Grateful For The Extraordinary On An Ordinary Day


Two weekends ago, while my husband and I were sitting on the beach in Rhode Island, we were reminiscing of his parents and times past.  They had both been buried at sea a few years ago, right off of the coast where we were sitting.  Little did we know, that at that exact moment, as we watched the sun dance on the water and the waves crash against passing boats, we had another family member passing.  Another family member who we would later spend time reminiscing about.

It's funny how death brings about gratitude.  When you lose someone it suddenly shakes you into realizing how much you really have and how grateful you are for it.  It puts a speed bump smack dab into the middle of your day, stopping you from running on autopilot so you have time to look around.
So that you make time to look around.

That's what last weekend taught me.  I have, over the past few months, been caught up in the whirlwind of life and have completely forgotten about practicing gratitude regularly.  Saying "thank you" for each day's gifts regardless of the cards I've been dealt that day.

Take a minute-breathe-focus-live in the moment-and feel grateful.

You see it's easy to focus on how you wish things were.  I certainly fall into this - I wish my old carpet were replaced with hardwood, and my bathroom was finished, I wish I had more time during the week and my garden were weeded, etc. It takes more effort to focus on what you have.  And it's only through gratitude that we can bring more of that goodness we desire into our lives.

I am working on a daily practice of being grateful for extraordinary things on ordinary days.


Some of the things I'm grateful for on this ordinary day are:

  • Our dogs Oliver and Emerson
  • Our home - it's small, old, and full of charm
  • Fall slowly making it's entrance
  • Anything pumpkin
  • Family
  • Our cats Jackson and Cait {and all of Jack's crazy antics}
  • Our garden which provided us with extreme bounty despite being severely neglected
  • Slow-roasted meals on cold evenings
  • The Coop Girls and the eggs they leave us daily
  • Fall flowers
  • Our health
  • Our business and all the wonderful people we've met through it
  • Sunday mornings for it's slow pace after a busy week
  • Hot coffee on cold mornings
  • Sweaters and jeans
  • The warmth of the pellet stove
  • Friends
  • A good book
  • Day trips to Rhode Island
  • My husband
  • Daily laughter
  • The cucumbers that just keep growing in the garden, despite the cooler temps
  • Sleeping in {it doesn't happen often, but when it does it's a wonderful thing!}

What about you?  
What extraordinary things that may seem ordinary are you grateful for today?


This post is being featured as part of the Bella Grace blog hop which I am honored to have been asked to be a part of.  Bella Grace is a new magazine by Somerset and is devoted to "discovering magic in the ordinary".  Right up my alley.  It's a magazine filled with beautiful images and amazing writing.   


Disclosure: In an effort to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendations, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Thank you for your support and please know that I will only feature products I love.

22 comments

  1. Lovely post. You're so right about how losses help us hold on to and cherish what's right in our lives.

    I am so grateful for:
    the unending desire to learn
    a perfectly cooked egg
    hands that perform so many tasks
    being my own boss
    having a home I can call mine
    a warm blanket on a stormy day
    candlelight
    knowing that I am surrounded by loving energy
    friends who support me through anything.

    So much for which to be thankful!

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  2. I so enjoy your blog and can't wait to try your products!

    Kim Johnson

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  3. What a great post! I am one who lets life get me to busy. I worry about the things that don't get done, instead of being grateful for all of the things that got done! After watching good friends struggle with health issues, I am SO grateful for my good health!

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  4. I am thankful for my family, my church, my home, my health, the cooler weather, the friends and family coming to visit this month...

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  5. lovely post, photos and grateful list. thankful for the opportunity to win a copy of Bella Grace ~ it looks like a gorgeous publication ♥

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  6. I am grateful for my health, my family, my pet, my home and the list goes on and on. Thanks for the opportunity to enter the giveaway.

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  7. I am grateful to have discovered this blog which speaks to me of things that matter. I am grateful for my eyesight which allows me to read, to craft, to gaze on those I love, to exchange glances with my husband of 48 years so that we speak to each other without words & to drink in the beauty of God's world all around me.

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  8. No matter how busy I am, I ALWAYS take the time to read your blog posts. Your photos are beautiful; your stories about the pets always bring a smile to my face (especially Jack stories!); your stories about your farm are both entertaining and informative.

