Thank you notes – September 2019
It’s easy to get so caught up in the hustle of life that we forget to appreciate the small miracles that happen every day. I created the monthly Thank You Notes post to help me relive the happy moments, savor the gratitude, and share them with you. I hope they also inspire you to think about what you have to be grateful for and share them with us.
Thank you Gloria Falls…
for a beautiful morning hike. It truly was glorious. Thank you once again EMI Health for the Wellness Challenge, which introduced me to so many amazing hikes close to home. Thank you Larry for joining me and snapping the requisite peace-sign pic. (That’s a requirement of the challenge.)
Thank you Piper…
for requesting donuts for your birthday party. They were delicious! Thank you for still being willing to cuddle with Grandma, even though you are now double-digits, as you so often remind me.
Thank you Jenny…
for the U cookies to go along with the Utah/BYU rivalry game–or the Holy War, as we call it in Utah. Thank you Utah Utes for making it nine in a row! Sorry Dad, that’s a lot of lunches you owe Connie when we meet again. Enough said about that. I’ll finish my gloating in private.
Thank you Hawkes Landing…
just for being there with all your peace and tranquility. Thank you Mother Nature for this stunning show in the sky each day and night. Thank you Larry for convincing me years ago it was worth taking out a loan (which has long since been paid off) to have this place of refuge.
Thank you healthy body…
for carrying me across the finish line of one more race. Thank you to all the volunteers who made the Swiss Days 10K such an enjoyable race. Thank you Larry for getting up early to deliver me to yet another start line and then hanging around waiting to cheer me across the finish line.
Thank you Pam and Ron…
for the jigsaw puzzle. It was a pleasant way to relax in the days after my race. It is such a satisfying feeling discovering where each piece fits, and it turned out beautiful. I hated to take it apart, but I wanted to share it with my mother and sister.
Thank you Colette…
for taking me on my first difficult-level hike of the challenge, Timpanogos Cave. My calves aren’t thanking you at the moment, but they are overruled by the rest of my body and spirit.
Thank you sisters…
for the lovely brunch at Cliff Dining Pub. The food was delicious, the views delightful, and the company was marvelous. I couldn’t ask for a better combination.
Thank you rain…
for the much-needed respite from the long hot, dry season. We were even rewarded with a rainbow, though this picture I took through the window of my car doesn’t do it justice.
Thank you Starbucks…
for my first pumpkin spice latte of the season. Thank you Mother Nature for the hint of fall, with a cool rain on a Sunday morning. Perfect PSL weather.
Your turn
That’s it for me. I hope you will share some of your feel-good moments from this past month in the comments. Here are some questions to get you started.
- What made you smile this month?
- What will you do to inspire joy today?
- What’s on your mind–anything at all. I just love to hear from you.
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Shared on the GRAND Social and #MLSTL.
I love all of your thank yous, Christie.
I was dreading the big rain that is predicted for our section of the island this afternoon.
Now, I will try to view this through your (grateful) eyes!
Hello Donna. Right now the wind is really blowing here and the skies are dark. It makes me grateful that I do not live an area prone to hurricanes or tornadoes.
I really like your habit of looking for things to be grateful for each month. I love the scenery in Utah. I have most just driven through on my way to California, but I am always in awe of those majestic rocks! I am grateful for my family, and for my home and for the simple pleasures s summer- fresh fruit, veggies from the garden, long days and beautiful sunsets!
Thank you Michele. I am blessed to live in such a beautiful state. If ever you are in Utah and have time to stop, I’d love to meet you. Your gratitude list is lovely. Those are all things I am grateful for as well.
Hi Christie
What a fun month! Looks like you are living a healthy & happy life! I have always wanted to visit Utah. I am hoping one of these days soon to do some hiking there.
My daughter plays soccer for U of P and BYU is in our WCC league. Looking forward to that!
1.Vacationing on the Olympic Peninsula definitely made me smile!
2. I inspired joy today by meeting my daughter and granddaughter and I gave my granddaughter a bracelet. She was certainly joyous!
