Grateful for Blossoms of Spring

For me, it's the burst of blossoms that truly herald the Springtime. Trees that may look like they could never come back to life throughout the winter months suddenly explode with color and delicate growth.

When I was a kid, my Mom told me about the flowering cherry blossom trees in Washington, DC and how they fill the city with a soft beauty each year. She always made it sound like such a magical sight. I don't have to be in DC to experience the magic and beauty of the flowering trees. What a visual delight!!

I am thankful to live in a world with such wonderful visual surprises, made even more impact-ful by arriving just after the winter.

This is Day 20 of the Thirty Days of Gratitude.

Grateful for Spring

What a wonderful season this is. Spring is full of new growth and signs of new life. The landscape becomes dotted with brilliant colors and there is more opportunities to spend time outside. People begin to come out of their winter home cocoons and enjoy the sights and sounds of Springtime.

I am so grateful for this time of year, and for the fresh Spring air and the song of the birds.

Today is Day 19 of the Thirty Days of Gratitude.

10 Gratitude Quotes to Begin the Year

Happy New Year!!

Here are 10 gratitude quotes to help you start the year off with a little inspiration of the grateful kind.

"Gratitude is one of the sweet shortcuts to finding peace of mind and happiness inside. No matter what is going on outside of us, there's always something we could be grateful for." - Barry Neil Kaufman

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful." - Buddha

"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." - Albert Schweitzer

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is

the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."

- Denis Waitley

"When we lose one blessing, another is often, most

unexpectedly, given in its place." - C.S. Lewis

"Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from." - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.” - Albert Schweitzer 

"We should certainly count our blessings, but we should

also make our blessings count." - Neil A. Maxwell

"What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it - would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have." 

- Ralph Marston

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." 

- Eric Hoffer

The Gratitude Habit: Image Play

Four Days to the Book's One Year Anniversary!!

Almost two years ago, after becoming immersed in gratitude, I spent an afternoon playing with the camera and some scrabble pieces. I had fun placing the letters on several of my paintings, spelling out thankful, grateful, thanks, and gratitude. That was during a period of time when I became involved in every gratitude activity I could think of. This was part of the process of filling my world with gratitude from morning till night.

This image is one of the photos I took during that afternoon and I would love to create another photo shoot to play with words and images once again. I will post something if and when I do.