Close
Close

Receive “Word for the Day” each day in your inbox

See our Privacy Policy

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Menu Gratefulness Donate

Gratitude Lounge

Welcome! We are glad you are here. This is an open space where everyone belongs, and everyone is welcome. Please introduce yourself as you feel comfortable and join in sharing your experience of grateful living. To get started you might reflect upon questions such as these: What am I grateful for? What is grateful living inspiring me to do? What are some blessings in my life (including ones in disguise)? How am I being supported right now? What connects me to wonder, awe, or a sense of the sacred? You are welcome to include images and links for videos to illustrate your reflections.

  • Michele

    Good morning Everyone,
    Here is a pic I took this morning of mama peacock with her baby on my front lawn:)

  • Anna

    For dear Sandra: I went twice in UK, where I have relatives. They live in Leeds. We went in Leeds and then we moved together to Scotland. They told about Cornwall, that is a wonderful place and I have no doubt about that. I imagine it as a still wild and romantic land.
    A warm embrace, Sandra🌺

    • Sandra
      Anna, thank you! My sister lives in Scotland and my niece lives in Leeds 😊 My son has moved to Yorkshire - he is now just an hour away from Leeds (and at least 7 hours from us.). Cornwall is indeed a wild and romantic place although with a huge tourist industry and also a lot of poverty. Your flower has reminded me that this morning I found a perfect orchid blossom which had fallen from the plant. I picked it up and marvelled at its beauty. I am hoping I have attached it here for everyo...

      Anna, thank you! My sister lives in Scotland and my niece lives in Leeds 😊 My son has moved to Yorkshire – he is now just an hour away from Leeds (and at least 7 hours from us.). Cornwall is indeed a wild and romantic place although with a huge tourist industry and also a lot of poverty. Your flower has reminded me that this morning I found a perfect orchid blossom which had fallen from the plant. I picked it up and marvelled at its beauty. I am hoping I have attached it here for everyone to share 🌸 Wishing everyone a wonderful day 🙏

      Read More
      • Holly in Ohio

        Beautiful orchid, Sandra! How lovely to see it, thank you!

        Each land on earth has lovely beauties, including the people!

      • Anna

        Thank you dear!
        How little is the world, Sandra!
        And how many places with lots of poverty, problems, hard circumstances to fight.
        Many blessings, and have a joyous Sunday Sandra!

  • Annie

    Happy Saturday everyone ! I have been trying to post one of my paintings but so far it’s not happening.
    Do n t know why I cannot cope and paste.
    Oh well …have a great day ..if you want to see my paintings go to my Facebook page …Kendra’s Rainbow Art by Annie …if you would give my page a LIKE …much appreciated.
    God bless !

    • Mica

      Thanks, Annie – directing us to your facebook page is a great way to share your lovely paintings

      • Annie

        Thank you Mica …I hope you took a peek at my page. I need more LIKES…..
        Blessings to you and your family

    • Holly in Ohio

      I had trouble pasting things too, for a while. Do you have your painting as a jpg file? If so, and you paste it into the choose files, it should go through. Sometimes it takes a minute for me, though, while my laptop “thinks about it.”

      Good to see you again! How are things going?

      • Annie

        Hi Holly ! I tried that and it came up saying file was not the right size 🙁
        Things are going great ! I sold my first painting ! All is well in my family. I am so grateful for so many blessings . This is a wonderful time of life for me. How are you doing ?
        I’d like to hear from you.

        • Holly in Ohio

          Congratulations on selling your painting! That’s exciting! 😃
          I am well. Somehow I missed when you posted this.
          I’m just finishing a cup of tea and heading for sleep. Sweet dreams, Annie, Mica, Drew, and all…. 🌔

  • Sandra

    Hello everyone, I’m still finding my way around and exploring the site a little at a time. I thought I would at least say hello here. The afternoon is drawing to close here on this soft autumnal day. I have been pottering in the garden, savouring the sights, sounds and smells of this lovely season. I hop everyone is finding something to savour on this day 😊 🍁

    • Annie

      Welcome Sandra !

      • Sandra

        Hello Annie and thank you! 😊

        • Annie

          Good evening Sandra! Are you enjoying this website ? I love it ! I keep a journal on here ..although I don’t post as often as I should. How did you find this website?
          A friend of mine directed me here years ago. It is a peaceful loving hideaway …special sacred place.
          Have a blessed week ahead 🙂

    • Holly in Ohio

      Hello again, Sandra! I’m glad you found the Lounge and hope you get to know us here.

      If it is afternoon where you are… let me guess… Are you in the United Kingdom? My husband is Scottish, and he emigrated to Ohio to be with me. We just passed our 11 year mark and have our anniversary coming up soon.

