in gratitude

For the pure and simple joy and awe that is a child's first circus. (sorry for the horribly blurry dark photo- no flash and all :)

in gratitude

How do you sum up your gratitude for where you are, what you have and the myriad blessings in your life?  You don't.  You just say thank you.  

 

in gratitude

For trains, junk food and oh-so-many giggles.  

jasmine, how sweet thou art

Ah, it is jasmine season around these parts and oh how amazing that is.  There is so much in our garden that I am grateful for that is ours by inheritance.  Plants and ideas that were passed down from previous owners, small and large things that continue to delight and astound me almost 4 years after we bought this house.  One of those things is the exactly perfect placement of jasmine plants on our western fence that separates our house from the neighbor. 

It's perfect on so many levels but here are a few: when the breeze blows in from the west (generally the only direction that it blows in from) we are gifted the sent of jasmine right into our open dining room window and then into the house, the jasmine seems to be at its headiest bloom right before the oranges bloom so we get to have several months of sweet smelling loveliness coming into our just opened spring windows, and finally, as the plants are on a fence that runs north/south, much of the bloom ends up on our neighbors side, thus making her happy to have a plant that we allow to run extremely wild encroach on her yard (win win!). 

Welcome spring, welcome.

love!

I truly believe that we do not give ourselves enough opportunities in our daily lives to be thankful for the ones we love.  It is nice to have at least one day a year where we are reminded to tell the ones we care for, "I love you."  Ignore the commercialism, the cheesy gifts, the bank-account draining jewelry.  Just remember to tell them that you love them. 

in gratitude

For two boys who continue to be thick as thieves- planning their own sleepovers, having "all the adventures they can find" and collapsing into giggles at bedtime.  Best friends indeed.

in gratitude

For inspiring groups that remind me that even the things I find to be so small, like knitting a hat while watching a movie, can become a much bigger deal to others.  Check out Craft Hope's site for information about their current project: The Littlest Warriors

in gratitude

For all the teaching in my life...in particular, within a tree house in miniature.

in gratitude

For beautiful storytellers that we find online who become the perfect background for completing   projects.

in gratitude

For lots of downtime with my boy this week, most of it spent huddled around a new globe.

 

in gratitude

For an amazing boy who turned 5 right before my eyes.

in gratitude

For family...so very much family love on Christmas.  We are so blessed to have each other.  To be near each other.  To have so much love. 

in gratitude

In gratitude for reminders every day about what this holiday is really about (yes, that's a picture that Nate drew of Jesus, Nate believes He was a very tall man).  Merry Christmas! 

in gratitude

 In gratitude for peaceful moments of wonder and light, remembering what this season is really about.

I promise you not a moment will be lost as long as I have heart & voice to speak & we will walk again together with a thousand others & a thousand more & on & on until there is no one among us who does not know the truth: there is no future without love. ~ storypeople (brian andreas)

awesome-ness

 I found the most amazing author the other day- Dallas Clayton.  Really seems to be the most amazing person as well.  His website is called 'Awesome World' and that really sums it all up.  You have to check out his website and see even more awesome artwork.  Oh, have I mentioned how awesome his work is? :)

in gratitude

I hope you had a moment, or many moments strung together to appreciate the amazing amount of goodness in your life.  I know I did.  Just one of the millions of pictures I took last weekend...

Now these are good people.  So very thankful.  Thank you.  Thank you.

in gratitude

for art.  so very much art.

 

Ending the week a bit early...happiest of thanksgivings to you.

in gratitude

I am grateful for impromptu science at the SD Botanic Gardens.  Lessons in surface tension and bubbles with a mix of reptiles and amphibians (not pictured) thrown in.  A perfect morning.

in gratitude

I've decided to make Fridays my day of gratitude.  I will include a picture and some words of one of the many blessings in my life this week.  And, as always, this is with gratitude to you, dear reader, for spending time with me this week as well. 

 

In gratitude for full fruit baskets from our own garden.

 

essential question

Are we destroying the essential for the superfluous?  

This is a question posed in a video I watched this week.  It's a beautiful video about the importance the forest and trees play in all of our lives, realized or not.  I've begun my holiday crafting, another year, another promise to stick with handmade and local.  I always seem to make it to the final week before Christmas, feeling good about all the things I've made and then I start worrying.  Is what I made nice enough?  Is it something that the recipient wants or would they rather I bought something?  Shouldn't I get them one more little thing? At which point I end up over spending, buying things that I wouldn't have even considered in the sanity of November. 

So, here I am in November, making a pledge to myself to remember the essential above the superfluous.

To remember what these holidays are really about and to spend time being thankful each moment for everything I am so very blessed with. 

People are essential, relationships are essential, gratitude is essential, love is essential..oh I could go on and on. And they are all free.  And they are all accessible.  And they are all possible if I just remember to take the time to pause, breathe and look at the trees.


Video from KarmaTube