Welcome to another Grateful Heart Monday, where gratitude becomes the focus to start the week off with, which for today is for a day trip my partner Chris, our friend Denise, and I recently took to Uniontown, Ohio on a Saturday afternoon.
I want to start this gratitude off by first thanking Denise who has been a very wonderful house and cat sitter for Chris and I a number of times. Our cat Smokey has definitely taken a huge liking to her and always seems to get super excited anytime she comes over. That being said, Chris and I invited Denise to go on this day trip to Uniontown as our way of thanking her for her ongoing help to us.
So what’s in Uniontown, Ohio you may be wondering?
It might sound silly to some, but Uniontown has probably the best miniature golf course in the state of Ohio and one Chris and I love playing. Originally built almost 60 years ago now, Rolling Greens Miniature Golf is an extremely unique course with holes that are both whimsical and extremely challenging, yet also combine the elements of regular golf where one must chip the ball a good distance away to actually reach several of the holes. Unfortunately, the weather this year caused half of the course to be shut down on our last visit there when my friend Cedric was in town, so we decided to go back one more time.
It’s about a 2.5-hour drive from our house to get there and along the way, I must say I had a lot of fun in the car laughing and joking with Chris and Denise, two things I haven’t done much of lately in my life. And while it was indeed incredibly hot when we arrived, I was surely grateful to know that both courses were finally open this time. It really was great watching Denise go through each hole and be challenged by it like Chris and I were the first time we played there. I was pretty proud of her because she got a whole lot better by the middle of the second game! I was also quite stoked that I finally got my first hole in one there, and on one of the most challenging holes at that! Although the heat did its best to dampen the spirit, we were all thankful that it wasn’t crowded and no one was constantly waiting on our heels to keep moving along, which is something that often irritates both Chris and I when playing miniature golf.
Nevertheless, after we were done playing mini golf for the day, I helped Denise find a t-shirt at a local store to replace the drenched one she had worn. We all had gotten pretty soaked from our sweat from the heat. For the life of me, I can’t remember exactly what the slogan on the shirt said, but it was perfect for her personality and totally made me smile! Shortly thereafter, we went to a new place for dinner in the same building as the store where Denise got her t-shirt, a restaurant called Hartville Kitchen Restaurant & Bakery. Known for everything being made from scratch and reminding me a lot of what Cracker Barrell was probably like early on when it wasn’t such a huge chain, I must say we all had an incredible meal, especially my sweet potato casserole and the blue cheese dressing I had on my salad! We have yet to try our homemade desserts we got from the bakery there on our way out, but I’m sure they will only add to my gratefulness from that day.
My last bit of gratitude came on our way home when I got to enjoy getting Denise her very first Frappucino from Starbucks, while my partner had an Iced Dragon fruit Tea, and I of course had my favorite, that being a decaf soy mocha, extra hot.
It’s honestly not often I can say I have good days like this, usually because my pain always seems to affect that, so I’m most certainly grateful to God for a day trip Chris, Denise, and I took to Uniontown, Ohio.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
