An attitude of gratitude

On November 1st, I started writing a gratitude post a day. The idea was to get myself ready for Thanksgiving. At the end of November, I didn't really want to stop so I continued. There have been a few days that I've forgotten to write a gratitude post, but that's OK. I can be thankful the next day that I remembered! Anyway, I'm going to continue, at least until Halloween. In the course of the past few months, I have discovered that I can be thankful for all sorts of things, both large and small. I've also realized that, when I have to find something to be thankful for each day, I am more aware of other people and the sky and all of those little things that tend to go unnoticed in the busyness of everday life.

Here is a collection of some of my gratitude posts:

Today's gratitude post is for friends. True friends. Friends who care. Friends who are focused on the needs of other people, not just themselves. As Wilbur the pig said about Charlotte, a true friend who is also a good writer is someone very rare indeed. Thank you for being there for me.

Today, I am feeling thankful for my sister Diane, who taught me to crochet.

You put so much color into my life!

Today, I am grateful for trees. They provide shade and oxygen. The flowering trees in the spring and the fall colors are spectacular.

I'm so tired after tap dance. But sleep feels good when your body is tired. I am so thankful for restorative sleep.

It snowed and it's so pretty. When snow first arrives, it looks magical. I am thankful for magical snow today.

Today, I am thankful for having a good visit to the dentist's office. My teeth are healthy & I got a cute yellow toothbrush!

Today, I am thankful for the beauty of the time before the sun sets. It is so golden and radiant.

Today, Diane E. and I went to Niagara Falls for a birdwatching walk, organized by the Audubon Society.

We visited Goat Island and Three Sisters Island. I discovered that my visit to Three Sisters Island was my first. I had never been there before because access to that island is so frequently blocked. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to see the rapids and to see the snow that was starting to build up. It was a good experience.

Today, I am thankful for tea. It comes in many varieties & flavors. It is happiness in a cup.

Today, I went with my family to Shea's Buffalo, in downtown Buffalo, to see the Nutcracker. What a great production.

There were dancing cupcakes, a large nutcracker, waves of attacking rats that were barely deterred by cannon, dancing bakers, and so much more. I love dance. It's so great to watch people use their bodies to tell a story. What a wonderful experience. I am so thankful that I got to share this wonderful experience with my beautiful family (they are so beautiful that a Buffalo News photographer took our picture!). I am especially thankful that my sister made this experience possible. Thank you, Viv! I love you!

I bought the most delicious eggnog today. It comes from Hoover Dairy! I am thankful for sweet holiday treats!

Today, we went to Trinity United Methodist Church for caroling and story telling with Goody Claus. It was her last night here in Western New York. She has to head back to the North Pole to make sure that Santa, the elves, and the reindeer are on track and haven't spent all of their time guzzling eggnog, instead of packing the sleigh with toys for the world's girls and boys. We enjoyed Mrs. Claus's last night here so much. It was fun to sing and inspiring to hear stories of hope and love.

Then we had hot chocolate and cookies, and Mrs. Claus promised to bring our messages to Santa Claus. I am very thankful for Goody Claus, and, next year, I will try to help her advertise so that more people can find that delight and joy in song and story.

Today, I went to the Explore and More children's museum with my sister Vivian and her three grandchildren. What an amazing place this museum is... so full of color and shininess! It is truly a magical kid land! There was so much for the kids to see and do there! They could pour rice through a funnel into a big box... sort of like a sandbox, but with rice! The kids could present puppet shows at a puppet theater.

There was a lightbox with knobs that changed the colors as you turned the knobs. OK. That was my favorite activity. Shiny colors. Um. Urp. Never mind. Anyway, I am grateful that a fun place like this exists and I am thankful that my sister took us all there to explore the magic and... um... shininess of it all.

I've been collecting state quarters for some time. I have half of the parks series, and I thought that I had a complete collection of the first series. Well, today, I got a Puerto Rico quarter, dated 2009. I was completely gleeful about it. So, today, I am thankful for that Puerto Rico quarter. I didn't even know that it existed. I'm still doing a happy dance about it.

So tired. Today's gratitude post is for my new pencil sharpener. I bought it at Dollar General. It didn't cost very much. But I am thrilled with it. I need my colored pencils to be very sharp. My old pencil sharpener wasn't doing that any more. I am very happy with my really sharp pencils and grateful to have a nice new pencil sharpener with one hole for thin pencils and another for fat pencils. It's wonderful.

And last... but not least... today's gratitude post: Today, I am thankful for the moon, shining so brightly. It is growing, each day and, on Monday, the 21st, it will be full. The moon waxes and wanes, but it is always there, shining reflected light from the sun. Sometimes, I can see the moon shining during the day, and that seems so magical.

What are you thankful for today?

Today, I am grateful for trees. They provide shade & oxygen. The flowering trees in the spring & the fall colors are spectacular.

Today, I am feeling thankful for my sister Diane, who taught me to crochet. You put so much color into my life!

Today, I am feeling thankful for my sister Diane, who taught me to crochet. You put so much color into my life!



Today, I am feeling thankful for my sister Diane, who taught me to crochet. You put so much color into my life!