Thankfulness, Part 1

Thanksgiving is in November, so I am writing 30 days of Thankfulness.  Here is Part 1.

November 1
I am thankful for beautiful colors. I see the reds and golds in the autumn trees; the pines remain a cool green. The skies above are blue, sometimes gray, sometimes a mixture. Early mornings are pink and yellow; sunsets are purple, orange, and mauve. The nighttime sky is black with sparkling pin-dot stars. Yes, today I am thankful for colors.

November 2
I am thankful for rain.  Gently falling, quenching parched plants and trees, soaking into the earth. Stormy torrents, blowing in sheets across, filling the gullies, creating rivulets that cascade into the streams and lakes.  Rain is the life-blood or our planet.  Yes, today I am thankful for rain.

November 3
I am thankful for music.  Nature’s symphony of birds, insects, and animals serenade me as I walk down the tree-lined street.  Later, I smile to the familiar words and tunes by my favorite singers like Van Morrison, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and African gospel choirs.  Piano music make my fingers want to dance upon the keys.  Beautiful melodies stir different emotions within my sould. Sweet violins can make tears come into my eyes; happy tunes put a bounce in my step.  Yes, today I am thankful for music.

November 4
I am thankful for the nighttime sky.  Like a black velvet blanket sprinkled with glitter, it guards our earth all through the night.  I go outside and see the stars and the Milky Way, trying to identify constellations or imagining that they are windows into heaven.  When I think my problems are massive, a look up at night gives me a better perspective.  Yes, today I am thankful for the nighttime sky.

November 5
I am thankful for the ability to read.  I can vividly remember my first grade teacher Miss Lou Randall teaching me to sound out words using the alphabet.  Learning to read opened the world to me, and I let books take me on grand adventures and introduce me to wonderful characters.  I use my ability to read every single day of my life.  Yes, today I am thankful for the ability to read.

November 6
I am thankful for second chances.  It is a relief to know that I do not have to get everything perfectly right the first time around.  (My cooking catastrophes come to mind!) Second, third, and unlimited extra chances help me to sharpen my abilities, learn new skills, and practice.  Life is much less stressful knowing that I may try again.  Yes, today I am thankful for second chances.

November 7
I am thankful for comfortable shoes.  Whether I am walking to get my daily steps in, dancing at my zumba class, working outside in the yard or inside the house, going to church or to town, I don’t get distracted because my feet hurt.  They might not always be the most stylish shoes on the planet (haha I love my Birkis and tennis shoes!) but they sure feel good on my feet.  Yes, today I am thankful for comfortable shoes.

November 8
I am thankful for the fog.  That may sound strange, but I love to see it swirling over the water like a soft gray blanket.  When I walk outside on a foggy morning, I feel the tingle of moisture on my skin.  I watch the fog silently roll into the cove, wrapping itself around trees and docks, muffling the sounds of nature, hiding the world from view.  Later I watch it begin to evaporate, the once thick blanket unraveling into gentle wisps that just blow away with a puff of a November breeze. Yes, today I am thankful for the fog.

November 9
I am thankful for pen and paper; sometimes for the computer keyboard.  Putting my thoughts on paper is the best way I know how to communicate.  I write much easier than I speak.  Describing the things I see, hear, taste, or feel comes easily when I have paper and pen with me.  I allow people glimpses of who I truly am when I share my thoughts through writing.  During times of my life when I was distressed or hurt, I found comfort in writing down my feelings.  I found I could pour it all out on paper, put a period at the end of it, and then I could move on to better days.  Writing down special memories is a way I can go back and re-visit days of my childhood, young adulthood, and current life any time I want to.  I have boxes of spiral-bound journals that tell the stories of my life.  Perhaps someone besides me will want to read them one day.  Yes, today I am thankful for pen and paper.

November 10

I am thankful for sunshine.  Early dawn mornings, when the eastern sky begins to lighten from nighttime to gray, I know that soon the sun will cast its first brilliant beams into the world, bringing all the colors with it.  On chilly days, I love to find a sunny spot so I can feel the warmth upon my skin.   The sunshine hits the trees; in the vaults of my mind I recall an elementary school science lesson about photosynthesis, where I realized that the sunshine and trees were directly related to the fresh air I can breathe.  Even on “bad” or unhappy days, the sunshine reminds me that brighter days are ahead.  Yes, today I am thankful for sunshine.

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