A Year of Gratitude – November 10, 2024

I found my gratitude in a sweet memory today. I was looking through my photos this morning when my phone reminded me of an old photo I took a few years ago.

These fluffy little ducklings were new to the world when I got close enough to take this photo. I was careful not to upset their momma. She had been sitting on this group of eggs, keeping them warm and safe until the little ducks could muster up the strength to hatch.

There’s nothing cuter than ducklings. They’re so fun to watch. They grow up so quickly that you have to make the time to enjoy them when they are small because it just doesn’t last very long.

That’s true about so many things in life. Even the experiences that seem like they will last forever often don’t. Yet we still expect them to. Perhaps it would be better if we admitted that many things don’t last as long as we would like. That might give us a reason to pay attention to them more closely when they were right in front of us, to make time to enjoy them in the moment.

This photo reminded me of that today. It helped me to remember to be present, to really be fully with the people I spent time with today. It encouraged me to make the time to take a particularly long stroll with Penny Lane.

Each day is a gift. I’m so glad that an old photo and a trio of fluffy ducklings helped me to remember that today.

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.