It is easy to give thanks on feast days, like the beautiful bright and sunny Thanksgiving holiday we had a couple of days ago. Today, however, it is cold and damp, rainy and dark and, in the same spirit, I am celebrating, in my ordinary daily life, that for which I am thankful. Such an exercise is not always my mindset, lest any be misled, but I am praying about and working towards developing a grateful spirit, no matter what the externals might be. I will not always manage it, I am well aware, but, at the moment, I am enjoying the ease in which so many daily blessings spring to mind.
In no particular order, I am grateful for:
The bright red of winterberry and deep red of oak-leaf hydrangea on this colorless day in late November
The joy of oiling a more-than-a-century old chestnut table and butter bowl and more recently handmade wooden utensils
The intense, deep purple layers of a red onion, as shiny as any eggplant
A delicate, blue pottery cup my daughter once gave me, that makes me feel like a queen when I drink from it
Beavers working in the marsh, who seem to pay no heed to the day's humanly inhospitable conditions
A dawn chorus of birds that, while diminished in variety, still greets each day with enthusiasm
The few remaining herbs in my garden that spice up salads of mostly arugula and kale
Foraged greens for creating Christmas wreaths of cedar, pine and holly
The chattering of an eagle overhead and chittering of a nearby red-headed woodpecker
The two black, formerly-neutered feral, cats who have made our back porch their home
A dear husband who loves me as I am
Grown children and their children who continue to delight and encourage
The opportunity to help a neighbor in need this afternoon
A heart that still is able to love, despite the awareness of having hurt and been hurt by others
The abiding presence of the Spirit of the living God
May your own hearts be filled with gratitude, even in the midst of struggle, as you head into this blessed Advent season.
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