      • Sandra

        Yes! You’re right, Holly, although I am a long way from Scotland. I live in Cornwall which is the very south west of the UK. My sister though, lives in the highlands of Scotland and my other sister in Kent – the SE of the country. We could not be further apart in this country if we tried! How wonderful that your husband made that great leap to be with you. 11 years is a true achievement 😍

        • Holly in Ohio
          Thank you! I would like to see Cornwall some day, I hear it is beautiful. I guessed from your language that you were somewhere in the south. I am gradually learning my geography of G. Britain. My husband is from the Scottish Borders. We hope to get back in a year or two for an extended visit. We were last there three years ago. We like to make day trips when we are there, and often venture into Northern England. Here is a photo of a hill we walked when we were there. Though I didn't take this p...

          Thank you! I would like to see Cornwall some day, I hear it is beautiful. I guessed from your language that you were somewhere in the south. I am gradually learning my geography of G. Britain. My husband is from the Scottish Borders. We hope to get back in a year or two for an extended visit. We were last there three years ago. We like to make day trips when we are there, and often venture into Northern England. Here is a photo of a hill we walked when we were there. Though I didn’t take this photo, the view was just like this. It was a beautiful sunny day and we could see even further. I’m very grateful to have had such experiences. ☺

          Read More
          • Holly in Ohio

            Rubers Law is a little taller than a moor, and when we went it was carpeted in low-bush blueberries that looked more like ground cover. The blueberries were tiny because of the high winds, but unbelievably flavorful. Here is a view of what we climbed. The marker is at the peak.

          • Sandra

            Holly, this could have been taken on the moor in Cornwall! I hope you get back for a visit before too long.

    • Anna

      Thank you Sandra, I savour the light and the colors of leaves. They are turning their green into yellow, red and brown, little by little, right this week.

      • Sandra

        It is a special time of year, Anna, as we watch the natural world prepare itself for winter 🙏

  • Mike S
    Poem by Sendell Berry. The Peace of Wild Things. When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time ...

    Poem by Sendell Berry. The Peace of Wild Things.

    When despair for the world grows in me
    and I wake in the night at the least sound
    in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
    I go and lie down where the wood drake
    rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
    I come into the peace of wild things
    who do not tax their lives with forethought
    of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
    And I feel above me the day-blind stars
    waiting with their light. For a time
    I rest in the grace of the world, and am fre

    Read More
    • Anna

      A beautiful poem, dear Mike, thank you for sharing it.

    • Sandra

      This is one of my favourite poems, Mike, and just what I needed at this time. Thank you 🙏

      • Mike S

        Mine too Sandra. And I love Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese.

        • Sandra

          Oh yes, Mike! I also love her poem The Summer Day. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Today I can answer that by saying that this morning an affirmation brought richness to my life and this afternoon I found new friends in new countries 😊

  • Mike S

    Good morning everyone. Just wanted to say that because I’m now sitting up in bed at 7 o’clock in the morning and it’s still dark outside. In about 45 minutes I’ll be going for my walk with my wife. Blessings to you, all my friends in the space.💕

    • Anna

      Blessings to you and your wife dear Mike!
      At this time, here where I live, I am going to cook something for this evening, and then resting on my sofa, what a grace😊

      • Sandra

        Anna, I am trying to work out where in the world you must be. I am thinking you might be somewhere in my corner of the world – Europe – but my geographical clock is rarely reliable! 😊

        • Anna

          Dear Sandra, I live in Italy, near Milano. And you? We are in the same corner of the world, it is wonderful, isn ‘it?

          • Sandra

            Ah Anna, I am in the UK, in Cornwall which is the very south west of the country. I have only visited Italy once – in Umbria. Such a beautiful country! But Cornwall is beautiful too. It is indeed wonderful to find a friend in the this same corner of the world 😊 🌍

    • Sandra

      I hope you enjoyed your morning walk, Mike

    • Holly in Ohio

      Thank you, Mike! ☺
      I am sitting here with my husband this morning, drinking coffee. Good morning to you and your wife!

  • Anna

    I am grateful for you all, my dear friends in this Lounge and for the great inspiration you give me everyday.
    Thank you Diane and Palm, for your thought for Pilgrim.
    This is a true and honest friendship, and you help me nurturing a new way to be a friend for ohers.
    Dear Pilgrim, friend for a long time, I hope you are fine and I join Diane and Palm in wishing you strength.
    ❤

    • Pilgrim

      Thank you, dear Anna, for your kindness and longtime friendship! My heart is full. A bit of a difficult day today with mixed feelings and overwhelm. Tomorrow is a new day, and I trust a new start to all that needs to be done. I hope that all is well with you!

