Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Gratitude in November

This year has been full of all good things. So many changes, these last couple of years! Some of the changes were subtle, soft. Some of the changes happened at the speed of light. I am grateful for so much. I don't have time to write it all . . . but here is a list of 57 things. (Not in priority order, just somewhat random.)
  • Finding the love of my life. T was literally a part of my everyday work world 16 years ago. I always knew he was a wonderful person. What I didn't know way back then was what joy and delight the Universe held in store for us!

  • The blessing of being the mother to Derrick. Becoming a mother was the single most defining event of my life. I have often felt, even before his birth, that I was born to be his mother.

  • Sunshine making the world glow here in northern Indiana, even when it is cold outside.
  • Sharing dinner at home in the evenings with T. Once in awhile special friends join us. My preference is always a simple dinner. One of my favorites is winter minestrone soup, field greens, and my own seed bread. I anticipate intelligent conversation, a good share of reminiscing, and plenty of laughter. Love at the table.
  • Kitties curled up in a sunbeam this morning. Absolutely a big pile of love.


  • Trust in the way I have always been provided and cared for. It hasn't been easy, but I know that loving presence has always been there, giving me hope for better days ahead.
  • Having my teaching career to support Derrick and me over the years. Teaching in the inner city was one of the most difficult things I could do. Without that, I couldn't have learned as much about life and children and teaching as I did. The job provided for me in so many ways.
  • My job as preschool director and teacher. It was hard to leave my teaching job in Indy to move here. Teaching was a long fufilled dream. Yet this job is the best of everything! I am surrounded by energetic children, ready to learn, willing to love life every day. As Luke says, "What's next?”

  • T calls at the end of a meeting out of town, saying he’ll pick up lunch and do some grocery shopping while there because he knows my cold has zapped my energy. My love takes good care of me.
  • Watching the deer outside the kitchen window as they graze in the meadow. Alert and watchful, they seem to know I'm not a danger when I step out onto the deck. 

  • Seeing so many birds this morning. Blue birds, yellow finches, wrens, sparrows, juncos, cardinals, and nuthatches. I know they appreciate the feeder I try to keep full. They bring such delight to me as I continue the tradition of my grandparents and parents who always fed the birds in other Midwestern back yards. 

  • Watching Bitty chatter at the same birds. If only she was allowed outside, she knows she could get them!
  • Watching the squirrels scamper and race each other across the meadow and up trees. They enjoy the peanuts they find outside the back door for their morning breakfast. Tommy doesn't care as much about the birds as Bitty, but he thinks the squirrels would be great fun to chase.

  • Working on a knitting project. This year I’ve even made several things for myself! A purple shawl that has quickly become a staple in my wardrobe, a felted black purse, a hat, and a new scarf on the needles now. Not to mention knitting away every day for Christmas gifts. Knitting always makes me feel connected to Grandma.

  • My sister Lori. I simply can't imagine my life without her. We speak nearly every day. And sometimes several times a day! She knows me so well. She always has the best advise. She has helped me maintain my focus throughout everything, always encouraging me on. I can ask her anything; what to have for dinner, how to work out a difficult situation with a friend, what I look good in, and so much more.

  • Having a few calls from Derrick several days in a row. Knowing he is busy and doing well makes me happy. But there is nothing like a phone call!

  • Looking forward to Derrick’s visit home at Christmas time. 
  • The view overlooking the meadow. All year I've taken photos of it from one spot. The changing meadow, the tree line at the river, the gardens are all beautiful.

  • The loving home I share with T. We knew  this was the house for us as soon as we stepped inside. The view of the meadow, the seclusion set right at the edge of town. The look on T’s face as he walks in at the end of the day. Comments people make when they visit us here. Heaven on Earth.
  • The sound of the house. I hear the clocks ticking, chiming when the moment strikes. Those clocks are the heartbeat of the house. 

  • The wind chime outside the family room. Hung just behind the pagoda, the chime feels like Spirit checking in on us. 
  • My computer. I don't mean to be materialistic. But it is such a wondrous machine! It keeps me connected with friends and family far away, helps me research for school, provides inspiration for my creative life. 
  • Looking forward to Thanksgiving. It is a time my entire family gets together. I only wish Derrick could be there with us.

  • Remembering Thanksgiving two years ago when T talked to Daddy, asking his blessing to marry me. The joy I felt when he then announced our plans to the entire family!

  • Recent visits with my brother Eric and his wife Susan as they struggle with family difficulties. Not that I’m grateful for their difficulties. I’m grateful they feel comfortable to come and share with us. Grateful they have a brief respite from their cares as we sit together at the table over a sweet. Grateful they feel that comfortable with both of us.  

  • Watching Eric and Susan find their love, join their families, and grow together gave me such hope during my years alone. It was worth the wait! Their example helped me to hold out for the best. Even if these days are difficult for them, they are making their way through together.
  • Our lake cottage. It is a place I feel more connected to than anywhere else in the world. I am incredibly thankful to have that place together with T. We enjoy it now, look forward to spending all our remaining days there together.

  • The view of the lake on an early morning. It is simply the most beautiful sight in the world.

  • Looking at the coots on a fall day. The way they land and take off, literally running on the water is amazing.
  • Watching the swans on the lake. They stay close together, looking for one another as they wake up in the early morning light.

