Graditudes

This morning I went out to do chores and realized that yesterday, the entire day passed without me stepping outside. That is a rare thing indeed ! I was delighted this morning to step off the back porch and into the world of nature. The grass, newly mowed, wet with dew and I could feel the cold through my mud boots, we were under a frost advisory last night, it got down into the 30's. Yellow, purple, lavender and white iris rise up towards the sky, thick and heavy leaves at their base. The hollyhock are budding, soon to shower my view with color and a piece of old fashioned times. Hollyhocks are nearly forgotten in most modern gardens. Rose bushes are full of buds and a few early flowers. The scent of rosemary fills my head as I brushed against the bush, on purpose, it was a bit out of my way to brush up against it, but worth the effort. I did the same with the fennel and then the lavender. Strangely, it turned out to be a good combination of scents on my hand. The ducks swimming pool was the color of mud and the water had a thickness to it, time to dump it out and fill it up again. While it was filling I fed the chickens, cared for the baby chicks, grabbed an armload of alfalfa and headed off to the goats. Cinnamon and Nutmeg were glad to see me, or was it just the alfalfa they were happy to see ? I fed them their grain and put the hay in the manger. The scenery has changed so much in a months time, the trees are filled out with glorious green leaves, that dance and sway in the gentle morning winds. There are more shadows now too. Winters starkness has been replaced by greens and the golden sun shining on the new colors of the season. It stops you in your tracks, if you let it, if you stop to notice, if you stand in stillness for a moments time. I see the handiwork of Emery everywhere. Plants tenderly put in the ground for me yesterday, my own plans thwarted by this cold. Window boxes hung out front, with bright red geraniums standing tall in the middle, asparagus ferns on either side. I envision them a few months from now, full and looking a bit like the window boxes in Italy. Emery and I are always planning more plants, more garden areas. Color and life all around us, delighting our eyes, giving us places to sit together amid pretty things of nature. Its fun to have a leisurely meal surrounded by birds singing and flowers blooming, candles burning as dusk falls, wine glasses sweating in the summer heat. Soft laughter, holding hands and glances filled with the look of love.
I am grateful for my life, for the people in my life. The way my children call daily to see whats new, ask a question or share something about their lives. I am filled with gratitude for the love that fills every corner of my life. The blessing of being madly in love after 30 years, but having it seasoned with that comfortable feeling of being old friends. I am grateful for a new generation for which love overflows, knows no bounds. I am grateful for being content, not having to spend hours wishing for something more than what I have. I am grateful for my heritage, for the legacy of strong women with tender hearts. I am grateful for hope and for compassion shown to me over and over. I am grateful for my health and vigor and that my life is not filled with stress and worry. I am grateful for my life with all its fullness.