A Year of Gratitude – September 11, 2024

My gratitude was right at my feet this morning. I had just finished my morning round of farm chores. I decided to take a stroll through the front garden to take in what was in bloom. There are a few hydrangeas still holding on, still trying to put out colorful blooms in spite of summer’s change to fall.

I had my garden shears with me, so I snipped off a few blooms to bring back inside the house. That’s a practice I am trying to get better at. I will admit that for years, I felt guilty cutting flowers from the garden. I felt like I should leave them where they were, let them be and have their moment of glory right out in the garden.

I know that it might seem silly, but it’s true. I can’t quite put my finger on why I felt that way. I just did. Now I look at it as me bringing these blooms inside to brighten up the inside of the farmhouse, to enjoy every second of their glory.

So, I had a few stems of hydrangea, a couple zinnias, and a few stems of catmint in my hand as I started my walk back to the mudroom door. Then I looked down and saw that the rudbeckia that we added in front of Penny Lane’s favorite window last fall was blooming for the first time.

The bright and cheery yellow petals caught my attention. Then I noticed that each petal seemed to have a heart at the end of it. Look closely and you’ll see it. Once I did, I couldn’t see anything but those bright yellow hearts.

I snipped off a stem to add to my bouquet for the farmhouse kitchen and made my way inside. I’m so glad that I took a walk through the garden this morning before the day’s activities began. I’m so grateful that I didn’t miss these yellow hearts perched on the end of newly opened flower petals.

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.