Giving thanks

Over the past few weeks, as Thanksgiving edged closer, I’ve been thinking about the myriad of things that I’m thankful for.

This post is a sampling of SOME of those things.

A top contender on my gratitude list is electricity. Last night, there was a momentary blip on the power grid. Electricity was restored quickly, but our internet connection was broken. Me, gratefully nestled in a cocoon-esque comforter, could not find it in my heart to slip out of my warm sanctuary to revive our router. Today is Day 2 of my Thanksgiving.

* * *

The photo below is what love looks like. This was snapped early one weekday morning. It was chilly, I had forgotten to put my frost-deterring-windshield-do-hickie on my car.

But my husband had remembered. I’m very grateful for Ron.

 

My sister and my brother. When we get together, either for coffee, a hike, or on the phone, we share life’s joys and challenges, usually with side-splitting laughter.

 

The simple things in life. Like vanilla ice cream from Prigel’s Dairy. Our gorgeous blooming hydrangeas. Having a beer on our front porch. Getting out the hula hoop, cranking up the 80s tunes, and hypnotizing the horses.

 

Friends. Life is about relationships. It’s lovely to have a friend to share a glass of wine on a cobble-stoned street in Rueil-Malmaison. Or one that can make you laugh, or really listens, supports, and cares.

 

 

Our lives are often wrought with pressures, deadlines, stress. I’m grateful for not taking life too seriously.

 

I’m thankful for this little guy. He runs our household. Yes, he is the boss of me.

There are so many things that I appreciate in my life. Hot water. A patient stranger holding a door open for me as I juggle keys and coffee. The fragrance of lavender. Summer. Fall. Spring. A song that evokes a memory. A book that transports me into its story. I’m very grateful for my passion for writing, attending writing workshops, my friends in the Maryland Writers Association, our public library system.

***

Most of all, I’m thankful for Ron. He encourages and listens. He’s the best travel partner through life’s adventures.