A Year of Gratitude – November 9, 2024

I found a reason for gratitude hidden among dried leaves today. After a night of brisk winds, we woke up to a blanket of leaves this morning. The grass was covered as were all of the perennial beds.

My mom and I had worked earlier this week to move leaves from the perennial beds to the spot where we compost them for enriching our gardens. In one night, Mother Nature seemed to have deposited more leaves than we had moved.

That’s the cycle of nature here each fall. The grand trees we love so much have so many leaves to drop. No matter how many hours we spend with rakes in hand, there are always so many more to tackle. It can seem endless.

As I was walking through a fresh carpet of dried leaves this morning, I looked down and saw this bright and cheerful yellow flatweed. They look so similar to dandelions, in that same sunny color. Being surrounded by dried leaves and dried grass made this one stand out in such a beautiful way.

I stopped to appreciate the moxy of this little flower, the fact that it was seemingly unbothered by the wind that had completely reshaped our little piece of the world overnight. This flower was just standing tall, through the leaves, reaching its face towards the sun.

I’ll remember it today as I try to do the same. I’ll try to take a deep breath, overlook the windy conditions that often land in my day, and turn my face towards the sun. I’ll have this flower to thank for the reminder.

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.