A Year of Gratitude – April 25, 2024

I found gratitude in a spot I shared with you last month. I mentioned then that I didn’t visit this spot very often. Yet I have been there quite a bit lately. I have found myself drawn to it.

Fortunately, this spot isn’t far from our downtown post office. So, when I find myself there dropping off packages filled with our handmade goods, I’m only about a brisk five minute walk from this beautiful spot. Now that our weather is a bit warmer and the snow and ice have melted away, I can take the walk and give myself a bit of time to be alone with my thoughts. It’s meditative and a nice chance for me to have a few minutes to gather those thoughts or reset my day in a positive way.

Or, as it happened today, I could take a walk with one of my children. That’s my favorite way to spend those five minutes.  We talked and enjoyed the sunshine together. Then we stood near this rushing water that used to power the heart of our city.

We stood for a few minutes and just witnessed it. There was a rainbow to enjoy, to marvel at the beauty of that arc of colors suspended in midair. The sound of the water rushing over the edge and crashing into the stone below is loud enough that our conversation took a pause for a few minutes. We had a moment to just breathe, to just be together without saying a word.

When we turned back towards the car, the conversation picked up. It was lively and warm just like the sunshine on my back. I was grateful for both of them because I know that they are finite, that I must be in the moment, be present in the place that I am to fully appreciate them.

I did today, fully and completely. I fought the urge to pick up my phone, to answer another message or send that email I had meant to send. Those things would just have to wait. I had given myself permission to let them wait. I had sunshine, good company, and a moment with my child to immerse myself in.

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.