  • Having good books to read. As soon as I finish one there is another one, waiting for me to read it! For so many years I didn't have time to read novels. I'm trying to make up for that now!
  • My spiritual life. From learning about Love from Grandma's knee to finding my very own spiritual group. Very grateful I am able to continue growing with them, even though it is a bit far to travel!
  • Being able to attend Vince’s fall retreat in Youngstown this year with T. The connection I have with that spiritual group means so much. 
  • The church community I share with T. Even though I was a bit dubious about joining an actual church, it is the right one for me. Welcoming and affirming. In so many ways.
  • The trip my parents will make to visit here over the holidays. It will be good to have them in our home and spend time with them here. Another opportunity for T and them to get to know each other better.
  • Having a new family through T. Such loving people he comes from. I am in awe to be welcomed into the fold.

  • The connections made with students from the University. On Sunday night we hosted a group of honor students in our home for a home cooked meal of stromboli and salad. They were so grateful!
  • Late red roses blooming in the garden. T picked two perfect flowers to enjoy inside.
  • Sharing T’s joy when the Kansas City Royals won the World Series. He had waited so long! Who knew I could be such a baseball fan?
  • Friendships with women in my small town. Walking in the morning or afternoons with one, two, three and sometimes more of them and chatting all the time.
  • The commradare of book club. Sometimes the reading material stretches me way outside my comfort zone. That is the purpose of it.
  • Hosting dinners with T. We work well together. He knows exactly what to do without instructions, does things I don’t think about. The best part is sharing time with friends gathered around a table, enjoying good food, drink, and conversations.
  • Time spent in creative endeavors. I keep my paint table set up most of the time in the living room, ready for me to sit and work as I’m inspired. Sometimes I have just 10 minutes and sometimes I have the entire morning. Pure joy to work on a project and have new things completed!

  • The absolute perfectly happy day last week at the lake. Simple pleasures truly are the best. While T raked, hauled, and burnt leaves, I baked pumpkin cupcakes, basked in the sunshine, read a book, visited with neighbors, and watched the birds on the lake.

  • Watching Hobo wander the meadow and run toward me at the speed of light when he hears/sees me on the deck.

  • Feeding the squirrels peanuts in the morning. Squirrel TV we call it. They even come close to Hobo, as if to say, “Excuse me, but there is a peanut right near your tail.”
  • Visiting with a friend over a cup of tea or coffee in an afternoon. Soul-filled conversations, laughter, all in the comfort of home.

  • Planning ahead for Christmas gatherings with family and friends. What food to share? How to decorate this year? Which traditions to continue? What new traditions to create?

  • Good health in our family. Such a wonderous thing, to be healthy and free from the concerns of sickness. Something so easily taken for granted.
  • Talking with Derrick several times this week. So far away from home, from my daily life. Yet the connection is incredibly deep. So easily understood and picked up to bring great joy. 
  • The support T gives me in all things. The encouragement, affirmation, and unconditional love. Whether it is a meal prepared, a painting done, ironing shirts, or time spent curled up on the sofa reading or knitting. He loves me, whatever I do.
  • Watching movies with T. Sometimes funny with full belly laughter, sometimes with heart wrenching tears. It seems like reading a book together at the same time, these moments shared.
  • Listening to music fill our home. What a treasure it is to find a piece of music that touches my heart.
  • Getting home from a trip to Chicago safely this weekend. A surprise snow storm, a front tire blowout, and the help and kindness of strangers.
  • The smell of coffee first thing in the morning.

  • Watching the fish and frogs in the pond outside the kitchen window. The moments I sit on the step next to the pond bring such peace to me. I love the metaphore of looking deeper to see what is under the surface, what might come close enough to see more clearly. Listening to the waterfall immediately puts me at ease.

  • Realizing the perfect life I live in this very day. Knowing this is exactly where I am meant to be. My heart grows with gratitude and love and light. This is the joy all of us are meant to experience on Earth.
(Please forgive the "1's" below. Formatting problem!)

Winter Birch

Winter Birch

Books Recently Read

  • Grace (Eventually) Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
  • Think Like a Freak by Steven Levitt
  • Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
  • The Red Tent by Anita Diamond
  • The Dinner by Herman Koch
  • The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • The Lake House by Karen Morton
  • Memories of Heaven by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
  • The Whip by Karen Kondazian
  • Purity by Jonathan Franzen
  • The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
  • The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain
  • The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
  • The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
  • The Rosie Effect by Graeme Samson
  • The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
  • My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
  • Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall
  • Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
  • I Can See Clearly Now by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
  • The Best Part of the Day by Sara Ban Breathnach
  • Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
  • The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
  • Chanel Bonfire by Wendy Lawless
  • The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
  • Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
  • Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris
  • Peaches for Father Francis by Joanne Harris
  • Five Quarters of the the Orange by Joanne Harris
  • Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris
  • The Girl With No Shadow by Joanne Harris
  • Chocolat by Joanne Harris
  • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - A Novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
  • There Are No Accidents by Robert Hopcke
  • You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay
  • We Thought You Would Be Prettier by Laurie Notaro
  • The Vein of Gold by Julia Cameron
  • Room by Emma Donoghue
  • House at Riverton by Kate Morton
  • Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
  • The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
  • Peace and Plenty by Sarah Ban Breathnach
  • The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
  • On a Day Like This by Peter Stamm
  • Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay
  • Brida by Paulo Coelho
  • A Stopover in Venice by Kathryn Walker
  • Warrior of the Light by Paulo Coelho

Cats don't belong to people. They belong to places. - Wright Morris
PLEASE AND THANK YOU







Linda Hansen © Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Duplication or use of any material on this page whether text, graphic or photographic in nature is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of the author/artist is forbidden. For permission to use material from this site, please contact me. Thank you. Linda Hansen ©2010-2015 Lindahansenk@aol.com