In the month of November, we find ourselves being more grateful for what we have all month long. As gardeners and homesteaders, most of us have harvested our gardens, but are still processing some of the harvest. November may find us still pickling peppers, making jalapeno or other end-of-the-season jelly or jam. We are thankful for what was productive in the garden and have probably forgotten what didn’t thrive. Many have still been harvesting garden greens, but that may be ready for the compost now that most of us have been hit by a killing frost. We look back on another successful garden with gratitude for the sunshine, the rain, the seeds we saved from the year before, the extra produce shared by a neighbor, and our own ability to be capable of weeding, hoeing and harvesting.
“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” — Mercel Proust
What a good reminder: it is our partner, our family, our friends and neighbors, our teachers and pastors who make us happy and bring smiles to our faces. Let us be continuously grateful for these charming gardeners. Not just during harvest and the month of Thanksgiving.
Being grateful isn’t just remembering to say thank you when somebody does you a favor, or gives you a compliment, or gives you a gift. It is also present in your inner thoughts, your attitude and behavior throughout the day. You can be thankful for a beautiful sunset, sunrise, cloud formation, or a fresh burst of rain. You can be grateful for your family members throughout the day, just by remembering an experience you shared, a conversation or looking at a photo of a special memory.
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” — John F. Kennedy
What a great quote from John F. Kennedy. He is reminding us to live by expressing gratitude, in everything we do. When we are healthy, see clearly, are able to walk or run or cook or write or play our favorite sport. When we are able to read, or drive, or just dust and vacuum, these are all gifts, be grateful.
When you go to the neighbors to pick up walnuts under their walnut tree, and they offer you a bucket of just-picked fresh flowers, of course, you are grateful and you say, ‘thank you.’ Take them home and make them into several beautiful bouquets to enjoy all week. It is when you appreciate those flowers every time you look at them that you are feeling the gratitude, not only of their beauty, but for the sharing of your neighbor, and possibly most importantly, for your gift of sight and your gift of understanding what beauty truly is.
“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
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