  • Diane

    Dear Pilgrim….you are on my mind dear friend as you pack and ready yourself for your move. I hope that your hands are not hurting too badly….I am praying for you as you go about this work. Having just gone through it myself, I know how exhausting and overwhelming it can be.
    Know that you are being held close in my heart and in my prayers. ♥♥
    ~Om Shanti friend

    • Pilgrim
      Thank you, my friend. I could not have read your words at a better time, as I face into a day that begins feeling like chaos, some of which is in my brain. 3 1/2 weeks to go, and nobody else here to help for 3 of those. One day at a time, one room, one box at a time. I am grateful for those who came to take large items into their own homes, the donation center that was happy for household items, and the "Junk" haulers who said they would donate the large items that could be useful to others. Eve...

      Thank you, my friend. I could not have read your words at a better time, as I face into a day that begins feeling like chaos, some of which is in my brain. 3 1/2 weeks to go, and nobody else here to help for 3 of those. One day at a time, one room, one box at a time. I am grateful for those who came to take large items into their own homes, the donation center that was happy for household items, and the “Junk” haulers who said they would donate the large items that could be useful to others. Everyone kind and respectful. And I am grateful for all here who keep me in thought and prayer. My day has begun in a better frame of mind because of you. Many Blessings!

      Read More
      • Mike S

        Dear Pilgrim,

        May you find peace and spaces of quiet amidst the stress of moving. My thoughts are with you.🙏🏼🙂

        • Pilgrim

          Thank you, Mike. Two big boxes filled today, with all items wrapped for safety on the journey. Time for coffee and a cookie!

          • Mica

            Good plan, Pilgrim – coffee and a cookie. Warm wishes to you –

    • Palm

      Thank you, dear Diane. Dear Pilgrim, I join in sending strength. I’ve been through a big move myself. Blessings

      • Pilgrim

        Thank you, dear Palm. I will stay conscious of the strength you are sending today and in the days ahead. It is much needed and so appreciated! Blessings, my friend.

  • Mica

    I’m organizing old photos 🙂

    • Holly in Ohio

      I like this! Still working on less. Also working on carbon footprint. I learned this morning some numbers I can put to certain changes I want to make to lower our household carbon. Nerdy, maybe, but my kind of fun! 🙄😄

      • Mica

        Yes! Nerdy is fun. Are you taking courses at Oberlin? … 📗

        • Holly in Ohio
          No. I have been a guest lecturer, and proposed and ran class projects, for two different departments (at Oberlin College). I am instead a proud multi-graduate of our community college, rated as the best in the nation, and I studied several unrelated things there at different times (art when I was young, and more recently sustainable agriculture and alternative energy/engineering). I am a host/ guest lecturer/ project supervisor now for the community college. All unpaid — but I get free labor a...

          No. I have been a guest lecturer, and proposed and ran class projects, for two different departments (at Oberlin College). I am instead a proud multi-graduate of our community college, rated as the best in the nation, and I studied several unrelated things there at different times (art when I was young, and more recently sustainable agriculture and alternative energy/engineering). I am a host/ guest lecturer/ project supervisor now for the community college. All unpaid — but I get free labor and we have oodles of fun! I’m popular with the students at both colleges, so they keep asking me back, 😊The stuff I was learning this morning was just for my own interest. I was able to find out how many pounds of carbon my clothesline is saving and how much I will save if I replace the gasket on my refrigerator, things like that.

          Read More
  • Drew Blanton

    Here’s the other one.

    • Mike S

      Drew, Good to see you in your new home. Will be a blessing for you.

    • Anna

      I am happy for your new home and friends, dear Drew. I imagine that you felt honored!

    • Alicia

      So very pleased to see our protectors visiting you. What an honor to have this photo of you and the officer. I like the people near you, also.
      Drew, it’s always good to hear from you.

  • Drew Blanton

    I don’t know how many photos this website will let me show you at once, but when a cop visited Thrive Upstate two photos were taken of us.

  • Anna

    Dear Mica! I am happy that your virtual event went great congratulations!

    • Mica

      Thank you, Anna – I’m happy, too, and now it’s wonderful to have that burden lifted 🙂

      • Anna

        I know this feeling, it often happens to me too, dear Mica. Lately I had to speak in front of people of one of the biggest Italian companies, competent and with high expectations.
        It was an interesting professional experience, it certainly was. Now it’s over, at least for the moment, and I feel like you

        • Mica

          Physical pains come, too, when I’m preparing for a presentation, and then they go away. Warm wishes to you, Anna 🤗🥰

  • Holly in Ohio

    Everyone I have met here is beautiful! ❤

    • Alicia

      That is so cute!!!

