A Time to Be Grateful

A Time to Be Grateful
The sun
The warmth of the sun
The life it breeds
The ground
The stability of the earth
The smell of the grass
The way it awakens my senses
The sprouting of buds on the rose bush
The way I can count on the blossoms
The shade from the trees
The way in which the tree lets go of leaves in fall
The contrast and depth the fallen leaves create on the ground
The sound created when I step on them
The way the environment embraces its cycles
My awareness that I am having an intimate experience with nature
The coolness of night
The vast clarity of the sky
The brightness of the stars
My ability to see of the enormity of it all
My home
The warm and inviting way the entrance guides us in
The zen-like rock garden, which awaits us just beyond the front gate
The life that emerges between the rocks
My vision of earthy green and shiny grey living harmoniously in the same space
The gentle trickling sound of the water as it falls in the fountain
The way the elements have faded the copper of the fountain
The area just beyond the rock garden, two patches of green on either side
The way these two pieces are just enough apart to create a pathway to our front door
The sense of peace I feel knowing where I am
My husband
For the unconditional love I feel for him
For his ability to make me feel loved
His courage to live the life of his passions
His ability to inspire me to do the same
The way his loves his family
The natural way he gives
The lessons I have learned since knowing him
My life
The ever-expanding way in which I see each day
My family and friends and the ways in which they’ve touched me
The people I meet on a daily basis
My ability to see myself in them
Awareness of discursive thoughts entering my mind
My ability to replace them with life-enhancing thoughts
The moments when I feel compassion
The infectious nature of feelings
Life
The way it flows from moment to moment
Realizing change is constant like our breath
Energy is forever reconfiguring itself, becoming something else
Being able to create with this energy whatever we need
This source connects us in the most divine way
Knowing we need to love each other
Strength to see beyond imperfection
The shining light of beauty
Faith in humanity