Thanksgiving Thoughts

Give Us This Day

Give Us This Day ©2009 Bo Mackison

Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse. ~ Henry Van Dyke

No matter the circumstances, there is always much for which to be thankful:

For the new dawn breaking in the eastern skies;

For the trees standing in silhouette, its stark beauty of a tree readied for the winter as it follows nature’s rhythm’s in preparation for new life;

For the earth in readiness for winter;

For my body in health, with the ability to stand and walk, to speak and sing, to think and write, to see and hear, to create, to take me where I need to go, to provide not only me, but for my family, my friends;

For those that love me and those that do not, I am thankful for the connections, the support, the lessons that I learn;

For all that I need and for much that I want.

I am thankful.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.  Bo also gives thanks for the Brownie Holiday Camera she received when she was 8 years old, a gift that was the genesis of a lifelong passion.


Patio Dining for Four

Table for Four

Table for Four © 2011 Bo Mackison

Machinery Row has a few hidden surprises worth knowing about. Sardines is a restaurant tucked behind the building – not much to see street side, but the view is lovely lake side. A close-up view of Lake Monona. I love the table settings on the outside patio. Enthusiastic diners occupied most of the tables — judging from the expressions of satisfaction and delight on their faces — but a couple of the tables were ready for new diners.

It is a sign of the times that there are paper sugar packets in the sugar bowl. I would have loved some paperless sweet stuff, but I do love the offering of the bits of bread. And the linens.

And I have been a dedicated fan of cloth tablecloths and napkins since I was a very young bride. Sherpa’s grandmother had a sense of style, and until she was in her 60s, she wouldn’t eat in a restaurant that didn’t use linens. As a young bride, when I entertained family, I would bring out the linen tablecloths, the matching napkins. It was nice, actually. Too often those lovely items stay carefully pressed and folded in bottom drawers and no one ever appreciates their beauty.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is currently working on an urban photography project, and discovering lovely new spaces and places in Madison.