    • Mica

      Wow! Thanks, Holly 🙂Where did you find that amazing photo?

      • Holly in Ohio

        Again, Pinterest. Unfortunately I can’t tell you anything about this photo, what the bird is, or the location. I just thought it so beautiful, like the people here.

        • Mica

          The paper is about mica and the origin of life 🙂

        • Mica

          Squirrels are so cute. If they’re looking at me, and I stop, we look at each other til I move on.

          I just googled whatever the Quora question was and posted a link to a result, so I answered questions of all kinds. Fun. But now I’ll put my energies into a paper due New Year’s Eve, and other things.

        • Mica
          I'm mostly awed by the wonderful images and quotes you post so often. Thanks! I answered Quora questions endlessly for many weeks earlier this year. Now I’m trying to put my effort into my work, unpaid tho it is. I don’t watch tv, partly because I play my fav smart phone game while I watch, so I lose track of what’s going on. I watched Grace and Frankie last year and loved it, but I haven’t watched anything this year. I figure it’s a great font of entertainment, should I need it.. Than...

          I’m mostly awed by the wonderful images and quotes you post so often. Thanks! I answered Quora questions endlessly for many weeks earlier this year. Now I’m trying to put my effort into my work, unpaid tho it is. I don’t watch tv, partly because I play my fav smart phone game while I watch, so I lose track of what’s going on. I watched Grace and Frankie last year and loved it, but I haven’t watched anything this year. I figure it’s a great font of entertainment, should I need it.. Thanks for the bee bum 🙂 May peace be with you, Holly!

          Read More
          • Holly in Ohio

            It’s nice that Quora was finally getting better quality answers! What kinds of questions were you answering? Something to do with science?

            Thank you for accepting me as I am, Mica, and everyone. Yesterday I definitely felt a bit squirrely, but I am feeling much better today.

        • Mica

          That’s ok, Holly – I wondered if it was Pinterest. Do you remember what you searched for? Bird, or? You post so so many wonderful images, and I’m impressed and I wonder how you have so many wonderful images to post. I’m humbled by how much you post and have wondered how you’ve collected all these things 🥰🤗

          • Holly in Ohio
            Humbled by it? I wouldn't be! Lol. I'm not sure it is necessarily a good thing that I post as much as I do. Currently I am without paid work, and mostly at home alone. My mind is always restless. It is partly creative, but also partly consequence of brain changes that happened with trauma, a sort of "hyper alertness" is with me most days, and rather than let my mind focus on anxiety, I direct it to learning and doing and thinking positively, but it can be rather scattered. It is taken me a whil...

            Humbled by it? I wouldn’t be! Lol. I’m not sure it is necessarily a good thing that I post as much as I do. Currently I am without paid work, and mostly at home alone. My mind is always restless. It is partly creative, but also partly consequence of brain changes that happened with trauma, a sort of “hyper alertness” is with me most days, and rather than let my mind focus on anxiety, I direct it to learning and doing and thinking positively, but it can be rather scattered. It is taken me a while to accept my self as I am. I know my behavior can sometimes get on the nerves of others, so I wish I could be a little less restless, a little less intense, and I keep working on it, but in the end, we are all imperfect and need to accept what is.. It is difficult for me to watch a movie, for example, and only watch the movie. Usually I have to also be reading or doing something with my hands while I watch or I start not to feel calm. Pinterest was a good match for me, because I have always loved learning about different things, and I use it to learn how to make things, find recipes, learn sustainable farming techniques, reach zero waste, find funny images, and to enjoy art and interior design and possibly pick up a few ideas. The photo above came as consequence of my searching for sparrow images the other week, and the Pinterest search engine provides some random images thinking they are similar and I might be interested in them. Many photos are not interesting to me, but this was one that caught my attention and I thought people here would enjoy. Today I am cleaning up the porch, putting more stuff in the trunk of my car to take to the collection center, and a number of other things and then checking back at my laptop when I need a little break to drink water or sit down. I did not sleep well last night so I’m a bit more scatterbrained today than usual, but still quite fine. It’s my normal.

            I don’t know if Pinterest uses any A.I., but it will start reacting to your tastes, just as Facebook does. I prefer Pinterest, as it seems I can keep it positive. Today it is “feeding me” ideas for home made gifts, recipes for home made cheeses, dehydrator recipes, ways to reduce household waste, and random humor and images like this:.. nothing like a bee-bum to make my day.

