A Year of Gratitude – July 22, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – July 22, 2024

I found my gratitude in a zinnia bloom this morning. I had just watered the garden and each petal seemed to be holding on to the water. I’ve long been drawn to taking photos of water droplets on flower petals, but this water was different. Read More

A Year of Gratitude – July 21, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – July 21, 2024

I found my gratitude in a moment when I put down my camera. In that moment, I simply enjoyed nature, took in the beauty of the world around me. I try not to get too caught up in the quest of capturing those photos, although Read More

A Year of Gratitude – July 20, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – July 20, 2024

I found my gratitude in seeing something as beautiful because of its flaws today, not in spite of them. You might look at this lily and see a petal that grew in a direction that it shouldn’t have. It isn’t the shape it was intended Read More

A Year of Gratitude – July 19, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – July 19, 2024

I found my gratitude in a flower that looks unlike any other in our garden. This is Liatris, a beautiful purple perennial in bloom in our gardens this time of year. It doesn’t look like any of our other plants. It’s nestled in among lilies, Read More

A Year of Gratitude – July 18, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – July 18, 2024

The garden has so many lessons to teach us. Today, I found my gratitude for the lesson held by this gorgeous lily. It’s lily season here in our gardens. Thanks to my mom, a true lover of every sort of lily, we have dozens of Read More

A Year of Gratitude – July 17, 2024

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 Read More

A Year of Gratitude – July 16, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – July 16, 2024

My gratitude came to me while standing in the blistering sunshine and picking fresh raspberries. It was so hot and humid. It felt miserable to be standing in our berry patch, the sunniest spot in our garden. Yet the longer I stood there, the more Read More

A Year of Gratitude – July 15, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – July 15, 2024

I found this bit of gratitude growing outside the door of our public library. This hydrangea is positively covered with large flowers in this gorgeous violet color. I was in a hurry when I stopped at the library today. I had a particular book I Read More

A Year of Gratitude – July 14, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – July 14, 2024

My gratitude was waiting for me in the shade of the barn this morning. The sun was so bright and the air was so hot and humid that I was happy to be standing in the shade of the old barn. As I was standing Read More

A Year of Gratitude – July 13, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – July 13, 2024

My gratitude was waiting for me in the berry patch this morning. It’s raspberry season and the berries are plump, ripe, and ready to be picked. Raspberry season is a sign that July has arrived. You can nearly mark the date by the ripening of Read More

A Year of Gratitude – July 12, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – July 12, 2024

My gratitude came by way of a reminder today. I was looking for a photo on my phone and came across this one. It’s from 2018, a time that feels like it took place in a different world. I took this photo one evening while Read More

A Year of Gratitude – July 11, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – July 11, 2024

I stepped outside into the heat this morning and felt the urge to complain. My gratitude is for seeing these gorgeous balloon flowers and deciding not to. These purple flowers were at my feet a few steps away from the mudroom door. In spite of Read More