A Year of Gratitude – October 11, 2024
I found my gratitude in a surprise from nature today. My mom told me that she had something to show me. She led me over to a portion of the garden that stretches directly in front of the farmhouse kitchen.
She pointed down towards the ground to a space tucked behind one of our boxwoods. There was a violet in bloom. Somehow, on the 11th of October, this plant decided to create a dainty flower.
Most of the garden is finished for the year. The plants and bushes have put forth their last blooms. The evening temperatures are dipping into the 40s. It’s too chilly for tender blooms here in New England this time of year.
Yet somehow, this violet decided to bloom anyway. Perhaps it shouldn’t have. Maybe it wasn’t the prudent thing to do, to set forth delicate petals during a time of year when the conditions aren’t hospitable.
Or maybe that’s exactly what makes this flower so special. The odds are stacked against it and it mustered up the energy to shine on. That makes it exceptional in my mind.
I hope that you can find the same sort of courage to shine on today and in the days ahead. Take a deep breath, find the courage of a violet in October, and turn your delicate face towards the sun. I’ll try my best to do the same.
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.