    I'm delighted you've been asked to be a part of a "Bella Grace". Your photos alone have been bringing "magic to the ordinary"!

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  9. I'm grateful for nearly the same things you are, including my husband, son and daughter-in-law (and my two little mini-dachsies!). Also very grateful for the internet and being able to browse sites like yours for ideas and inspiration!

    Have a great week!

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  10. Beautiful thoughts
    and pictures. Yes,
    "road bumps" will
    certainly haul our
    focus back to the
    gifts in our lives
    and away from the
    whirlwind : )

    Congratulations
    on your Bella Grace
    debut. It looks like
    an inspiring and very
    lovely magazine!

    xo Suzanne

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  11. Whoops--forgot to
    leave you a few of
    my own gratefuls : )

    I'm grateful for a
    silent house with
    a warm pup at my
    feet, a steaming cup
    of tea and the ticking
    of the wall clock for
    company!

    I'm also grateful for
    the balance of light
    and darkness that we
    are enjoying now, before
    the balance tips in favor
    of the dark as winter
    draws closer.....

    xo Suzanne

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  12. A close friend just lost her husband after a long illness. It has changed her profoundly and it has also changed me as well. I am grateful to have known her when she was enveloped in his love and to witness the joys in her life unfold. I appreciate the varied aspects of my life all the more as I sense her struggle to right herself in an anchorless sea of everyday normalcy that is anything but ordinary for her.

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  13. With limited eyesight I have had to learn to depend on others for help. I miss my independence of being able to depend on myself. Because of that loss, I love taking care of my golden and all of his antics. I am so grateful for your blog and the warmth it brings, as well as several others. But, i am especially grateful for Jehovah God's creation and love.
    Gus' Mom

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  14. Very well thought out list! Love your photos too - of course.

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  15. Oh Staci, what a delight it is to share the gratitude that my heart feels at this moment! As I have a window of time to create, after a busy time at work today, my heart is reminded that this time is a gift!! As I read your blog entry I just have to respond with my heartfelt grate-FULL-ness for the inspiration that you and others share through the many publications that Stampington & Company offer. With people like you writing your "story" I am inspired to live mine! THANK YOU for taking the time to share!
    Sweet Harvest blessings...~Sandie

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  16. You are all so sweet!! Thank you - each and every one of you, from the bottom of my heart, for such lovely comments. :)

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  17. I am grateful for the blessings of living in my Grandparent's old farmhouse.

    I am grateful that my whole family, Mom & dad, and my two brothers and two sisters all have homes in a row on my Grandparent's farmland.

    I am grateful for a family who likes to have breakfast for supper sometimes.

    I am grateful to live where I can experience the wonders of all four seasons.

    I am grateful for candlelight as the days grow shorter.

    I am grateful that the cold of winter is blessed with the warmth of the holidays.

    I am grateful for enjoying so many hobbies.

    I am grateful that here in the country the stars shine brightly.

    I am grateful for the wonder of planting a seed and watching it grow.

    I am grateful for photos of my ancestors to go along with their stories.

    I am grateful for coffee on the porch in the morning sun with a cat on my lap.

    I am grateful for those scents that instantly take you right back in time.

    I am grateful for more than could ever be listed.
    Life is full of blessings.

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  18. Staci, I enjoyed this insightful post, as always!! And I gave myself a swift kick in the rump while reading it.. lol. I do need to practice being grateful every single day. A loved one is battling cancer but doing well. I am thankful for advances that have been made in battling this horrible disease. I am thankful for my own health.. and I will continue to list my grateful items one by one while I'm finishing up morning chores :) Bless you and yours! -Tammy

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  19. I am grateful for my doggie greeting me at the door after a stressful day, when the ringing phone displays my daughter's or my dad's phone number, the sunshine, being able to make someone smile. This was a great thing to think about, thanks! I loved your post!!!

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  20. lOVELY BLOG! I AM THANKFUL EVERY DAY, FOR ANOTHER DAY.
    I AM THANKFUL FOR GOOD HEALTH, AND OUR LITTLE HOME, AND OUR GREAT NEIGHBORS, AND OUR GREAT TEXAS WEATHER.

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  21. I am grateful for people like you who make my day and show me how to be grateful for the simple things.
    Thank you.

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  22. Thank you so very much to all of you for such wonderful compliments and comments. :) You have no idea how much your words mean.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment on this post!