This week there has been several things that have caused me to give thanks. At some point in the last week, someone has put additional chocolate on the conference table in my office. If you didn’t know it, that table is always covered with chocolate, individual bags of peanuts and cheese or peanut butter cracker snacks and usually some fresh fruit. As you might guess, the chocolate disappears more quickly than the other snacks. How sweet it was to see small bags of M&M’s and new little chocolate candies!
Then, yesterday, in the midst of the “bomb cyclone” that hit much of the midwest, a bright red cardinal appeared in my back yard. The rain was long past, the wind was terrible, but we sat for a few minutes outside, somewhat protected and there was that cardinal. Feathers being ruffled by the wind, but he was there, hanging on to the tree in all his glory. I paused and admired him. That beautiful cardinal had no intention of being moved by that wind.
On Tuesday night, I had my window cracked open all night long. It didn’t get below 58 degrees and having fresh air on my face for the first time since last fall was such a gift. I was grateful for the respite from unrelenting cold and winter we have had. These three experiences reminded me how easy it is to overlook the little things that occur each day.
So this week, I am adding to my gratitude jar these simple joys. Remember our gratitude jar? I wrote about this jar on my first blog post of 2019. This invitation was to write down one thing each week, an event, a surprise, something for which I am grateful for, so that in December, I have a whole year of wonderful memories to enjoy! What has gone in your gratitude jar? I have a few simple things, like what I listed above and a couple of big things, like my brother’s retirement party. I don’t even remember everything I have put in the jar, so I am really looking forward to seeing what I wrote in December.
Today I am grateful for my home. For the birds, the backyard, the place to put a gratitude jar. I am grateful for bed to sleep in, windows that open and close, a heater that works when it is cold, a kitchen to cook in and indoor plumbing! My home is place where my family comes to visit, where friends hang out, where I find refuge when the world seems a bit crazy and where I can entertain, or just be alone. What do you give thanks for where you live? How is your home a place of refuge and a place where you can be surrounded by those you?
revcindylee 