Stopping to Give Thanks

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it is the holiday that asks only that we stop for a minute and look around at all the good that is in our lives. Today was exactly the kind of day that deserves gratitude. A gorgeous walk in the woods with our dogs, a lovely Thanksgiving lunch with my parents, a trip to the zoo to see the 5 baby Amur tigers lazing in the sun and pestering their mother, the wonderful movie Australia, and back home again. So what if the heater isn't working. The weather is unseasonably warm and the chill in the house just reminds me how lucky I am that most days I take a comfortable temperature in my home for granted. My prayer today is a simple one - thank you.

Dog on my lap

I wanted to begin this blog to chronicle all that is beautiful in this world and to keep track of the things that bring me great joy - sometimes without me even recognizing that such joy is occurring. For instance, I have a little dog. She is often dirty from rolling in the yard, frequently exasperating when she stands just far enough away that you can't get a hold of her to bring her inside, frightenly jealous of her older dog brother, but she is really, really cute. And it brings me the kind of joy that I don't want to make too much of a point of when she hops on my lap when I am typing at the computer and drapes her body over my left arm and falls into a deep sleep. I don't want to make too much of a point of it because Olivia, that's her name, would be less likely to do this if she knew it was making anyone other than herself happy. I'll just keep this to myself......