Rainbow Photo by Pat Ruppel

I felt especially thankful this morning for a new day, my family, my health, home, my life. I thought about the “ins” and “outs”, “ups” and “downs” ― considering all of it. I thought about the places I’ve been, people I’ve known and things I’ve done. If any of it had been a little different, would I be who and where I am today? Probably not. 

My husband and I were talking this morning with regard to gratitude. It’s a term that has been talked and written about so much it can have a ‘vanilla’ effect, when taken for granted. Yet, as we talked and reflected on gratitude not only generally, but personally, I felt  gratitude drawn into my heart with some of these thoughts:

• No two days are exactly alike. Though rainy days may appear the same, when strung together, there are subtle differences and beauty upon a closer look. Circumstances, situations and people you encounter will be different. Some people you meet today you may never see again. A synchronistic event will never occur again in exactly the same way no matter how hard you try to recreate it.
• Each face, sky, cloud, or running stream is unique and has a path and life of its own and changes from moment to moment. Each thought is unique and fleeting. If caught and held in time with attention and intention, there is possibility and change for the world.
• We come into this life with unique abilities, desires and outlooks. We are fed, tended to and taught with environments and cultures different from one another. Though we copy one another, if ten children were given the same tools from which to create, there would be ten different results.
• The life we are currently living has been given as a gift of sound, as we listen to the soft build of a gentle breeze, the chirp of birds on a spring morning or a favorite song on the radio.
• It’s a gift of sight, smell and touch in noticing the orange and blues of a morning sunrise, a whiff of morning coffee brewing or a slip of a hand into another’s, as they walk along a wooded path.

In this video by Louie Schwartzberg at Ted.com on “Nature, Beauty and Gratitude” you’ll notice the subtle nuance and feeling of gratitude:

We don’t seem to get much time these days to notice and feel grateful. I think when we do we find the connection, love and appreciation that’s available to everyone. It’s there. It’s always there . . .  waiting.

Pat from the ol’ kitchen table

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Acknowledgements: Louie Schwartzberg - Nature, Beauty, more...