on a day when gulls and geese were making their rounds through the sky...
the winds were calm... and temperatures were as mild as a spring day...
we are reminded to give thanks... to be grateful... for it is our thanksgiving day.
the merriam-webster dictionary defines thanksgiving as, "1) the act of giving thanks, 2) a prayer expressing gratitude, and 3) a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness."
in my estimation... thanksgiving needs to be an every day celebration - not just once a year. we need to have an attitude of giving thanks for what we have - great and small - all the time... for when we ponder it, the list would become rather long wouldn't it? family, friends, god, jobs or even no job, pets, food, money, hugs, plants, flowers, air, transportation, love, opportunities, freedom, chai tea... on it goes. all we need to do is look around every day and say out loud one thing we're grateful for and positivity would begin to flow - there would no longer be room for negativity to fill our lives... how wonderful that would be!
for me - i have faced several adverse situations throughout the year... but i have also been blessed by god's amazing grace and provision - watching him at work in my life in a very real and tangible way - which has enabled me to "give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. his love endures forever." psalm 136:1-3 in the face of difficult times - he has given me strength to remain joyful and hopeful that everything will work out... and in turn it has allowed me to continue being thankful... an attitude i will continue to strive towards and uphold daily - in praise of his name.
happy day.....
the signs are here now...
the time has changed on our clocks - "fall back..." we've gained that extra hour - nice though it is, it plunges us into darkness earlier in the afternoon...
the weather is changing, too... the heat of summer has finally given way to the cooler temperatures of autumn - and even chilly days of winter-like days... with some snowy storms already having hit making the reality of the cold depth of winter not far off.
the most telling sign of all - store displays - they no longer wait until after thanksgiving... for some reason, there is now a rush as soon as halloween is over - out comes the tinsel, the fake snow, the ornaments, the christmas trees, the christmas music... all set up on display in proud array on the floors. i'll never understand the hoopla to get it out there so quickly... but there it is - and of course, on its heels - the tv commercials have hit as well... encouraging one and all to buy now for their loved ones before it's too late. i don't know about you - but for me, it's too early - a bit much too soon - and i could do without it.
i prefer a simpler approach...
which is why i enjoy this other sign... the one of nature - in the form of a christmas cactus. that remarkably... has the ability to bloom right around the time of the holiday season... without being told it's that time - it amazes me. the buds begin coming out as these tiny little nubs - a bit of a thing that you're not sure is really a bud at all. until it grows and stretches out into wondrous blossom shapes... fun to watch and admire - glorious to see in action - a miracle to observe the final product...
see what i mean?
happy day.....
they flew off in a great number: honking wildly - wings flapping - webbed feet moving rapidly across the ground... to get away... from...
the dog! yes, a dog... that interrupted their peaceful interlude of sunbathing. they were minding their own business - not bothering anyone - nibbling at the grasses... when suddenly - a man decided it would be fun to unleash his dog - so it could go running madly into the midst of the geese... barking and raising a ruckus.
i didn't think it was funny. it was unnecessary to scare them in such a fashion - but i was too far away from him to say anything...
fortunately, the water provided an escape route for them... and they proved to move much more quickly than the dog - yay!
in the process... i got some great action shots of the flock of them - in various stages of their exodus. safety for them - pictures for me...
happy day.....
what a difference a few days can make... warm and sunny quickly transforms into cold and blustery - with the threat of snow no longer a threat but reality... turning the landscape into a premature winter wonderland. white, pristine; clean and pure...
taking the wonderful autumnal colors with it - leaving beautifully colored leaves on the ground... blowing in the wind. a touch of seasons to come and an errant gull flying through a darkened, mist-filled sky...
happy day.....
