December 1 OLW blog hop: appreciating everyday blessings

Welcome to December!!! Holy moly, that’s nuts.  I hope you’ve had a relaxing week.

Our assignment: use photos as a way to connect with your word this month by either going back through your own photos since we did something similar in April or taking new ones as a reflection of where you are with your word at this time of the year.

This time of year is another opportunity to practice gratitude and to check in with ourselves and see how we’ve progressed (or not) with our personal goals.  I think I’m much calmer than I was at this time last year, and part of the reason is my chosen word, stillness.  Far more frequently than ever before, I notice special moments and pause to appreciate them and really savor them.  I know more than ever how blessed I am to have such a positive mental perspective, a loving and giving family, an abundant home, and cherished people and experiences.

Stillness through nature: I filled our backyard with twinkle lights to bring joy throughout the year; driving home one evening recently, I noticed a very vocal meeting of these birds; this past week, my daughter and I took a walk through every pile of crunchy leaves we could find.

Appreciating everyday moments: I am grateful to have art supplies, a camera, and my computer, as well as time to share my thoughts and creativity here on the blog; On Thanksgiving morning, my sweet girl went outside to get this huge newspaper full of ads and as she was walking into the house with it, I remembered a photo we have of my little sister at age 2 doing the same thing; dinner done by 9am – what’s not to appreciate about that? My mom sent me the recipe so I enjoyed thinking of her and all the meals she has made for us as I prepared this one.

Noticing the blessings: This cat simply does not sit on laps.  Period.  When I picked him up and practically stopped breathing so he would stay with me, I could not believe how lucky I was and had to try to get a picture to remember such a rare moment; this fountain helps me tune in to the sound of water, which is something that calms me; those little hands lighting the Chanukah candles fill me with awe.  She is growing up all of a sudden and I can’t believe how mature she is sometimes.

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Be sure to visit these other participants to see what everyone is up to. You can see other posts about my OLW project here.

Lee: http://thelinarstudio.typepad.com/embracelife/ (our amazing organizer!)

Cheri: http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Margareta: http://www.paperpilekitten.com/

Naomi: http://www.poeticaperture.com/ <— You are here.

Missus Wookie: mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com

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Come back on Wednesday to see what I’ve been reading this month!