A Life of Gratitude

I'm not waiting anymore.
I'm not waiting for the perfect time, the larger house, the bigger van, a time when laundry is done, or when the kids are older.
I'm not waiting for joy.
I'm not waiting until the dishes are done to say, "okay, now I can be happy and do what I want. Now it's 'all good'."

I'm not waiting to fit in, or hoping I say the right things to the right people.

I'm thankful, guys.

I thought I was thankful before, but like Ann points out, "slapping a sloppy brush of thanksgiving over everything in my life leaves me deeply thankful for very few things." It's so true.

And there is so very much to be thankful for. So many amazing blessings every day to see, recognize, name, and receive. So much that I was overlooking, in a quest to get enough done.


There were so many things that I was missing entirely...
like deep-royal specked wildflowers under my feet...
and dew drops on daffodil leaves...
little dirty toddler nails, after my "baby" helped me garden today...

the reflection of the sky in her eyes...

food to grow!! Okay, I've always noticed and been thankful for this, but today was one of my Planting Days (in containers that can still be moved in when/if the weather turns bad) and I must mention this!!

and the opportunity to try new things, like growing grapes (!!!)...

more wildflowers underfoot. If you look, they're everywhere. And that's the whole point, right? We don't see it, so we don't receive it as the blessing that it is. There's so much beauty here. For us. Notice it.

ever-bearing strawberry plants already producing (Atwoods sells them, friends!) ...

and, certainly not last today, I saw a bee flying from flower to flower. In my (much) larger image, I can see all the pollen collected on his underbelly and legs. It's *amazing*~ there just aren't words to describe the miracles that happen around us, unnoticed, all the time.

I'm trying to notice.

In fact, we made a Eucharisteo jar for our home. More about that soon, promise.