wordy wednesday...gratitude {november 30, 2022}

For me, Thanksgiving and November emphasize living with an attitude of gratitude. Thanksgiving and the month of November are a tag team to appreciate the little and big things that have come into my life. Regardless of its size, each blessing carries value in enriching and expanding my perspective. As November ends, I reflect on the many blessings that this month has put along my path and for them, I am grateful.

🍁 Autumn walks...Mother Nature's grand finale. November is a time when everything bursts with its last beauty.

🍁 A friends' trip to South Bend, Indiana for the Notre Dame/Clemson game. We Airbnb'd in a professor's home, the coolest Mid-Century home which stayed in character with its time: The furniture, cabinets, bathrooms, the wall of windows overlooking the wooded backyard, the artwork. I would go back to South Bend just for the reason of staying in this house again. Then there was the football game. Getting to the lot early to tailgate, walking around the stadium to find Touchdown Jesus, the Notre Dame a cappella singers singing "The Notre Dame Victory March," "Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame..." Walking into the stadium and basically standing for the entire game. The Fighting Irish posted a solid win over the Tigers, 35-14. Sunday morning...we took a walk around a very quiet campus. A friend of ours who is devoutly Catholic told us that "Notre Dame is second in line to the Vatican." We found the Grotto and lit a candle to celebrate the departed members of our family, walked around the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and just took in the aura of this iconic university. 

🍁 The full Beaver Blood Moon and all that came with it: a lunar halo, its reddish color, and its lunar eclipse.

🍁Taking a walk at Sugarcreek MetroPark and watching a husband and his son take their wife/mother who had dementia on a short stroll. She reminded me of my mom and we struck up a short conversation. She was a feisty little lady from Brooklyn who wasn't sure why they were walking in the woods. I asked her about living in New York and she had a few stories to tell. Dementia is a tough journey.

🍁 Our daughter is engaged! T got the best 65th birthday present, a future son-in-law. Our family has grown in 2022 with a son-in-law joining in April, a grandson in June, and now the promise of another to add to the family dynamic.

🍁 A very talented artist friend posted a photo of an abstract she recently created, "It's All about Love." The title was perfect for an engagement gift and I bought it on the spot.

🍁 Little grandson is 5 months old and is starting to notice the world around him. He always smiles when he sees his Didi and that just sets everything in the world to rights.

🍁 The Tree of Lights at Carillon Park. This 200 foot tree with 20,000 bulbs is the largest in Ohio and can be viewed from so many vantage points around town. We took a family photo at the tree. Little grandson was mesmerized by the lights. The magic of Christmas through a child's eyes...

🍁 All the kids and their loves were in town for Thanksgiving. The driveway was full of cars, every bed was full, nine people around the table and little grandson in his bouncy chair. Good wine, good food, lots of laughs, full tummies. It was a perfect day.

November and Thanksgiving provide just the right path to segue into the Christmas season.