Bald eagles make their nest across the street from us. We watch them swoop and soar with the wind currents. I am grateful to the people and organizations that dedicate themselves to preserving our endangered species. Let us remember how necessary their work is to our survival … and our joy!
As I look back over nearly a year of proclamations of gratitude, I note that spring and summer and fall each earned excitement. Beautiful seasons, each one of them. And then there’s winter. I have a hard, harder, hardest time being grateful for winter. I remember too many years of cars not starting, sliding off the road, tow trucks, and oops-a-daisy falls. But if this year has taught me anything, it’s that there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for in each challenging aspect of life. Ta-da! I am grateful that winter provides contrast. How did I do?
Our birch tree stands behind our garage, where it is sometimes forgotten, I think. And then in the fall it lights on fire like a glorious sunrise over the garage, commanding notice from passersby. Its small leaves provide a wonderful rustling in the slightest wind but we do not SEE the tree that often. Until now. I love birch trees, both the paper and river varieties, which are most commonly seen here. There are several in our neighborhood that distinguish themselves with their glowing bark. Another reminder to pay attention to the glory all around us, both trees and people.
I am grateful for happenstance. Don’t you find it amazing that a bunch of things find a confluence and magically appear in your life? Today, a dear friend sent me a link to prolong the pleasure of our recent drive through northern Wisconsin. Little did she know that it showcases the talents of a photographer I admire, the river I love the most, and the guitarist who I think is awesome because he is so versatile and carries all of this MUSIC in his being! Gary Noren, the St. Croix River, and Dean Magraw. Thank you to Nancy and Agate for this beauty in my day. (You must visit Agate Magazine to view this video. Because of privacy settings, clicking on the image below won’t work.)
I am grateful for SUNSHINE! We have been under a cover of clouds for so long that when the sun finds us we are instantly smiling. It’s good to remember how the sun makes everything seem possible.
We live in the middle of Timber Crest Forest. Trees are plentiful. After months of knowing the trees by their trunks, boughs, and branches, the leaves are budding out. There’s a haze of color from rusty red to soft green to lime green to brown. I am grateful for the change of seasons … and for the beauty of trees. Let’s plant some more.
