One of the silver linings of journaling my thoughts in this blog is that it makes me actively look for little moments of beauty, of joy, of delight, of thankfulness for those blessings in my life that in past easier years I might have overlooked. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I found some colorful blooms of thankfulness this week which I want to remember when I am tempted to be discouraged surveying the current rocky patches of my life.

First, I was thankful this week for being able to share a Thanksgiving feast with my husband’s parents and grandmother. His parents both turned 80 years old this month and my husband’s grandmother is 99 ½ years old. That’s right, she will be 100 next June, still lives on her own and is just as sharp as people half her age. As we sat gathered at the table, pleasantly stuffed, my father-in-law recited from memory a poignant poem about the narrator’s recollection of going out to the countryside as a young boy to share a holiday dinner with a beloved relative. There were wonderful word picture descriptions of the old-fashioned jams, jellies and pies that still brought back “home cooked” warm loving memories to the narrator and I thought how we might ourselves look back one day with the same nostalgia for the Thanksgiving celebration we just had. We never really know when a holiday celebration will be the last one we will have with a relative and we need to treasure those times we do have. We joke that my husband’s grandmother will outlive us all but of course her time will come; I love her dearly and am so glad to have had all these years with her.

The second bloom of thankfulness I found this week was the opportunity to share a morning with my younger daughter as she posed for Senior pictures outside in a couple of different locations…one a rustic countryside background and the other on the grounds of a lovely local resort. I asked the photographer to take one picture of us together and he asked what I wanted the picture to say. I replied that I wanted it to be a “you are 18 and about to fly off into the world and I am going to miss you terribly” memory of us together. The photographer took several shots and whichever one we pick, I will treasure that picture for what my daughter means to me…independent, spirited, beautiful, determined and I adore her.

My last bloom of thankfulness I found this week was for a tiny bundle of cheerful energy that turned one year old this past week…my granddaughter. Her birthday celebration was held at the father’s family home and we all delighted in taking pictures of her exploring the taste sensations of her very own pink frosted chocolate layer cake. After a much needed bath (think pink frosting in the hair), we watched her “open” birthday presents while sitting on her father’s lap. Actually, her father opened them and she helpfully pulled at wrapping paper and seemed most enthralled with the cards, probably because they were just the right size for holding. As I looked around the room, I saw lots of friends and lots of family enjoying watching her and thought that although her birth mother, my daughter, was missing from that celebration, the room was nonetheless filled to the brim with love for her. I am so thankful for the caring support that she has in her life. May she always know beyond a shadow of a doubt how deeply she is loved.