A Year of Gratitude – September 22, 2024

I found my gratitude in a raindrop this morning. I woke up to the sound of raindrops on the chimney cap. I went about my morning round of chores, feeding Penny Lane her breakfast, winding the cuckoo clock for the day, tending to the chickens, and opening up the barn.

I came back inside a bit soggy in spite of my raincoat. Penny Lane had already curled up on the couch among her pillows and blankets. She was fast asleep, deep into her post breakfast nap.

I decided to grab my camera and head back outside. I love to take photos of the gardens freshened by rain. While much of the garden is finished blooming for the year, the blooms that remained were glorious.

Each petal was holding on to the rain. It’s been dry here for the past few weeks, so the plants must have been as happy about the rain as I was.

I made my way through the hydrangeas in front of the house. I stopped at the bright and sunny rudbeckia before wandering over to the roses. I captured a photo of the purple flowers on the catmint completely enveloped by raindrops.

Then I came back towards the mudroom door and stopped at the zinnias. They were my favorite of all the blooms I captured this morning. Their bright petals were shiny and vibrant. The tips of their petals were holding on to raindrops nearly ready to fall to the ground below.

This one seemed to have captured a raindrop that was hesitant to fall. I stood and waited, trying to capture a photo of it as it fell. It didn’t. I waited and watched, but it held on.

Perhaps it wasn’t ready to fall quite yet. Maybe it fell the moment I turned towards the farmhouse. I don’t know, but I was happy to have seen it, to have been reminded that there’s a universe in each raindrop, in each person we meet during the course of our days.

I came back inside, a bit soggier than before. I dried off and headed to the farmhouse kitchen to pour myself a hot cup of coffee. And yes, I stopped to cover a snoring Penny Lane with a blanket before I got that cup of coffee.  My coffee could wait for a moment.

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.