Thankful for:

discovering patches of green moss breathing beneath quilts of brown crinkled leaves

large paper leaf bags I can only get fully open if I “wear” the bag and punch out the corners

piles of leaves; brittle; holding remnants of resplendent colour; leaf-blizzard as I twirl, arms out, scarf flying

flurry of birds returning to our yard for the winter; recognizing “old friends” among them

apple-crisp breeze with hints of frost and snowmen (or snowwomen; snow-children)

first quilt of snow; clouds of steamy, shoveling breath

Ten Things of Thankful for the weeks of November November 12 to 26, 2018.

And, tomorrow is #GivingTuesday. On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and the shopping mayhem (virtual and real) of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, think about others. Visit #GivingTuesday for ideas on how you can give back to the community. Pay it forward and back. Give of yourself, your time, your energy, your compassion, your caring.

Think of how thankful you and someone else can be as a result.

Some thoughts on giving and thankfulness:

William Arthur Ward: “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”  

Mother Teresa: “It’s not how much we give, but how much love put into giving.”  

Nelson Mandela: “There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return.”