On Thanksgiving Day – In Gratitude

Give Us This Day

Give Us This Day © 2010 Bo Mackison

Be thankful…

That you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.

~ Author Unknown ~
Thanksgiving Day, 2014

 

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.

—————-

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.


Turkey and Cranberries and Giving Thanks

The Star of the Show

The Star of the Show © 2011 Bo Mackison

The turkey is suitably browned and ready for the master carver to do his job.

Three Watched Pots

Three Watched Pots © 2011 Bo Mackison

The assistant to the chef is watching over the stove top. Whoever said three watched pots never boil wasn’t watching these pots.

Simmering Cranberries for Thanksgiving

Simmering Cranberries for Thanksgiving © 2011 Bo Mackison

The cranberries are simmering, soon to be a cranberry dish for the Thanksgiving table. We have stopped out travels long enough for a Thanksgiving Day visit with some special people we know.

Thanksgiving Day — perhaps the best holiday of the year. A holiday that is filled with meaning. Yes, there is the wonderful food as each cook puts his or her love into the offering of food. There are family celebrations for some, celebrations with friends for others, but the most important celebration is the one you can do alone, by yourself, no one else required.

I take time out of this holiday — filled with parades, football, a Thanksgiving feast, friends and family — take time and list that for which I am grateful. There is so much goodness in my life, and I am grateful. My life, my health. My spouse, my children, my family. My home and garden. I can go on and on. And I will — in silent thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

———

Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio. She knows that the cranberries in the photo strongly resemble baked beans, but she is thankful for any kind of photography.

Giving Thanks!

Window to My Heart © 2010 Bo Mackison

All the windows of my heart I open to the day. ~ John Greenleaf Whittier

I have much for which to be thankful. People who care about me, love me as I am. All the necessaries and many of the un-necessaries, too. A life filled with creativity and meaningful work. The big things. And, yes, the little things, too.

There is so much that opens my heart and fills my life with meaning. For that, I am immensely and deeply grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Be Thankful…That You Don’t Already Have Everything You Desire

Lotsa Color in this Corn

Variegated Corn © 2008 Bo Mackison

Be Thankful

…that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something.
This gives you an opportunity for learning.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
These are the times in which you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations.
They are opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for new challenges.
They will build strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things,
but a life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can turn into your blessings.

~~   Author Unknown

Thanksgiving Day, 2008