3. Upmost on my mind is my health: I am going to join a CrossFit class (scary!) and start back up with yoga.
If you make a plan to visit Utah, Theresa, let me know. Maybe we could go on a hike together. I bet the Olympic Peninsula was beautiful. Aren’t granddaughters the best? So nice of you to give your her a bracelet. Good luck with your CrossFit and yoga. I have a feeling you’ll do great.
Lovely Thank Yous, as usual! You have much to be grateful for (and if you do get sick of the rain, please send it down our way… I’d be very grateful for that!).
Thank you Janis. We’ve been dry for a long time, so I understand what you’re saying. We got rain again today and more is expected tomorrow. Hopefully, it won’t stick around long enough for me to get sick of it. 🙂
I always love your thank you notes. Such a wonderful reminder of how easy it is to be grateful. I’m thankful that Dorian skirted up the coast of Florida and didn’t have an impact on Orlando.
Thank you Jennifer. I’m so glad you are safe and didn’t suffer any damage. My heart goes out to everyone in the Bahamas.
I love all your gratitudes and thank you’s this month Christie, from the tiny to the huge. Sometimes it’s the tiny moments we miss and overlook isn’t it? The big winning occasions stick in our mind but it’s the cumulative effect of all the little things to be thankful for which can make a day so special. For me …. What made you smile this month? The beautiful spring flowers and yellow wattle springing up.
What will you do to inspire joy today? Visit my husband in hospital as he’s just had a knee replacement.
What’s on your mind–anything at all. Worrying about my Mum in England.
I couldn’t agree more, Jo. Life is made up primarily of a string of small moments. If we can seize the joy in those moments, it’s a beautiful thing. I do love spring flowers. We’re headed into fall, so it’s the changing leaves I’m looking forward to now. Best wishes to your husband for a speedy recovery and to your mum. We’ve just arranged for home nursing for my mother, which drives home for me that she is aging and her health is failing. It’s a challenging time of life. Be sure to take good care of yourself!
Hi Christie – I loved your gratitude post (as always) and I’m thinking that the donut birthday cake was an excellent idea! Easy to share and donuts always go well with a cup of coffee to recover from all the birthday fun and frivolity.
I enjoyed seeing your race pics again and that you’ve also been out being social and generally having a great month.
Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 🙂
Thank you Leanne. It was a great finish to the summer. So much to be thankful for, including the connections I’ve made through #MLSTL!
I too really enjoyed our girls brunch and I’m grateful we’re sisters.
My daughter got baby chicks and watching her little kids hold and kiss them made me smile.
I took cookies I baked to work and randomly gave them to coworkers-hopefully inspiring joy!❤️
Having been the recipient of some of those cookies, I know you spread the joy with those! Thank you for making a special trip to see that I got mine. I love you sister!
What a lovely idea. I once followed a writer and blogger for whom every single blog post was themed around ‘gratitude’. Each was ‘I’m grateful for…’ and I thought it was such a lovely idea. It meant each post had a positive spin, even if the content was a little negative!
Hello Deborah! Thanks for visiting. I like the idea of a blog that starts every post with “I am thankful for…” Even in the worst of times, there is something to be grateful for. I don’t mean you should go around with an artificial smile on your face, forcing cheerfulness. But even in sorrow, you can take a moment to feel gratitude for the fact that you are alive, that you’re breathing, that the sun is shining or the rain is watering the flowers…that someone loves you or you love someone. There is always something. Have a lovely, gratitude-filled day!
Beautiful post, Christie. I love learning a little bit about people through their photos and experiences. Family time, relaxation, competition, nature, beauty…you experienced it all! #MLSTL
It was a great month, Candi, and a fitting end to the summer. I also enjoy those slice of life posts or the little personal tidbits that work their way into other posts. They let you connect more fully and get to know one another. Have a lovely week!
Love your gratitude posts. And so mad at myself that I didn’t have my phone out taking photos this past weekend…. so many missed photo opportunities. I have got to start documenting some things so I can post similarly. Past weekend – I met a blogging buddy IRL! We had a full family gathering (my side – we are only 11 people, but live in 3 different states and last time all together was 10 years ago). We celebrated the adoption of my newest great-nieces. We had an uneventful drive there and back (9 hours each way) – uneventful is something to be grateful for on long drives!
