In years past, I’ve blogged daily for Gratitude Week. This year, however, I’ve decided to post just once as we begin our week together. I’m sending out Gratitude Notes each day and I’ll be posting daily on Instagram, but here I’ll post just once. I encourage you to leave comments and/or links to your own blog posts and/or links to Flickr shots or Instagram shots on any day of the week! If you share your thoughts and links, we can visit and share your gratitudes with you. xo
Here is some of what I’m grateful for, some of what fills my heart…
For the birch trees and the winds that blow through them. For their yellowing leaves and the graceful way they fall to the ground. For the swing that hangs from the leftmost birch tree and for the (still sort of little) girl who swings there.
For the garden which I’ll soon put to rest. For the patience it teaches me. For the blueberries. For the onions. For the cantaloupe.
For my desk, from which I write this. For its worn top and warped legs. For the support it offers as pen moves across page. For the haven that it is.
For my children and my husband. For our pup. For my sisters and mother and step-father. For Daddy too. For friends. For kindreds. For humankind. (we are a complicated species, are we not? but I love us, have faith in us.)
For cookies and sourdough bread. For tea. For coffee. For love biscuits and lemon pancakes.
For photography. For words. For art. For love.
For those of you with whom I connect here, on Instagram, and in my e-courses. You are part of my journey.
Sending so much love today and this week, m
And you? What are the gratitudes of your heart right now?
Michelle GD 
So many Friday thank you’s and today… gratitude amidst a very tired day.
Day 5 :: http://jentrulson.com/gratitude-week-2016-day-5/
Day 6 :: http://jentrulson.com/gratitude-week-2016-day-6/
xo
I am thankful as always for my husband…for his love, his patience,his easy going nature AND….his ability to make me laugh ……..no matter what :~).
leaving some Saturday thoughts here…
feeling so much for all of you. love and appreciation and gratitude for your showing up, your willingness to practice (and to share that practice), your willingness to live fully and kindly. I have not commented on everyone’s comments because I don’t want to clog the comments section. but I have read every.single.word.
right now, there is tea. there are warmed muscles from a good walk. there is sunshine. there are two kiddos reading close by, a pup snuggled in her bed. there is quiet music playing. there are dishes waiting to be washed in warm water and with pleasantly scented soap. there is this day. there is you.
{thank you}
Mmmm. warmed muscles from a good walk – that is inviting me out, rain or shine. xo
Finally, Saturday. Isn’t it easier to feel grateful on weekends?! But the weekdays…
So, thank you Michelle for the help these days.
Luckily, Gratitude doesn’t distinguish languages… Here is mine (in Portuguese):
https://pequenagi.wordpress.com
Have a nice weekend you all.
ah! I love what you just said…that gratitude doesn’t distinguish languages! so true!!! x
Today’s letter stuck a chord with me, thank you Michelle for always helping me reflect…
https://cardiekooksgingerboy.wordpress.com/2016/11/05/the-rough-with-the-smooth/
Have a beautiful weekend everyone xx
xoxo
Ooos…struck a chord, although stuck is okay too, I guess ; )
I missed the something that irks me and seeing the good in it posting. That’s something that irks me. Missing things. Things going missing. So… Dear Gratitude, Thank you for too much stuff. Thank you for that point of realization of having to deal with too much stuff right now. The discoveries, the ah ha moments, the remembering when this thing, this task was important. I’m grateful to recall that when things did not get done, the world did not end and that other memories were created. Adjustments were made. Tickle time may have prevailed. The concept of “again” or “too” may have really set in. Foolishness may have birthed adventures in new territories. How priceless: frivolity, this laughter at a world upside down because it’s our Cirque de Soleil and it will right itself. Balance on a rainbow to tip toe back to sanity. Now where is that ????
Appreciating the feeling of fleecy socks, a kitchen scented with chai spices, an early night with the sound of rain falling, fairy lights in the bathroom (thank you Lucy… Love them) gratitude for lavender candles and darkness for the flickering X
oh goodness, this feels cozy. and light…
I am thankful today to have had the opportunity to meet like-minded women who also enjoy the outdoors…..wonderful morning.
The week has gone by too quickly, Michelle! I am always so thankful that you host it because it causes me to pause and reflect. Thank you, my friend! Here is a blog post for today: https://gracednotes.com/2016/11/04/gratitude-2/
I am so late to the party…
I am grateful for the fall colors, getting reacquainted with winter clothes, a warm cup of coffee, the magnifying glass on my desk to help me see the small print, my daughter’s hugs…
The list could really keep going…
Michelle, your Gratitude Week prompted me to write a blog post on gratitude. Thank you.
http://kneedeepindandelions.blogspot.com/2016/11/a-grateful-life.html
not late! we’ve kept a seat for you. xo
Lovely post reminder of the hallowed simplicity of thankfulness for the everyday.
