THANKSGIVING WEEK IS UPON US….the years are flying, ladies..hold on with both hands!
I’ve many things to be thankful for this year…but then again, I have many things to be thankful for every year…even the not so good ones.
I practice gratitude, a concept that dates as far back as the bible, where Paul instructs “In everything, give thanks.” Buddhists also consider gratitude one of the most important dharmas for fruitful living in daily life.
Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of the book “Simple Abundance”, ignited a million woman gratitude movement in 1995, and I’ve never looked back.
Sarah reminds us, through her work, that there is beauty and bliss in the simplest of things…
A really good cup of coffee..
A baby’s laugh..
A heavenly pair of cashmere socks..
A decadent TV show..(think Downton Abbey!)
So the first thing I am grateful for this season is that I have re-purchased Sarah’s books, (my originals are long-lost in two moves), and I am currently savoring my favorites..
“Moving On” helped me tremendously when I was selling my home of many years and downsizing…It reminded me, page after page, that there is beauty everywhere in the big AND small, if you look for it…
(Here’s some quiet beauty I have found in my new little home….Sarah is right again!!)
“Romancing the Ordinary” is my other favorite…I love the ordinary moments where you see, smell, hear or taste something that just elevates your mood to joy….those are the best moments…
and they are all around us, everyday, if we look….
The next thing I’m grateful for is another book I am loving..
It’s the latest from the brilliant writer, Alice Hoffman, whose work I’ve loved since “Practical Magic” in 1995. “Faithful” is the story of the power of love, generosity and redemption when the world looks bleak and you are out of resources.
A timely book, indeed!
Next is the new eight part series on PBS, called “Soundbreaking”…if you are a music fan, DO NOT MISS THIS
It traces your favorite music back from it’s inception to the studio, where the magic happened…what a treat to watch!
How did “Yesterday” become the classic beauty it is? How did Phil Spector’s famous “wall of sound” come to be? How many studio musicians did it take to make “Pet Sounds”? All the way up to today’s rap, this series is a stellar behind the scenes look at “how the soup was made” in the studio, with the help of a few genius producers. Great series, three crowns up!!
The next thing I’m thankful for this week is a lovely body lotion I stumbled upon in a gift shop in Meredith, New Hampshire while on a retreat. I left my own lotion home, and was looking to find something to use for a few days.
I bought this lotion, and will be ordering it on-line for years to come.
By a company called Naked Bee, this Orange Blossom Honey lotion is a real treat. It’s made from organic aloe and sunflower oil, honey and green and white tea, it applies like a blanket of softness, and smells INCREDIBLE! Like an orange grove in the sun. I put it on before bed, and the scent sends me off to dreamland, instantly erasing the stresses of the day.
Hard to feel bad when you smell so good!
I will be trying the Chai Tea, Grapefruit Blossom and Lavender Beeswax lotions in the future..and maybe even the Nag Champa one if I’m feeling adventurous.
Next I’m forever grateful to Ina Garten, the fabulous Barefoot Contessa for bringing my humble cooking to the next level. I’ve never made an Ina recipe that hasn’t been perfectly delicious, and I doubt I ever will…she’s that good.
Here’s one of her recipes I’m making to bring to my mom for Thanksgiving…a sweet treat for a hardworking caregiver….
Recipe here…
https://barefootcontessa.com/inas-world/chocolate-bark
Thank you, Ina, for all the books and shows. I’m a grateful cook!
Finally, I’m grateful for my family, and my three sons, all wonderful works in progress….but this Thanksgiving, I’m most grateful for the THE most patient man in the Free World, my best date, my husband Ed….and the Bruno Mars tickets he scored for me last week didn’t’ hurt!!
Yeeeeoooww!!!!
Have a blessed Thanksgiving and treasure what’s good. It’s all around us…~
Wear Your Crowns 
Happy Thanksgiving to you Kathy! I love the look of your new place. It looks so warm and cozy. I too love that book “Simple Abundance”. Lucky you for receiving tickets to Bruno Mars. He rocks!!!!!!
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