I forget to take photos a lot too, so thankfully this month, I had plenty to choose from. It sounds like you had a wonderful month, spending time with friends and family. And, yes, I always consider an uneventful car ride as something to be grateful for!
As always, a wonderful post. Now for mine…
1. What made you smile this month?
My book fans – I have a FB group for them and they are helping me choose the title and book cover of my next book. I love their enthusiasm.
2. What will you do to inspire joy today?
Celebrate my oldest son’s birthday, 9/11 – hard to believe he is 53. I remember going home from the hospital on my 19th birthday with him in my arms.
3. What’s on your mind–anything at all. I just love to hear from you.
Today is 9/11 and the horrors of that day always make me reflect on things. So, for my peace of mind, I will stay off most social media today.
#MLSTL
I’m so glad you enjoy the Thank You Notes posts, Donna. That’s great that you have a FB fan page. I’m sure the support and enthusiasm adds to the whole author experience. Isn’t it crazy how fast time flies! My oldest daughter is 38, and it seems like I just brought her home, blinked, and she was grown! Today is a difficult anniversary. I am commemorating it by spreading kindness, turning away from all violence–in thought, word, or deed–and remembering the Buddha’s loving-kindness teachings: “May all beings be safe. May all beings be happy. May all beings be healthy. May all beings be whole.”
It’s so hard to see the positive sometimes. Your post is a good reminder that we have a lot to be thankful for. I’ll try and apply that to my daily life from now on. 🙂
Being grateful in the difficult times is not always easy. I find daily gratitude practices help set that as a more natural reaction. Do you keep a gratitude journal or have some other practice that steers you toward the positive? It’s a simple thing, but when done consistently, I find it helps.
Your thank you note posts are among my favorites. Thank YOU!
You are most welcome, Leslie.
I always like your thank you notes, Christie! Kindness always seems a part of who you are, and yet you are conscious of all the good surrounding us. And yes, it does inspire me to be grateful. A wonderful, feel good post on every level, Christie! As for me, I also could write pages and pages, and yet I, too, need to be aware:) xx
Thank you for the kind words, Erica. I am happy to hear that you have so much to be grateful for and that you recognize that. Happy a happy gratitude-filled day!
I admit I look for your Thank You Notes posts and this one did not disappoint. Congratulations to you on your fitness achievements. I too have a granddaughter turning 10. I’ve had 2 others way past this special time marker but this one was someone we cared for 3 days a week till she started school. I won’t be seeing her as she lives 2 hours away but a card from us and some money into her dad’s bank account will do until we get to hug her again.
Thanks Christie. Really enjoy your posts.
Denyse #mlstl
That makes me so happy, Denyse. Sometimes the Thank You Notes posts feel a little self-indulgent. It’s nice to hear that you enjoy reading them. This 10-year-old granddaughter is the baby of the family and one we cared for in our home regularly as well, so it was an extra tender celebration. I’m sure your granddaughter will enjoy the card and the money until you can hug her in person! Have a lovely day!
I Love your Thank-yous Christie, and your gratitude for the little pleasures that compose your life.
The donut birthday made me smile…and I love seeing pictures of Hawkes Nest. I can sit on the dock at our cottage and feel much the same way. It’s my “happy place.”
Thank you, Nancy. Hawkes Landing is definitely my happy place. Because of our dog’s heart problems, we don’t get up there as much as we used to, but it sure makes me appreciate it more. Enjoy your week!
A lovely reminder of all that there is to be grateful for Christie, thank you – and for the photographs that brought a smile! I’m thankful for the sporadic rain in my neck of the woods, the view of the sea and mountains from my home, the food on my table, a comfortable home. The occasional coffee meet with my son, the smile of strangers – a sunrise and sunset, when my husband gets take-out for supper … have a lovely weekend 🙂
Susan, thank you for sharing your lovely gratitude list. So much to be thankful for. I hope you are getting some of all of that this week. Enjoy!
Lots to be thankful for and I see you finished the puzzle!!
What a wonderful list of good things that happened. I need to work on appreciating daily life and goings-on more. It’s time to dust off my gratitude journal. I got out of the habit but used to write down three things that I was thankful for every day.
Hello Kay Lynn. I love the gratitude journal as a way to help us focus on life’s small joys. Enjoy your day!