Mental Matters
Jennifer Goble

What ARE your blessings?

When you read this article, I will have just returned from a trip with my youngest granddaughter. She is thirteen, and it was her turn for a Grandma Jennifer trip. I am writing this on Memorial Day, two days before we leave.

When I am lying on my death bed, the trips I have planned and enjoyed with each grandchild will be running around in my brain’s happy cells. For six days I get them all to myself; many opportunities to build memories of their specialness.

There are three rules: The destination needs to be in the continental U.S., educational, and they need to have a right attitude as we walk our feet off, see new things, and eat weird food.

As I reflect on my other four Grandma trips, no matter the city we visited, always and everywhere there were reminders of the freedom we enjoy because of the men and women we celebrate on Memorial Day. American flags fly proud, memorials are public art, and historical sites honor our leaders, military, and the grit of Americans.

My dad, uncles, and high school classmates served in the military, and I learned to honor, respect, and never forget the reasons we are the greatest nation. Safety and opportunity is something I never take for granted.

My dad’s WWII uniform sat high on a shelf at the Old Library Inn as a constant reminder of his service. No matter where my dad lived, what he was driving, or where he was fishing, he had the red, white, and blue waving. He purchased the flagpole on the south side of the Old Carnegie Library in Sterling. As he signed the check, he said, “I can’t think of anything I would rather spend my money on than Old Glory.” The bronze plaque beside the flag commemorates his military service.

As I pack for my last Grandma Jennifer trip, I send this article early, knowing it will publish when Memorial Day, 2018, is history. But bringing the holiday back into focus, helping us recall personal gratitude, always contributes to our daily mental wellness.

As I think about the goodness of America, and anticipate the joy of time with my granddaughter, I leave you with the opportunity never to forget your blessings.
What ARE your blessings? List them and smile.

Until the next time: Live while you live.

Jennifer Goble, Ph.D., LPC, is the author of “My Clients…My Teachers,” and the blogger and writer of Rural Women Stories: www.ruralwomenstories.com.

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