A Year of Gratitude – July 17, 2024

I found my gratitude on an early morning stroll through the rose garden this morning. All of the roses were covered with dew. The sun was shining brightly, directly on the spot where our roses are planted.

All of the roses looked beautiful in the morning light. None of them looked more beautiful than this one. There was something about the angle of the sunlight on this cluster of blooms that was extraordinary. The petals looked like velvet.

This rose bush grows close to the ground. It was the furthest from my view as I stood there. I could have so easily missed seeing it.

But I didn’t. Some stroke of luck or tug of fate led me to stoop down to get a closer look. When I did, this is what I saw. It was such a splendid sight.

Life is filled of those little moments where we turn one way instead of the other. We look down and notice something amazing that we could have just as easily walked by without noticing.

I treasure those moments. They remind me not to be too busy to discover something amazing. They beg me not to plan every moment to the point of not leaving space to marvel at something unexpected, something wonderful that finds its way into my path.

I find that I am never sorry to have taken a moment to look around, to really be present where I am. I almost always see something that I am surprised by, that I would have missed otherwise.

I’ll try to leave space in my days for those small moments of discovery. They keep life interesting and allow me to discover and experience new things. I’m so grateful for the reminder that there is beauty and wonder all around us if only we allow ourselves to see 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.