A Year of Gratitude – January 10, 2024

In all my years of living at the farmhouse, I have never seen a weather shift quite like what we woke up to this morning. Sure, I have witnessed the transformation that an overnight snowstorm brings. But this was something new.

Dusk came to the farm last night around 4:30pm with more than a foot of days old snow everywhere you looked. The rain started and the wind howled all night.

When Penny Lane woke me up this morning, it was quiet outside. I didn’t hear rain or wind. Then I opened up the curtains and saw that the snow had nearly all been melted away by rain and warm temperatures double what we had just a few days ago.

It was a good reminder that most things are fleeting. They simply aren’t meant to last. You have to make time to enjoy them while you have them.

In this case, it was only a single storm’s snow. More snow is on the way next week to replace it. We did make the most of it while it was here. We marveled at the beauty of it, tromped around the woods to explore it, and remarked at how lovely it was to look upon the winter landscape covered in a fresh blanket of snow.

I am grateful for the reminder to make the time to breathe deep in the presence of all the many gifts I have in my life to be grateful for. I don’t know how long I will have them, so I plan to show my gratitude by being present and appreciating them.

If you’ve read this far, I have something to share with you. Take a closer look at the bottom right window on the front of the farmhouse. You’ll find Penny Lane in that window watching me as I took the this photo. She was much happier when I finished my morning farm chores and came inside to snuggle up on the couch.

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.