Attitude of Gratitude

 

It’s a good thing I’m not in the running for any gift-wrapping awards because I’d surely bomb. I don’t mind, it’s not something I care to excel at. But it does give my mind a chance to leisurely wander right into space. Now, what did I just wrap?

Pausing between gifts, I deftly pick small pieces of tape from around my fingers, bits of paper and tinsel from (yes, it happens) my hair, as I admire the view through the window; among my list of things to clean – next year, now. 

Mashed potato clouds have chosen to bury the mountains and smother the valley below in an uncommon cloak of anticipation—will it actually snow in the desert? No matter, the very possibility brings a heightened sense of hopeful anticipation--kind of like Christmas!

There seems to be an extraordinary attitude of gratitude streaming across the web these days and I, for one, am delighted to join the bandwagon! So, without further ado, here are a few things I’m grateful for:

Love, Family

I remember as if it were yesterday, the moment our eyes met above an office partition.  His soon-to-be ex stood beside him and I quickly looked away, but not before I felt that unmistakable spark of an unquenchable flame. Christmas Eve marks thirty years—and counting!

 

Together we made and somehow managed to raise one child amid the many adventures we’ve experienced.   

And through it all she’s enhanced our lives with a treasure only increased by the grandson with whom she’s gifted us.

To See, To Hear, To Smell

 
As I mentioned above, I love the views; of nature, reading, writing, college basketball games and NASCAR races. I love how wind through forest trees can sound like waves on a quiet beach and how birds are joyous each morning—no matter where you are. Try as I might, I simply cannot resist the beckoning aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the tantalizing smell of a backyard barbeque or bread baking in the oven. 

To Touch the hand of another, to Feel the sun on my face, the fond nuzzle of Pets who love without conditions, and Friends. Where would we be without friends? Sounds like a desolate place, doesn’t it? Friends provide the smiles that encourage, the shoulders that console and just the right words to convey ‘Better luck next time’. As an added bonus for me—many of my friends are Writers and Book-lovers, too!

And last, but certainly not least, I am grateful for the Freedom to enjoy all this at will!