A Year of Gratitude – September 28, 2024

I found my gratitude in the passage of time today. It was thanks to nature that I could find gratitude in something that most of us fear. Nature has the ability to help me to do that.

I was out in the garden and looked up to see that the leaves on this burning bush had begun to turn a glorious shade of deep pink. I know that it has been happening bit by bit over the last weeks, but I hadn’t noticed it until today.

Change can be so unsettling in life. It is often unwelcome and so many times it lies beyond our control. Yet change can be beautiful. These leaves reminded me of that.

We all change from one form of ourselves to the next. It happens many times over our lives. Some of those changes are celebrated and others are not. Some are chosen for us while others are bold decisions we make for ourselves.

I’m trying to see change as, well, just change. It doesn’t always have to be scary, doesn’t always need to be something to fear. It can be beautiful even if the rest of the world doesn’t see it that way.

I’ll try to remember that change made these beautiful leaves appear in my day today. Without change, this bright pink color simply wouldn’t exist. It wouldn’t be here for me to enjoy. I’m so glad that it was so that I could capture it and share it with you.

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.