A Year of Gratitude – January 3, 2024

I found my morning gratitude by looking down this morning. I was on my round of morning farm chores when I discovered that I had found myself outside in the moment when the sun was shining on last night’s frost. The grass, abandoned fall leaves, and every surface that the sun touched seemed to be bathed in glitter. It was beautiful.

While the air was cold and I was eager to return to the warmth of the farmhouse for my cup of coffee, I chose to linger a bit. I wanted to take time to marvel at the simple brilliance of last night’s cold temperatures creating a thin layer of frost and this morning’s welcome sunlight illuminating that thin icy layer on every surface my eye could find.

In moments, it disappeared from view. The frost was so thin that it didn’t need much warmth to dissipate. It was gone so quickly and I would have missed it had I not chosen to stop right then, right there to take it in.

How lucky I was to experience that simple and fleeting beauty. How additionally lucky I am to be able to share it with you.

I hope that your day includes a bit of simple beauty and that you are able to stop, even for a moment, to allow it to wash over you. If today is a difficult day, I hope that your frost doesn’t need much sunlight to lift away and that you have abundant sunshine to turn your face towards.

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.