An online journal sharing my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, spirituality and asking deep questions.
“Everything is a gift. The degree to which we are awake to this truth is a measure of our gratefullness, and gratefullness is a measure of our aliveness.”
Brother David Steindl-Rast
It is cold this morning, requiring me to scrape frost off the windshield. But blue skies and sunshine. Enjoy the gift of this wonderful day!
The sun is about to set on this beautiful day. About to call it a day with some reading and journaling but first I’ll share a bit about the day. My day started early with cardiac rehab, then spent an hour at the coffee shop journaling before meeting my friend Duane for a late breakfast and good conversation. This day had an abundance of sun with a few drifting clouds and temperatures in the low 80s. So, this afternoon I got in a walk at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area where silence mixed with a meadowlark’s song brought a smile to my soul. Full of gratitude! Hope you had a good day, also.
At the end of the day, give up your worries and give thanks for the journey.
Ben Vereen
It is another beautiful day here in Colorado. Just finished a busy morning with cardiac rehab and an echocardiogram. Good news is the new aortic valve is working just fine. Hope everyone is thankful they remembered where they hid all the eggs!
“The simplest spiritual discipline is some degree of solitude and silence. To be with our own thoughts and feelings is probably the most courageous act most of us will ever do.”
…and the sun has been shining most of the day. However, when I left the condo this morning for my chai latte a massive cloud bank sat along the easter horizon hiding the sun. It finally broke above the cloud bank about 8:00 am and immediately began to warm and brighten our day. People were out enjoying this beautiful day. Parking lots to the natural areas were full this afternoon. Now the long late afternoon shadows have faded into the coming darkness as the sun sets and the feeling of cold surrounds me. I’m in for the night to read and post these simple words. Hope you had a good weekend and pray you have a good week.
Saw a bumper sticker today that I liked and it made me smile. It’s a bit different than its cousin by one word. It says, “Make America Grateful Again.” I’m not so sure either grateful or great are the best words but I would like to have our country be known as grateful rather than great.
“A mystic is anyone who has a gnawing suspicion that the apparent discord, brokenness, contradiction, and discontinuities that assault us every day might conceal a hidden unity.”
Krista Tippett
A light drizzle began falling this morning then changed to a wet snow. It stopped at about noon. It has been overcast and gray all day. I can easily see why people can feel down or depressed on days like this. I have felt its effect. I also feel a bit down as I have a friend who is in ICU from a heart attack and another one who has gone into hospice. It has been a struggle to accept where I’m at now in life and the weather and news have not helped.
Yet, I watch as this precious moisture creates “dewdrop ornaments” that glisten and sparkle with the wind on the juniper outside my bedroom window. Nature is always offering us something to enjoy and so simple. I smile and am grateful.
… the breath of life, family, friends, sobriety, journaling, photography, nature, coffee shops, solitude, quiet, prayer, meditation, books, serenity, courage, an open mind, willingness, avocado toast, chocolate and …
mws
I would like to invite all who read this post to add to this short list above those things which you are grateful for. You do not need to add them in the comments necessarily but maybe find a piece of paper and write them down as you go through the day. Sunshine and blue skies here. Happy Monday!
… I had my heart surgery, where they replaced my aortic valve. So, I thought I’d share my gratitude list with you today as it follows the theme of my last posting:
- Thankful for a healthy heart and it’s as full as it is
- Thankful for time with family and friends
- Thankful for the opportunity to enjoy the things that have become such a gift in my life such as time with nature, photography, blogging, conversations with family and friends
- Thankful for my prayer and meditation times
- Thankful for my journals, fountain pens and the words I uncover with them
- Thankful I can experience and enjoy each new sunrise and sunset
- Thankful for another day to venture into a coffee shop to visit my favorite baristas
- Thankful for the chance to read poetry, which I’d never done before
- Thankful for the chance to try my hand at poetry, haiku
- Thankful for the chance to create more of my photo books to share my photography and my words
- Thankful for my home and the remodeling this past year
- Thankful for blueberries in my Irish Oats 😂
- Thankful for DQ Blizzards 😂
- Thankful for my camera upgrade 2 years ago and a lust for the next upgrade 😂
- Thankful that what I have is enough and in all honesty do not need anything more than what is already in my life
- Thankful that there are still those who embrace love, compassion, serenity, joy, hope, peace and …. ❤️