            Read More
  • Mike S

    I am grateful for another beautiful day here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. I got out for my walk early in the cool 67° weather. I had a nice brisk walk withthe sun just coming up. There are days when I could feel glad just to be alive.

    • sunnypatti

      Oh, I remember reading you were in the Lowcountry… I am as well! Close to Edisto Beach, where I spent yesterday afternoon after work. My husband and dog swam while I walked, picked up a few shells, and enjoyed the fresh ocean air. I love living in the country but also close to the beach!

      • Mike S

        Well small world. Yes my wife and I live in Beaufort which is just south of you. We moved down here in 2012. I don’t get out to the beach as much as I would like to.

        • sunnypatti

          Beaufort is gorgeous! I grew up in the lowcountry – in Charleston before my husband and I decided to move to the country for a little more quiet. We absolutely love this area.

    • Alicia

      And I do, too. The feel of cool air and watching how the sun hits differently now…and then the promise of another warm day. The act of breathing without struggle is making me grateful. I have asthma and am controlled most of the time…I do notice when I’ve gone several days without difficulty.
      Mike, I hope your day goes well.

  • Cintia

    I’m grateful for this lovely picture I received today with the message “Gooood morning dear friend”.

    • Anna

      Dear Cintia!
      Unfortunately I can only answer good evening☺☺☺!!!

    • Mica

      And, Gooood morning to you again, dear Cintia 🌻

  • Cintia

    I’m grateful for new friends, special people I met yesterday.
    Life is a gift and special people are everywhere. I’m grateful for realize it.

  • Alicia
    It’s cold here this morning, but will be summer temps by late morning…I am wearing a down jacket.. I am privileged. I don’t take things for granted . I once had much of nothing. I am not resentful . Those days taught me to savor warmth, a place out of the wind , and real food . And to relish dear people who are kind just because they are. Grateful . And for those who know I’ve been under duress and remain there, I have firmly made up my mind to entertain the blessings in my l...

    It’s cold here this morning, but will be summer temps by late morning…I am wearing a down jacket..
    I am privileged.
    I don’t take things for granted . I once had much of nothing. I am not resentful .
    Those days taught me to savor warmth, a place out of the wind , and real food .
    And to relish dear people who are kind just because they are.
    Grateful .
    And for those who know I’ve been under duress and remain there, I have firmly made up my mind to entertain the blessings in my life and not allow others’ ugly behaviors take up my heart’s precious real estate.
    I envision how I want others to see me , how my daughters and good friends see me and I rise above and stay there.

    Read More
    • Holly in Ohio

      YAY! I rejoice with you! ❤

      • Alicia
        Holly, yesterday I went out on the water for 3 or so hours. I did swim ever so briefly. It was comfortable. Fish were jumping near my kayak…just the gliding along was just peace. I met nice people , again. Finding respite in nature… I did not bring my phone on the water. Last time I did it got wet ( was in waterproof bag- ho ho) and sent off an SOS to sheriff, my daughters, my PCP, and local rescue…I was not hurt…the phone was. I had called police dispatch I was safe and on ground…...

        Holly, yesterday I went out on the water for 3 or so hours. I did swim ever so briefly. It was comfortable. Fish were jumping near my kayak…just the gliding along was just peace.
        I met nice people , again. Finding respite in nature…
        I did not bring my phone on the water. Last time I did it got wet ( was in waterproof bag- ho ho) and sent off an SOS to sheriff, my daughters, my PCP, and local rescue…I was not hurt…the phone was. I had called police dispatch I was safe and on ground…sheriff came, anyway. Not complaining. But I felt I pulled him from other pressing issues. The phone kept sending alerts…my daughter in Europe …poor woman…called me midnight her time…I could not shut the phone down or remove battery. Finally put it in freezer….I even hit it with a hammer. If you chuckle, it’s ok. I did look and feel absurd. A very expensive event…embarrassed and very sheepish to explain to carrier how it got damaged…
        I now carry a whistle or air horn for SOS necessity while on water and stick close to shore. The air horn is also good for warning off bear as I go into forest.
        I have always found rejuvenation or true peace at the River or lakes…no fear of water. Good swimmer. But not arrogant about it. I respect the water.
        So, today – mask making, walk to water…
        Frost is supposed to hit tonight. I’ll be thanking my flowers one more time.
        And I will keep in heart how others see me- my daughters, my grands…I used to ask mean- spirited people who were harassing me-“ How do you want to be remembered”…and that’s a question put to myself these days….when I feel fearful, I want my kids to know it’s ok to feel fear, but to keep going forward, anyway…
        Thank you for your many contributions here and for being so very generous of heart and soul . Self- disclosure – a very courageous step. I find you and others here make me brave, too.

