A Year of Gratitude – June 20, 2024

I found my gratitude in being reminded of how fascinating nature is today. I didn’t have to look far to find that reminder. It was waiting for me in the garden.

We planted zinnia seeds this spring. They are so easy to propagate and came up in a few days. We planted the first batch of them once the weather was warm enough. A garden pest came to visit one evening and ate every single one of them.

Luckily, we had held a few back for planting later. So, we tended to them until they got a bit larger and then planted them. I crossed my fingers and hoped that a few of them would make it so that we could enjoy their blooms.

I was delighted when I looked down today after watering the garden and saw this bud stretching towards the sun. It’s a sign that we’ve almost made it to the moment when it will unfurl and release colorful petals for us to see.

The buds on a zinnia are so interesting. They’re unlike any other flower we grow in our gardens. Just look at those crisp dark edges on each bright green section. They’re held together so tightly and look as though someone has outlined them with a dark marker.

Nature really is fascinating. I’m so glad that it had something beautiful to share with me this morning and that I made the time to appreciate it. By tomorrow, it will have changed and it would have been a shame to miss it.

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.