Thank you out loud Michelle GD. Thank you loudly, softly, forever morely. Thank you writer who first gave me hope about gratitude for MY mother-in-law and then gave me a good laugh (mine’s not dead). Thank you night for that velvet blanket of black that still silhouettes the mountain range so that when I look up from the stroller stroll, the ritual go to sleep walk when the magic boobs are no longer magic, I pause at/ in the base of the caldera. This was volcano. This was fire. This is now my cool breeze of fall in Polynesia. This is home. For now. This is now, a now I may have missed if not for Michelle GD. Thank you.
Day 4, I love where this took me, totally surprised me.
http://jentrulson.com/gratitude-week-2016-day-4/
I agree…today’s topic was a tough one. But as I headed out the door with camera in hand to a local State Park for a walk……ALONE…..it hit me!!! I was happy and grateful to be able to do this alone this time. As much as I enjoy my walks with friends, sometimes the chatter gets in the way of enjoying the sights and sounds of Mother Nature. The amazing colors…from yellow to bright red to dark plum and some still green……..it’s like walking into a box of crayola crayons :~). And the massive tree I took so many shots of…..I think she enjoyed all the attention. So grateful for some time alone to enjoy all that Mother Nature has to offer. Very peaceful….very beautiful.
Sweet silence and alone time. One of my favorites. Thanks for taking me on your walk with you. Beautiful!
Today’s topic was a tough one – but sometimes thinking hard isn’t a bad thing! http://mere-et-filles.blogspot.com/2016/11/a-rose-among-thorns.html
Grateful for the simplest things today. These tiny rituals, these small acts, they are special. Have a good day…see the roses not the thorns {loved this Michelle xx}https://cardiekooksgingerboy.wordpress.com/2016/11/03/this-drink/
it’s something of which I have to remind myself sometimes ;) xo
Me too xx
I love checking in here each evening and reading everyone’s shares. Today’s share warmed me from the inside out. Even though I didn’t close my eyes I was so in the moment. Taking an ordinary moment to a deeply grateful extraordinary moment. I love seeing the magic in the mundane.
http://jentrulson.com/gratitude-week-2016-day-3/
Forgot these – xx
oh, you’re a dear. xxx
I love seeing your notes in my inbox, Michelle. These past days they have been a shot of beauty in the midst of busy days, thank you.
https://cardiekooksgingerboy.wordpress.com/2016/11/02/gratidute-week-2016-wednesday/
Thank you for the inspiration to get outside and close my eyes! I shared a few thoughts about my five minutes this morning on my blog today http://mere-et-filles.blogspot.com/2016/11/watercolor-wednesday-five-minutes.html. xo , Mary
This morning I read a quote from Anne Lamont, “Gratitude is peace”. The quote reminded me of my thankfulness for making peace with my mother-in-law that I wrote about at https://www.HaddonMusings.com/52-Weeks-Of-Thankfulness-Week-18.
My morning ritual is now writing my letter to gratitude as well. I shared in this post that I have been writing letters to life in the morning so this felt so natural.
Grateful for the gifts of gratitude in past challenges and reminiscing about my Gram, Gramps, and unconditional love… http://jentrulson.com/gratitude-week-2016-day-2/
For the delicious smell of fresh cut grass this morning as I’m walking to see my mother. For my mothers health at the tender age of 89. For my childhood friend who recently mailed me a letter I had written to her in 1984…..the beginning of my adoption journey. For my son who came to me 6 months later. And now making plans to celebrate my granddaughters birthday this month.
I’m late to the party, but I am so thankful for last night. Our church gave out 700 cups of hot cocoa to Trick or Treaters at an outreach event. This tickles me for a million reasons. One is that I live in North Carolina and it was about seventy degrees last night, and no one from the north would have for a minute wanted hot cocoa in this weather! But here in the south, as soon as one feels the need for a light sweater, it’s hot cocoa time. I’m still giggling about that.
ohmygosh, that’s so fantastic ;)
friend, it’s been a while since I stopped by but I must say that I’m glad I did today. I have practiced gratitude by your side for a while now. In fact today I was reminded of when I joined you in November of 2013, I blogged about how I was about to join you daily in our thankfulness. I love to read your gratitude and can’t wait to see your IG posts. Love your friend Tracie
Thank you for hosting a place to share gratitude! Pausing to cultivate gratitude is one of my favorite practices. This morning I tuned into the sensation of warmth (thank to your prompt yesterday). I’m grateful for warm snuggles with my hubby before work and a long hot shower. Savoring, so both are still with me as I step out on this chilly day.
I’ll be posting on instagram :)
I am thankful for slow quiet DARK mornings with coffee pen and paper and my thoughts. For phone calls from the kids, for my sister and my family. For daily walks with Frodo and my husband catching up on the days events. For a working computer after not having a working computer.
