Things I'm grateful for. Past. Present. Forever.
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Number One: As always, this planet Earth, which shelters us in the vast, mysterious universe. This is where every other thing I'm grateful for lives.(Photo credit: NASA)
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Family holidays can bring out the best and worst in people. When I awakened at 2 a.m. and began to fret and mull, I stopped myself by pulling out a journal and writing down miscellaneous things that have brought me joy.
Here are some things I'm grateful for, including a holiday that suggests we consider our blessings. This isn't meant to be comprehensive or chronological. It just is.
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My father's weekend waffles, so golden and warm.
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Hawks adrift above me.
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The first time I looked into my daughter's eyes.
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Candlit dinners in my mother-in-law's house. I knew I'd found home.
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Snowy peaks floating in oceans of clouds.
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Visiting ladybugs.
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The boys who showed me how to catch tadpoles in murky ponds.
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The babysitting job that earned me cash for my first surfboard.
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My grandmother's love. No matter what.
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Maple syrup on fresh snow.
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Waves as translucent as emeralds.
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Reading Yeats by a peat fire in Sligo. Painting at a window looking at Ben Bulben.
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Whiskey and a pint on a blustery night in Dublin.
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Friends who hold drum circles to celebrate life.
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Critique buddies who laugh at my jokes and believe in my characters and still point out how I can make it better.
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My teenage discovery of Tolkien, Bradbury, Vonnegut, Hesse, Hardy.
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Coconut body butter.
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Standing in a room full of Van Gogh paintings in Paris. Surrounded by Botticelli and Da Vinci in Florence.
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The morning's first cup of coffee.
Love love love. Great post.
ReplyDeleteAwesome list and what a great way to get yourself into the right mind set :)
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I love the many varied things on here, like maple syrup on snow. How cool that you surf!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!
Lovely. Thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteLove the list. Haven't tried maple syrup in snow, but right now there plenty of the white stuff outside my window. :(
ReplyDelete*runs off to find the maple syrup*
You're my role model for gratefulness . . . and your list is so poetic.
ReplyDelete@TerryLynn: That comment made me happy.
ReplyDelete@Nicole: It really worked. Some of the items were bittersweet, but that's fine, too.
@LT: Thanks! Um, the surfing is past tense now, altho I have taken a boogie board out from time to time.
@Yat-Yee: Thanks and same to you!
@Stina: Oh, I hope you don't get tooooo much snow, but for sure grab the maple syrup. Yum.
@Donna: Aw, thank you so much. The list did come from the heart & soul.
Wish I thought to do that when I woke up fretting. Tonight I will. Happy Thanksgiving Tricia.
ReplyDeleteLOVE your list!! You should also be grateful for the gift you have with words and images - your phrasing is always so lovely. Enjoy your Thanksgiving! :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't had maple syrup poured fresh in the snow in years - I'm definitely going to do it this year!
I love this list and it prompted me to think about what I'm grateful for. Have a great Thanksgiving.
ReplyDelete@Liza: It's an excellent anti-fret maneuver. ;)
ReplyDelete@Jemi: Oh, thank you. What a lovely thing to say. :D
I used to live in maple country and the neighbors would boil up fresh syrup. It was sooooo good when snow fell in clean, fluffy heaps.
@Medeia: Thank you! I'm so glad it's resonating.
What a heartfelt and inspiring list, thank you.
ReplyDeleteHope your Thanksgiving is perfect.
What a wonderful list. I may swipe your idea tomorrow, and if you find some of your things on my list, just realise I value them as much.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for being in my life.
I'm grateful for this post. Beautiful, Tricia.
ReplyDeleteTerrific list. Honest and heartfelt. All of them wonderful, and I especially liked the list of authors you discovered--that is such an exciting moment, in hindsight.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting it, and I hope you have a wonderful Turkey Day.
This was a great read and I can't help but wonder...when can I read the book? You've had some great adventures....
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!
@Viva: Wishing you a perfect day, too. :)
ReplyDelete@Rayna: Aw, I'm glad you liked it that much! I, too, am grateful to have found you.
@Wen: Thanks, my friend, and I'm still sending tons of good thoughts your way for your family.
@Samuel: Thank you. I can remember how my world expanded when I read those authors. Since then, many others have come into my life, but there's always a special time when you're young and realize the possibilities. :)
@WordsCrafter: Ha! Hadn't thought of it that way. You make me smile.
What a wonderful list, Tricia. Have a great Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteThat was beautiful to read and really illustrates how it is the little things that make us whole. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteAngela @ The Bookshelf Muse
Visiting ladybugs & coconut body butter. Amen, sister.
ReplyDeletePS: Hope your Thanksgiving was a good one!
@Talli: Thanks, and I did!
ReplyDelete@Angela: I like that comment about the little things making us whole. Thank you.
@Terresa: Love that body butter...I did have a good one. I hope you did, too. :)
This is a wonderful post. How true about some family members providing challenges. Your list of items providing gratitude is so rich with potential like enjoying a room of van Goghs.
ReplyDeleteMaple syrup on fresh snow? I just died and went to gratitude heaven. :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, Tricia. We all have so much to be grateful for and stoppling and giving thanks - if for only a moment or two - makes everything new again in our lives.
@PaulC: Thank you!
ReplyDelete@Phoenix: Best if it's the real-deal maple--soooo good.
You're right that gratitude is renewing. :)