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This is a periodic blog feature I call “grace notes.” It occasionally captures my jottings of incidental gratitude. My hope is that this practice will make me (and you?) more aware of the constant flow of amazing good we are perpetually steeped in, which we are surrounded by all the time. It is here only asking to be noticed and amplified.

So now I am furthering my ongoing goal of appreciating such a continuous, overflowing abundance of random good. I’ve even taken photographs of some of them –mostly with my iPhone– which you can see in this post.

So let’s start this gratitude list with:

• zinnias (see photos)
• trees starting to change colors
• pervasive literacy
• creative costumes
• seeds
• kindergarten memories
• french braids
• Creative Arts Camp
• my big one woman show and all the help my husband gave me to make it happen
• meals out to celebrate, and meals out because I was too busy to cook
• cougars
• mastadons
• my high school abstract art class working in black and white (photo of one student below)
• chestnut pods dropped from trees burst open (photo above)
• blushing hydrangeas
• fall raspberries
• former Sunday School pupils becoming seniors in college (see photo)
• former Sunday School pupil getting married (see photo) and that his best man was a woman– his sister
• electricity
• pizza with mashed potatoes on it
• resting in God’s Love
• anchors
• dutch doors
• invisibility cloaks
• interested parties
• generous donors
• willingness to cooperate
• lemon macarons made by our daughter
• trusting God to be in charge of my busy healing practice
• supportive families everywhere
• polka dots
• crossroads
• farmer’s markets (see photos)
• cinderella pumpkins
• cloudscapes
• being stablished, strengthened, and settled
• dahlias from our yard (photo)
• a bumper crop of pears, one tree, two bushels worth
• loving my neighbor as myself
• creating new delicious recipes
• I signed up for IAPS next June and got my first choice of classes
• parking lot lines
• audio books from Libros.FM
• babies
• Byrds Books carrying my oblong sgraffito pottery plates (see photo)
• following friends and interests on Instagram
• questions
• being juried into the Connecticut Women Painters
• singing hymns
• enough rain
• a roof over my head
• the abstract pattern left after freezing carrot rounds (see photo below)
• fresh air, bright blue skies
• phone calls from daughters
• a clean kitchen floor
• roasted homegrown butternut squash
• creature comforts
• never ending flow of ideas
• new clients
• efficient manufacturing
• God meeting every need
• clean pastel boxes
• friends over for dinner
• sleeping well
• the inevitable healing of our nation
• listening before speaking
• the wilderness
• chamber music
• environmental stewardship
• small town charm
• ice cream after working hard
• keeping commitments to yourself
• generosity of spirit
• camping plans for next summer
• helpfulness offered without hope of gain
• harmonious compositions that are compelling as well
• happily married couples having wedding anniversaries (photo)
• little woodland vignettes (photo)
• popcorn with real butter at the movies
• the scent of cinnamon
• that matter is not self existent
• grilled swordfish (photo)
• gusty wind rattling and whooshing
• textured surfaces
• having a plan and working the plan
• eyes to see with
• light routinely driving out darkness
• more books that you can ever read
• the promise of productivity
• that time is not a factor in healing
• readiness with no hesitation
• satisfaction guaranteed
• the coming of the Christ to consciousness
• journal writing
• sparkling spring water
• sharing Christian Science at the Health and Wellness Fair
• humble honor
• awakening
• sassafras
• selling paintings
• reading
• slim waists
• all good going on
• home runs
• contrasting saturation
• friends that show up
• maestros
• toddlers in tutus, twirling
• improving from hard work
• a new ring from my sweetheart
• the sound of cowboy boots on marble floors
• webs of connectedness
• barometers
• purity, perception, and perspicasity
• unsnarled hair
• diligence and follow through
• the ability to text and email
• rope swings
• wonderful wanderings
• excellent teachers
• earnest authenticity
• everything in its place
• open hearted humanity
• and especially you, my dear blog readers

Add some grace notes of your own in the comments!

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