        Read More
        • Mica

          What an amazing wet phone story, dear Alicia! Mine are more boring – tide came up while we were down the beach. Inlet to the ocean had more water. Stepped into it and sank down, drenching 1st iPhone that was in the pocket of jacket. Decade and more of android phones followed. Pre-phone Palm Pilot also in jacket pocket submerged when stepping out of kayak in the Great Swamp of Rhode Island with my bro and his wife. Thanks for triggering those memories, Alicia 📱

        • Holly in Ohio

          Oh my gosh. First I laughed so hard when you described your phone adventure, and then you melted my heart when you asked, “How do I want to be remembered?” You are AWESOME, Alicia!

          And yes, whistles rock. A metal whistle will work under any conditions and the sound carries far, as I learned hiking in Scotland with my husband. He said a whistle is indispensable emergency equipment. You don’t always have a cell phone signal… well, except in your case! LOL. 📱🔨🔨🔨🛶🤣

      • Alicia

        I have the friends here I always wish to have.
        I need to find a way to print my resolve.
        The “ storm” will be chronic. It’s the history and MO.
        Thank you, Holly.
        It’s now 80 here in Southern Maine. I’m taking my kayak out. Once my feet hit the water, I might lose my courage. I’ll have to stifle my response. Stay tuned.

  • Holly in Ohio

    Good Luck today, Mica!!!!!!!!!!

  • Diane
    Good morning lovely people on this our prayer Tuesday. Can't help but reflect on so many of our "old" friends....of course our dear Ursula but so many others who were such a gift to our sacred community. I miss them. So many wonderful pictures! Thank you for your generosity in sharing. Alicia....one of my most treasured memories is a bus tour that I took with my older daughter many years ago when she was living in Arizona. It was a "vineyards of the southwest" tour which was great fun. ...

    Good morning lovely people on this our prayer Tuesday. Can’t help but reflect on so many of our “old” friends….of course our dear Ursula but so many others who were such a gift to our sacred community. I miss them.

    So many wonderful pictures! Thank you for your generosity in sharing.
    Alicia….one of my most treasured memories is a bus tour that I took with my older daughter many years ago when she was living in Arizona. It was a “vineyards of the southwest” tour which was great fun. But one of the stops was at a nature preserve at the San Pedro River, which is one of the hummingbird capitals of the world. A plethora of hummingbirds!! It was so delightful to sit and watch them. Before we left I purchased a “Friends of the San Pedro River” cap with a hummingbird prominent on the front. I get complements on it all the time….and most importantly it is a reminder of a very special mother-daughter time.
    Thank you for bringing back such wonderful memories for me.

    ~Have a blessed day everyone ♥

    Read More
    • Alicia

      ❤️

    • Mike S

      Diane,

      I’ve been somewhat irregular in my participation in the space, but I’ve been here long enough to know that your presence has blessed us for a long time here. I enjoy reading your posts.

      • Diane

        Thank you Mike….and I always enjoy your posts as well. Your grateful heart is an inspiration.♥

    • Palm

      Hello dear Diane, it’s good to see you. I think of you and everyone, especially on Prayer Tuesdays. I couldn’t be here yesterday, I spent the whole day doing bus rides for paperwork with my daughter and was exhausted at the end of the day, but grateful for all the kindness I encounter in every office and every bus, and for the mother-daughter time too.

      • Diane

        Hello dear Palm….it is a blessing that we can embrace these special times with our daughters. I hope you got some well-deserved rest after your busy day.
        ~Om Shanti friend

    • Mica

      Dear Diane, thank you for reminding me of prayer Tuesday. Congrats on your happy mother-daughter tour – it sounds like a treat.

      • Diane

        Dear Mica…it was indeed a treat my friend. Although many years ago, it is still a treasured memory.
        ~With grateful love ♥

    • Ose

      Blessings to you also, dear Diane. It is touching to imagine you and your elder daughter there, experiencing a special time together. Thank you for sharing!

      • Diane

        Hello Ose…you changed your icon! Now you match our dear friend Pilgrim 🙂
        I’m grateful to have these special memories…..and to have all of you here to share them with.
        ~With grateful love♥

    • Anna

      So happy to see you dear Diane!
      You are always so precious!

