Thursday, November 27, 2008

gratitude:


There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.- Ralph H. Blum


All our moments are last moments. We abide in the forever leaving of our own coming? We can put our hands together, palm to palm, settling here on the last leaf of our brief flight, and bow to the wonder of it.- Jen Jensen, Bowing to Receive the Mountain, 1997



Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.- Melody Beattie


Happy Thanksgiving family and friends! We have been thinking of all of you. We spent the beautiful late morning at Crystal Cove Beach intending to have a nice walk, but due to the incredible temperature ended up playing and napping on the sand. Later, we shared a marvelous feast with our friends Jeff and Nysa. (Nysa's mom did all of the cooking, so I was able to simply relax and enjoy.) Sam loved the feast, particularly the pumpkin pie with whip cream. As my boys are already fast asleep, I just wanted to take a moment to marvel at some of the blessings in my life:
  • family-what a gift to create a family with someone you love. I also find it fascinating how the immediate family unit shifts throughout the generations.
  • little ones-from the first breath to the present is so rich with life. This fullness is sometimes more challenging than anything I have experienced, yet it is this struggle that brings so much joy.
  • health-this body, this mind, this spirit, this breath, this earth, this sky, this sun, this moon, this ocean, this mountain, this bird, this flower....we are all connected. I am in awe of the female body through pregnancy and labor doing exactly what it is designed to do, and so thankful for the tools and trust that have been passed down to me from my mother.

Blessings to you on this beautiful Thanksgiving Weekend.........

3 comments:

The Minert's said...

Jenelle, what a beautiful message you have given, you are such an amazing woman...i am thinking of you on this evening as you are probably working on bringing another special spirit into this world...sending you our love, Summer

Russ and Julie said...

Jenelle,
I agree with Summer. We are sending you so much love during the birth of your new little one. What a lucky baby to be raised by you!
Thinking of you.....Julie

The Slothower's said...

As always, you are such a breath of fresh air in my life. Thanks for all your wonderful messages of gratitude. I love how you mention in the second quote about each moment being a last moment...only moments before your family of 3 became a family of four. I am glad the three of you had time to be alone on the beach and to enjoy some time together before Evan's arrival. I am sure those moments will be forever treasured. xo