A Thanksgiving Gratitude List

D., Cassie and a speaking tree on a Thanksgiving weekend hike to Marble Rock

~ sunsets on the river

~ peppermint tea

~ harvest season, my local farmers market and the abundance of food in our fridge

~ our home, though it's not always the cleanest, it's warm and it nurtures

~ my books

~ fresh McIntosh apples

~ the circle of supportive women in my life, you mean so much to me

~ the Mad Chatters, may our discussions continue to enlighten and cause gut-busting belly laughter

~ my local library

~ my computer and how it allows me to create and connect here, with you

~ my little Honda Civic, it brings me places

~ this weekend's Thanksgiving hike at the Marble Rock Conservation Area

~ the sunny warm weather we've been having these past few weeks, goodness is it really October?

~ a freezer full of strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, and sweet corn

~ my point & shoot camera

~ art supplies and art-making

~ Squam Art Workshops

~ last weekend's Spiderman theme birthday party for D.

~ my health and that of my loved ones

~ my colleagues and friends

~ the practice of writing Morning Pages (thank you Julia Cameron!)

~ my family, I am blessed with musical, laughter-loving genes

~ opportunity and possibility, being born where they're both readily accessible

~ freedom to speak and think out loud, freedom to vote

~ this space here, my blog

~ D.'s family

~ D., our conversations, our silence, our being together

~ Cassie, her smiling enthusiasm and her cozy snuggles

I am blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Steph

xo

With Gratitude

close-up sunset on the St Lawrence, Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec

Life has been full. I am tired. It's time for a list of things for which I am grateful, just 'cause.

Today I am grateful for...

~ books, books and books

~ being able to connect with creative kindreds across the miles via Facebook

~ Squam Art Workshops is coming up in less than two weeks

~ an evening full of good conversation and good food shared with a very special group of friends

~ laughter that's so good it hurts

~ my colleagues, realizing how close a group we've become and how that makes going to work every day so much more pleasant

~ options

~ having successfully completed my experiment of posting weekly Productivity Prompts

~ savings in the bank

~ a certain sense of naïveté that allows me to dream and believe in possibility

~ a knack for planning and crunching numbers

~ did I say books?

~ a comfortable home

~ family

~ September, it brings homemade soup, sweaters and crisp, clean air

~ sunshine and blue skies

~ a local farmers market that's bursting with harvest goodies

~ D. and Cassie, goodness yes, D. and Cassie

~ you.

Gratitude - The Antidote to a Heavy Heart

 

this Buddha helps make a tiny corner of my yard feel peaceful

Because my heart feels a little heavy these days, a gratitude list to help lift my spirits... because there's always something to be grateful for.

• sunshine and blue skies
• D. and Cassie
• corn on the cob + butter + salt
• my books and home library nook
• my local library
• my art supplies
• Arrested Development
• L., and J., and J. and K., and A., and A., and J.... I could go on
• Mud Lake, a nature lover's haven right here in the city
• Hawk, Kingfisher and Osprey encountered at Mud Lake last Saturday
• my little Honda Civic
• having enough money set aside to put new ball joints on my little Honda Civic
• a mechanic I trust
• the sound of the rain falling outside my window
• an upcoming road trip to New Brunswick
• a clean kitchen counter
• July's trip to Prince Edward County
• my happy shoes: pink ballerina flats embroidered with fuchsia and turquoise flowers
• my backyard Buddha
• fresh strawberries in August, two bags of them in the freezer for January
• Morning Pages
• possibility
• silence
• this space
• you

With gratitude,

Steph

xo