      • Diane

        Cara Anna….you are precious to me as well my friend.
        ~Sei prezioso amico mio ♥♥♥♥

    • Holly in Ohio

      You, too, dear Diane. And thank you for sharing your memory… it made me smile! 😊

      • Diane

        I hope you are having a beautiful day today Holly…..my heart smiles back to you! 🥰

        • Holly in Ohio
          Thank you, Diane! I had a fabulous day. I got so much done and it feels good. I packed up the whole trunk of my car with items for Good Will and dropped them off, put a number of things into our scrap metal pile that can't be reused as is, composted things, mended things, assembled a lamp, fed and pet the neighbor's outdoor-only cat while my neighbor is away, picked out an anniversary card for my husband at a shop, made a "refrigerator surprise" sweet and sour stir fry that turned out quite we...

          Thank you, Diane! I had a fabulous day. I got so much done and it feels good. I packed up the whole trunk of my car with items for Good Will and dropped them off, put a number of things into our scrap metal pile that can’t be reused as is, composted things, mended things, assembled a lamp, fed and pet the neighbor’s outdoor-only cat while my neighbor is away, picked out an anniversary card for my husband at a shop, made a “refrigerator surprise” sweet and sour stir fry that turned out quite well, cleaned the refrigerator, read, made brownies, and still had time to enjoy the beautiful sunshine! I hope you and everyone here had a great day, too. 😊

          Read More
  • Holly in Ohio

    It is prayer Tuesday, everyone. I hope your prayers bring you peace and gratitude.

    Today among other things I am praying for the health of people here at Gratefulness.org, I’m praying for the Uyghur, Afghani, and Syrian peoples, and I am very grateful for my home.

    My home is very old and still needs a lot of work done to it, but I’m glad to have a home, and I thought you might enjoy seeing it. This is where I am, friends:

    • Cintia

      Beautiful house! Your home sweet home 🙂

    • ch

      Thank you for sharing, Holly. I like your stories very much. Now I can connect them in my imagination to this picture. I like the big trees around your house and the autumn colors.

    • Pilgrim

      This looks like my Grandma’s house did, including being set back from the road, and all the trees. Her driveway was on the other side, though. I spent a lot of time at her house and in the yard. She had wonderful gardens in the back and an apple tree way back that we all climbed, though we weren’t supposed to! And there was a very nosy goat next door. Thanks for the memories!

      • Holly in Ohio

        I love these Grandma stories! No goats in this neighborhood yet but soon there will be chickens!

        There are two cute little boys who live two doors down, and one of them (I think he is 9 years old) wants to study chickens, so he and his dad are building a coop and there will be chickens in the spring, and local eggs by summer! 🙂

    • sunnypatti
      Lovely home, Holly! It looks warm and inviting and comfortable. And some of the comments made me think of my Great Mamaw's home in Tennessee. She has been gone for years, and the home sold to a very nice young family. But it also had a hand pump at the kitchen sink, and, as a kid, I thought it was the neatest thing that the bathroom was on the back porch! The old outhouse sat out back, but none of us kids ever dared to open the door, despite our curiosity and the fact that it had not been used f...

      Lovely home, Holly! It looks warm and inviting and comfortable. And some of the comments made me think of my Great Mamaw’s home in Tennessee. She has been gone for years, and the home sold to a very nice young family. But it also had a hand pump at the kitchen sink, and, as a kid, I thought it was the neatest thing that the bathroom was on the back porch! The old outhouse sat out back, but none of us kids ever dared to open the door, despite our curiosity and the fact that it had not been used for years. Now I have some really nice great mamaw memories coming up. Thank you 🙂

      Read More
      • Holly in Ohio

        HAHAHA! I’m so glad!

        Well very thankfully I have indoor plumbing!!! Earlier this year my husband was replacing the kitchen countertop and sink, and for three weeks I was doing dishes at the outdoor garden faucet or in the bathtub. That was quite long enough for me! 😂

    • Mike S

      Holly, thanks for sharing the photo of your house. Yes we are so fortunate to have homes like we do here in the United States. If I ever have problems feeling grateful about the things in my life, I think about how many people around the world we have so little.And we’re here in the United States live like kings and Queens by comparison.

      • Holly in Ohio

        Absolutely, Mike!!! That is often in my mind these days. I think of poor Lebanon right now, with only an hour of electricity a day, and they have to use that electricity to pump water. I pray for them. We are, indeed, so lucky, and have so much more than we need. Thank you Mike, for reminding me of this. 🌼

        • Mike S

          When I do my prayers I’ll often bring up the Syrian and other refugees. Mother’s and children afraid, cold and in UN camps bunched together with thousands of others. We’re it not for aid from Western countries, many more would die. I/we have it so easy.

          • Holly in Ohio
            I agree. I have even been looking for imports to buy, but they are harder to find than ever because of the shipping crisis. But I did find some Aleppo soap on Amazon, and it is very lovely soap! Most refugees still have loved ones that were left behind in their home country. I wish we could cut red tape and let refugees work, even if they were not released from camp yet. It seems to me that is the most accessible solution, because they would be very glad to help their own situation if we on...

