rosalind, Alberta feels a lot like the middle of nowhere.

Me and Michaela Sept. 2016

I gladly drive those lonely highways though, to spend Thanksgiving with my daughter, her boyfriend Werner and his family.

That’s right. Here in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October. My guess is, we pushed it up to line up with harvest time north of the 49th.

Speaking of harvest, that’s what my daughter, Werner and his parents have been up to on their family farm the last few weeks.

What’s more Thanksgiving than that?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I’m going to practice magnifying my blessings instead of blowing up my disappointments into massive proportions, how about you?

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Have you hugged a farmer today?

This post has been scheduled to publish on Sunday. When you read this, I will already be in the middle of nowhere cherishing wonderful people. I hope you are also with those whom you love. ❤

Diana xo

Do Others Know You Are Grateful For Them?

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200 words, believe, caring, community, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, encourage, family, friends, generosity, grateful, Gratitude, growing up, happy, joy, kindness, laughter, life, living in the moment, Relationships, thank you, thankful

Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone

Gladys Stern

I think we all pretty much agree that when we are grateful for the things and beautiful people we do have in our lives, we feel richer.

I grew up learning that life is not always fair and it may be one of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned. Each time I’ve come face to face with an injustice, I had the important choice of remaining in a state of despair or being grateful for the resources available to me to work through it.

When we are intentional about turning our thoughts away from what we do not have toward what we do have, we are given the strength to endure and overcome our struggles.

Recognizing this truth is a blessing to those who embrace it.

Yet if we just recognize it without speaking our gratitude to those who give us strength, we miss a wonderful opportunity to bring joy to others.

So when someone lightens our load, do we express our thanks to them? When we hear someone say something good about another, do we tell them?

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Is there somebody you should thank today?

Happy Thanksgiving USA, With Love, Canada

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Canada, Canadian National Anthem, Diana Schwenk, Gratitude, Happy Thanksgiving, neighbours, O Canada, Pittsburg Penguins, thankful, USA, world issues

We may not always see eye-to-eye.

And often we playfully tease each other.

But when the poop hits the fan, we’re there for each other.

I was recently reminded of this when a Canadian soldier was shot in Ottawa.

President Obama assured Canadians that America would stand with us.

American citizens offered their support and condolences.

On a personal level, many of my American friends offered their sympathy and support.

So as you sit around your tables tomorrow surrounded by loved ones and declaring your thankfulness, know that your Canadian brothers and sisters are raising a glass to you in grateful expression.

Happy Thanksgiving USA. May our friendship and mutual support endure forever.

The video below still brings a tear to my eye when I watch it.

Before a hockey game in Pittsburg between two American teams, O Canada is sung in support of Ottawans and Canadians across the country in response to the shooting of an unarmed Canadian soldier standing guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

May God bless our southern neighbours this Thanksgiving season. We love you!

Learn to see the extraordinary in the ordinary

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200 words, common, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, extraordinary, memories, Purpose, taken for granted, thankful, values

“Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great.” – Orison Swett Marden

The common things in life are really quite extraordinary.

Most of us take every day things for granted and don’t even notice their value until we lose them.

When I was 19, I thought it would be a great idea to play two-on-two tackle football in a parking lot.

I may, or may not, have been a tad tipsy at the time.

Doug was on my team. He weighed about 130 pounds in wet clothes.

Our opponents weighed 200+ pounds each.

Long story, short; I was charged as if by a raging bull.

My body flew into the air like a cannon ball.

And I landed somewhat sideways on my right bent-in-an-unnatural-way leg.

Thankfully, I didn’t break anything.

But I tore some ligaments, and bruised some muscles and my knee swelled up to twice its size.

I wanted nothing more than to be able to run through a field of flowers.

Our bodies are amazing, no?

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Walking and dancing and running and even brushing my teeth seems so common yet they are extraordinary activities if you really think about it.

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

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200 words, Canada, daughter, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, family, friends, Gratitude, happy, Oma, parents, Relationships, thank you, thankful, Thanksgiving

“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
― Meister Eckhart

This weekend Canada is celebrating Thanksgiving.

What better day than today to talk about thankfulness?

And what better way to do that than list off some of the things that I am thankful for?

I am thankful for my parents who immigrated to Canada and worked hard their whole lives to build a better life for our family.

I am thankful for my daughter, my future son-in-law and his beautiful 3-month old daughter – I’m an Oma!

I am thankful for my brother who is also my friend and for a while in my early teens, my only friend. I am also grateful for my sister-in-law and my amazing nephew.

I am thankful for my life-long friends who are like family to me.

I am thankful for all the opportunities I have had and continue to have in this beautiful country.

And I am thankful for you, my beautiful readers and writers. ❤

It’s not happy people who are thankful, it’s thankful people who are happy

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

What are you thankful for?

Related article: 10 Reasons Why Gratitude is Healthy