A Year of Gratitude – August 22, 2024

I didn’t have to wait long to find my gratitude this morning. I stepped outside the mudroom door to start on my morning round of chores. It was waiting right at my feet.

I had finished tending to the chickens. They were outside, scratching about and cooing as they made their way through the garden weeds and kitchen scraps I had left for them. I love being able to trade kitchen scraps for fresh eggs. No matter how many years I keep chickens, I am always in awe of how much they add to our farm.

As I turned to walk down to the duck house, I looked down and saw this zinnia. By tomorrow, it will probably have opened up, unfurled its petals into a large bloom. But this morning, it was this exquisite creation.

I couldn’t get over the definition in the petals. Each of them seems to have been tightly curled and placed next to each other to encircle what will become the middle of the bloom. What a splendid moment to look down and see it against the bright green leaves beneath it.

I went on to tend to the ducks. When I turned to head back to the farmhouse, they were splashing about in their pool. They can make quite a racket when they’re happy. Judging from the sound of it, they were deliriously happy.

I was happy too. It was a wonderful way to begin the day.

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.