A Year of Gratitude – July 7, 2024

I didn’t have to look far for my gratitude today. I woke up to a reminder of just how lucky I am to spend my days right here with all of you.

I started my morning as I often do, by answering comments and messages from this page and our blog. I’m so fortunate that you’re the kindest group of people because that means you send kind comments and messages. I know that a lot of pages aren’t so lucky.

I had a message with a photo of someone’s newly adopted puppy. Another message included happy news about the health of their child. A few were photos of gorgeous flowers growing in your gardens. Dozens of them were about recipes of mine that had been made recently.

I worked my way through them with my first cup of coffee. I found myself smiling as I did. They were such happy messages. Each one of them touched my heart and reminded me of how incredibly grateful I am to be here with you.

I always wanted to be a writer. I have loved photography since I was a young girl. I have always felt most at home in the kitchen. So imagine the delight I feel at being a person who finds herself combining all of that into this life that I feel so fortunate to live.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for treating me and each other with such kindness. You inspire me each day to keep creating and sharing new things with you including my gratitude for the things both ordinary and extraordinary in my days.

I hope that I have returned the favor, that I have brightened your days in return. I hope that you will continue to enjoy following along and that you’ll share your gratitude and the beauty in your world with me right here.

I have found that gratitude multiplies when it is shared, when it is spoken aloud. So here’s mine: I am so grateful that you are here, that you are a part of the community we have built together. Thank you for receiving my gratitude with kindness, and for trusting me with yours. I feel so honored to be a part of that. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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.