Michelle, I truly believe that with gratitude we can change the world. I started writing once a week about Thankfulness as a challenge to myself to bring the energy of our planet up to a better and finer place. I call this post 52 Weeks of Thankfulness and have been doing it for 19 weeks at https://www.HaddonMusings.com. Thank you for doing this and sending you blessings.
what a fantastic project (and practice), Bernadette!!! ohmy.
(hopping over now…)
i just posted my first blog entry for gratitude week
read here if you like:
http://bitsofsunshine.typepad.com/bits_of_sunshine/2016/10/a-week-of-gratitude-monday.html
as always, i am so grateful to you, michelle, for hosting a community of beauty. thank you!
~elizabeth
Always love playing and exploring with you. Grateful I got to wake up to your note this morning. Started my day off beautifully and had the most magical experiences today. xo
http://jentrulson.com/gratitude-week-2016-day-1/
I am grateful my co-blogger shared your link with me! Take-my-breath-away-insights from a seemingly simple gratitude prompt. Empowering.
More here: https://ourtrivista.com/2016/10/31/gratitude-week/
Thanks oodles, Michelle <3
so glad you’ve found us!!!
(hopping over to your blog now…)
Just signed up for ‘just five things’ and I see I missed ‘gratitude week’ :(
but you didn’t miss it! it just started!
Yes! lovely Michelle signed me up, so I’m in! :)
dear Elizabeth, I’ll add you to the Gratitude Notes list!! xo
Thanks so much my dear! Here is the link for my first post. https://teandpaper.com/2016/11/01/gratitude-week-1/
so good… i love thinking about my senses in relation to gratitude. the way just thinking about them wakes me up! i just reheated some leftover potato soup and ate it outside in the sunshine… to lucky to be able to do that on october 31!!!
xo
we are having unseasonably, lovely warm weather, too!
~elizabeth
Thankful for the start of TODAY……… Day 1 of Gratitude Week here with you……..and Day 1 of Deepak Chopra Meditation Journey…….and Day 1 of a new Tai Chi Class I’m taking. Coincidence? I think not. So grateful to have had the opportunity to visit with an old friend from high school and renew our friendship. To live here in Jersey with a rainbow of colors outside my kitchen window….the warmth of my heating blanket early this morning….for my hard working husband…..and for the delicious scent and taste of my basil plant which is still doing well sitting on my window sill.
You have a calming spirit and although I’m not religious I do believe in G-d and I believe He puts people on a path that leads us to each other-it’s up to us to choose with open eyes and an open heart to connect-so grateful my path led to yours.
Here’s what I’m grateful for today Michelle…
http://kelly-justaclickaway.blogspot.com/2016/10/gratitude.html?m=1
i hopped over to your blog and
i love that you remember and that you have her recipes to read and hold and make
i love that you got a walnut heart
(i wanted to comment there, but couldn’t get my comment to post . . . )
~elizabeth
bitsofsunshine.typepad.com
I am grateful that I read your gentle words this morning and felt your gentle spirit within them. You have given me calm and reminded me that despite whatever toils and troubles may be happening, with a grateful heart, there will always be beauty to be seen in daily moments. And that small beauty is enough to strengthen the spirit. Thank you. Kindness to all,
I’m grateful that you are doing Gratitude Week and for your Gratitude Notes. I welcome this opportunity to focus on all the things that I should (and want to) be more grateful for during a tumultuous and worrisome period in my life. Here’s a link to my first post for this week: http://highlyreasonable.blogspot.com/2016/10/well-see.html
Thanks again for providing something I need, just when I need it!
I am thankful for the Rock Tape that is holding my sprained ankle together, and for the large orange stripy cat that sits with me as I read in the dark of the morning. (I know he only does that because I have opened a can of Fancy Feast and have placed in with us under my reading desk, but still….) I am also SO thankful to you, Michelle, for the grace and peace that you offer us with each word and image, and for the reminder to take stock in the resonating effect of small things. With love, and still wishing that we were neighbors here on earth!
I am thankful for faith. Not my own, strangely. It ebbs and flows at the forty foot rate of the “world famous Reversing Falls” but the faith of others. So many others renew my spirit and my belief in the good. It’s a crazy ass world right now. Thank goodness for those who always belief, unwavering. I heard Maya Angelou on Facebook talking about being raped when she was 7.5 years old. She didn’t speak at all for five years after. Then she did and she had a lot to see.
And still I rise…
I’m also grateful for typos. I love the Freudian aspect of the subconscious demanding space.
those slips are sometimes powerful, aren’t they? beautiful, jamie, beautiful.
I am thankful for a salty, wavey, cool-temperatured, not cool tempered, ocean that didn’t huli our canoe tonight but gave me a great workout. We’ve been five years in Hawaii now, my usual island fever limit, and I am longing for crimson leaves and hot apple cider and all that tea ya’ll keeping writing about and photographing! Autumnal, say it, roll it around in your mouth: ahhh-tum-nal. Grateful that I recognize a longing for cool, and happy to stay present. Yippee for all the witches I love. Orange is grand.