A Year of Gratitude – April 8, 2024

I was reminded of my gratitude by a snow shovel today. That might seem like an odd place to discover a reason for gratitude, but that’s exactly where it was waiting for me today.

Last week’s Nor’easter left about 8 inches of heavy snow on the ground. It covered everything including the perennial beds. They had just started to show signs of life. Little green blades had emerged from the ground, ready to bask in the sunshine. We were certainly ready to see them and celebrate the arrival of spring.

When the snow arrived, we crossed our fingers that it wouldn’t destroy those tender shoots and leaves. I hoped that the cold and weight of that heavy snow would lift soon enough to allow them to recover. But there was nothing I could do but wait. I just had to hope and patiently wait for sunshine and warmer weather to melt away that snow and make way for spring to continue.

When I walked outside this morning for my morning round of farm chores, I looked down and saw that our snow shovels were protecting a clump of spring bulbs. We hadn’t intended for them to. It just happened that way. The shovels had created a warm spot for them, given them a bit of extra warmth, and hastened the melting of the snow that had been covering them.

So here they were, bright and beautiful. They were such a vibrant green against the dried leaves from last fall. I smiled at seeing them, at knowing that they had survived the storm and were ready to bring us beautiful flowers to enjoy.

These flowers were lucky to have a bit of protection from the weather. While the rest of the perennial bed is still under a bit of snow, they’re enjoying the sunshine again. A little protection can go such a long way.

Like these green shoots, I am so grateful for the people in my life who gather around me when I need them. I never have to wonder if they’ll rally around me when I need their support. I know that they’ll be there. I’m so lucky to have them in my life, to have people I can count on when life, like last week’s snow, gets heavy.

I know that I’m lucky in that way. I am mindful of how fortunate I am to have people I can count on in my daily life. It’s such a gift, one that I am grateful for every day.

I’m trying to name that gratitude more often these days. I’m making sure to tell the people in my life just how much they mean to me, how important they are to me. If your love and kindness have given me shelter, I should thank you for that, I should name it out loud and tell you how thankful I am for it.

Here’s to those who give our hearts shelter from the sharp edges in life. Their love and kindness make all the difference. It makes our world a better place just for them being in it.

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.