            I agree. I have even been looking for imports to buy, but they are harder to find than ever because of the shipping crisis. But I did find some Aleppo soap on Amazon, and it is very lovely soap! Most refugees still have loved ones that were left behind in their home country.

            I wish we could cut red tape and let refugees work, even if they were not released from camp yet. It seems to me that is the most accessible solution, because they would be very glad to help their own situation if we only provided them the means to do it. ❤

            Read More
    • Christine

      Your house looks like a home to me, Holly. 😍

    • Palm

      It’s so beautiful, Holly. Thank you

    • Mica

      Thank you for sharing, Holly – it reminds me of my grandma’s house in Dunbar PA.

      • Holly in Ohio

        I don’t remember my maternal grandmother’s house much, just that she had a hand pump at the kitchen sink (what we would now call off-grid) and I remember her shelling her garden peas in her lap on the porch. 🙂 I hope you have good memories of your grandma’s house.

        • Mica

          I don’t know why I assumed it would go well, Holly, but I expected my worries to be over, and they are. Thanks for the Applause – I’ll save that to share with others 💕and thanks of course for your good wishes 🥰

        • Mica

          Dear Holly and Alicia, amazingly, the presentation went wonderfully, and I have no regrets. Few were happy to see the presentations, Alicia, but they were recorded, so more will be able to see them. It was an obscure topic – an ‘elephant in the room,’ as I called it. Thanks to you both for your prayers and wishes 🤗. I wish there were an @Alicia or something so you would me more likely to see my gratitude, too, Alicia 🥰

        • Mica

          Yes, many good memories. There was a ‘sunset seat’ up the hill a bit in her back yard and a lovely swing on the front porch. It was a fine old white house – somehow I have one of the chairs from her dining room table, and a woman of my generation who was close to my grandma has another. Tomorrow morning is my virtual event – wish me luck! I’ve been fussing over it since late last spring when I found it was one of the ones that had been chosen.

          • Alicia

            Best , the very best to you. Many will be happy to see you and listen to your presentation.

          • Holly in Ohio

            I haven’t forgotten, Mica. I was planning on wishing you good luck, and I will send a little prayer. But don’t worry… just have fun with this! ❤

    • Anna

      Dear Holly, I love it!
      I am thrilled to picture you, at home or in your garden! Did you take this photo just today?
      I am considering the falling leaves, here in Italy they are still on the trees, and still green, but right now the weather has turned cold, so I am expecting to see a soft carpet of leaves growing quickly.
      Thank you dear friend for sharing with us a precious part of your life.

      • Holly in Ohio
        I took this photo in October two years ago, so it looks very similar today. Most of the work we have been doing on the house has been on the inside (the furnace, insulation, whole house electrical update, etc.), though currently my husband is scraping the porch floor before repainting it. My big garden is at a farm, though I do grow a little here. There is asparagus hiding along the driveway, as well as our bee hives on the right, about half way back. In the back yard I put in blueberry bushes, ...

        I took this photo in October two years ago, so it looks very similar today. Most of the work we have been doing on the house has been on the inside (the furnace, insulation, whole house electrical update, etc.), though currently my husband is scraping the porch floor before repainting it. My big garden is at a farm, though I do grow a little here. There is asparagus hiding along the driveway, as well as our bee hives on the right, about half way back. In the back yard I put in blueberry bushes, black raspberries, currant bushes, and I have a couple of apple trees and one peach tree that are not producing well yet because they are young. I also have one 5′ x 10′ bed where I can grow lettuces, arugula, and other crops that do all right in partial shade. There is oregano and chives hiding near the sidewalk steps, but I hope to put in a better herb garden here next spring. The bulk of the crops are at the farm, which is why I haven’t had time to make my yard very pretty. The porch is very pleasant most of the year, and sometimes we have coffee or even meals on the porch. There is a wood fireplace that works. We light it sometimes when it’s cold, particularly if we have company! This place reminds me that any home can be lovely, even if it is a little old and shabby, or it could be new and rented, the main thing about it that makes it lovely are the activities, the good times, and the friends! You are here in spirit, Anna, as are others here.

        Read More

This site is brought to you by A Network for Grateful Living, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All donations are fully tax deductible in the U.S.A.

DONATE https://gratefulness.org/content/uploads/2015/03/GX-Gold-Participant-L.png

© 2000 - 2021, A Network for Grateful Living

Website by Briteweb

We are delighted to announce the release of Kristi Nelson’s book Wake Up Grateful

0

Your Cart