Saying “thank you” through appreciation and paying attention: Waking up this morning to light coming through green tree leaves outside my bedroom.
And I’m grateful for Rozi and Keelor coming all the way from Hungary with their 3 children, visiting their mother–my dear friend for two weeks. I liked them immensely and wanted to show my appreciation and gratitude somehow, so I bought 3 different kinds of ice-cream which we enjoyed together tonight after dinner.
Many years ago
my father
almost died from infective endocarditis . . .
fortunately for him,
a new medication had just become available
which saved his life by a sliver.
He recovered,
except for a slight unbalance in his gait.
When it came time to renew his license plate and registration,
he made the decision
to order vanity plates for the car.
Living in the Southwest
it seemed appropriate to him
to say ‘thank you’ for his life
in words
that most people would understand.
The new license plates arrived in the mail . . .
bright red letters on a sunny yellow background . . .
”GRACIAS”
I still have one of those license plates,
given to me
after he stopped driving.
In recent years
I’ve been finding myself
saying, “thank you” under my breath
many times throughout the day . . .
when I wake up in the morning
and can see out of the window from my bed,
when I find my missing keys
(or anything I’ve misplaced),
when the custard for the quiche I’m making
comes out just right,
when my son
sends me a text,
when my care to a new plant
produces results,
when my husband arrives home from work safely.
It actually happens.
I actually do this,
and by no intended effort of my own.
This response
has slowly moved into my being,
I think,
simply from Practicing all these years,
and has become a part of my breath
and my heartbeat.
Allah Akbar.
Life is Good. ♥
By going to greet at church. Today I listened while a fellow greeter told me about St. Patricia, her patron saint. She also told me about her boarding school. She’s a talker. I was a listener.
As soon as I got out of bed this morning, I paused, bowed my head, & thanked Source for this beautiful new day.
🙏🏻✨🙏🏻
I will continue to say thank you as I go about my day.
Smile, be love, be kind & offer blessings to those who cross my path & my mind.😊🫶
🕊️❤️
By living fully and with attention. I’ve read poetry and am having coffee with my husband. The cat lies warm on my lap, having given up on watching the squirrel that was scurrying back and forth on our fence. Birds are calling all around the house. With the windows wide open to catch the cool air, I can hear them clearly. At some point I’ll do yoga, eat breakfast, and make a batch of blackberry chocolate chili jam. Later I’ll bike down to Nearly Silent Writing Club at the local bookstore.
I woke up today and made a papaya smoothie, then went outside to see the sun come up and listen to the birds and chipmunks while reflecting in my journal. I think this is enough to say thank you to my body and my planet.
I will walk onto my front porch, and bow deeply towards the East. Very grateful for a new day, trusting all that it will bring. Peaceful weekend to all☮️🌻
Earlier this week I had a few worries added to the mix and by yesterday those two worries became less heavy. The first thing I did before opening my eyes was say thank you specifically to those outcomes.
Prayer, saying thank you to the people that make a difference and passing kindness on our ways I say thank you.
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Saying “thank you” through appreciation and paying attention: Waking up this morning to light coming through green tree leaves outside my bedroom.
And I’m grateful for Rozi and Keelor coming all the way from Hungary with their 3 children, visiting their mother–my dear friend for two weeks. I liked them immensely and wanted to show my appreciation and gratitude somehow, so I bought 3 different kinds of ice-cream which we enjoyed together tonight after dinner.
Many years ago
my father
almost died from infective endocarditis . . .
fortunately for him,
a new medication had just become available
which saved his life by a sliver.
He recovered,
except for a slight unbalance in his gait.
When it came time to renew his license plate and registration,
he made the decision
to order vanity plates for the car.
Living in the Southwest
it seemed appropriate to him
to say ‘thank you’ for his life
in words
that most people would understand.
The new license plates arrived in the mail . . .
bright red letters on a sunny yellow background . . .
”GRACIAS”
I still have one of those license plates,
given to me
after he stopped driving.
In recent years
I’ve been finding myself
saying, “thank you” under my breath
many times throughout the day . . .
when I wake up in the morning
and can see out of the window from my bed,
when I find my missing keys
(or anything I’ve misplaced),
when the custard for the quiche I’m making
comes out just right,
when my son
sends me a text,
when my care to a new plant
produces results,
when my husband arrives home from work safely.
It actually happens.
I actually do this,
and by no intended effort of my own.
This response
has slowly moved into my being,
I think,
simply from Practicing all these years,
and has become a part of my breath
and my heartbeat.
Allah Akbar.
Life is Good. ♥
Gracias ☀️
🙂
Yes dear Sparrow, Life is Good.
Those sunflowers
are over 8 feet tall,
dear Joseph
and tower over me
like benevolent beings. ♥
ps. the sunflower reference
was related to my reflection from yesterday.
Try to live an authentic grateful day.
That’s rather, Brian. That’s “MarLoc Gets Straight to the Point” there in a nutshell.
Well said,
dear Brian. 🙏🏻
By going to Mass this morning and praying 🙏
Happy Sunday all 🌞
By going to greet at church. Today I listened while a fellow greeter told me about St. Patricia, her patron saint. She also told me about her boarding school. She’s a talker. I was a listener.
🙂
For me the thank you for each new day is the joy of soaking it in with a heart that sings back to the “creator” in appreciation and love.
As soon as I got out of bed this morning, I paused, bowed my head, & thanked Source for this beautiful new day.
🙏🏻✨🙏🏻
I will continue to say thank you as I go about my day.
Smile, be love, be kind & offer blessings to those who cross my path & my mind.😊🫶
🕊️❤️
Yes, Lovely PKR.
Lovely PKR ! Thank you 🙏
By living fully and with attention. I’ve read poetry and am having coffee with my husband. The cat lies warm on my lap, having given up on watching the squirrel that was scurrying back and forth on our fence. Birds are calling all around the house. With the windows wide open to catch the cool air, I can hear them clearly. At some point I’ll do yoga, eat breakfast, and make a batch of blackberry chocolate chili jam. Later I’ll bike down to Nearly Silent Writing Club at the local bookstore.
That combo of ingredients for the jam sound intriguing. My daughter in law makes jam with different combos but this is new.
Dropping the recipe link in case you happen to come back to this page, Yram https://biketoworkbarb.blogspot.com/2026/08/heating-it-up-hot-pepper-jelly-and.html. I had a lot of blackberries so I made a big batch. This will be great for giving as gifts, along with the Chocolate Cherry Jam I made earlier this year https://biketoworkbarb.blogspot.com/2026/07/cherry-cherry-good-pickled-cherries-and.html.
To love and be loved.
In the end,
Love is all there is,
dear Yram,
isn’t it? ♥
Psalm 118:24 invites us to choose joy, or “be glad” in our gratitude for another day. That is what I intend to do.
I woke up today and made a papaya smoothie, then went outside to see the sun come up and listen to the birds and chipmunks while reflecting in my journal. I think this is enough to say thank you to my body and my planet.
Thank you.
Stop. Look. Go.
Loving Kindness.
One day at a time.
🙏🏻
I will walk onto my front porch, and bow deeply towards the East. Very grateful for a new day, trusting all that it will bring. Peaceful weekend to all☮️🌻
A peaceful day to you also, Carla.
Earlier this week I had a few worries added to the mix and by yesterday those two worries became less heavy. The first thing I did before opening my eyes was say thank you specifically to those outcomes.
Prayer, saying thank you to the people that make a difference and passing kindness on our ways I say thank you.
I can say, “thank you,” and I can also smile. I can smile when I look in the mirror and also at everyone I encounter today.
Namaste ✨