Went to the Farmer’s Market in Lagrange, GA, this morning. Such a pretty drive. The trees on the sides of the highway were dancing in the sun that was beaming down through a beautiful myriad of green leaves. Made me think of a child’s kaleidoscope turning round and round with nature’s earth colors in wondrous patterns. The sky, full of cotton boll clouds, was light turquoise turning into azure the farther up I looked. I’ve decided to call these little round clouds I’ve been seeing, Puff the Magic Dragon clouds. Looks just like Puff puffed them out one by one and they are slowly gathering together, rolling across the horizon. Some of them are bright white, others slightly touched with gray, and one small one is floating alone in a light purple hue. Bet that little purple one is just learning the beginning rules on how to be a cloud.

When I got home I sat in the swing and pondered while I drank some sweet tea from a Mason jar. I had to move to the double rocking chair to get out of the hot sun. I know these summer days are soon to be over but these hot sultry summer days, full of bees and butterflies, are so beautiful. The faithful cardinals were back today. I wondered if they have been off consoling someone who needed them more than I do. I missed the Vatican of cardinals but enjoyed the single pair that have been hanging around. Did not see the blue birds today. Guess the hawk yesterday scared them away for good.

Mother Nature lent her watercolor brushes and palette to Father Sky tonight and he painted a sky full of mackerel clouds a beautiful peachy pink at twilight. The sun lay her head down in pale peach lights as Father Sky kissed her goodnight and left to hang the moon. The moon woke in a circle of mackerel clouds with pink and blue halos encircling him. I tried to get a photo but just couldn’t capture one sharp enough. Went back out a third time and the clouds and the halos had disappeared. I’ve never seen the moon so beautiful. You’ll just have to take my word for it. Some of nature’s beauty is so fleeting. If we don’t see it when it first comes, it’s gone with the wind.

Was thinking while I was sitting in the swing about how many things I take for granted. Actually, we take our life for granted. When we lay our heads down at night we’re not promised tomorrow. We wake and take for granted that we have breath. We take for granted the sun will rise and the stars will be pinned in the sky at night. We take for granted all the blessings that God has given us and forget to thank him in our prayers. Then something slaps us back and makes us realize how short life is and we realize we better get on board with being grateful for each day.

All the beauty that God gives us in nature and we just don’t take the time to look and appreciate it. We don’t have time in this fast pace life to enjoy life’s wonders. I didn’t notice all the everyday beauty of the sky and the clouds and the sunsets till I became a porch swing sitter. Retirement and the death of my husband have made me not takes basic things for granted.

I read an article today from The Environmentor that lists 20 basic every day things that we take for granted. Those 20 things are running water, transportation, access to the internet, electricity, shelter, health, books, access to health care, computers and cell phones, someone who loves you, trees, five senses, simple pleasures like riding with the windows down in a car or a good cup of coffee, the sun, homemade meals, proper nutrition, education, medicine, five senses, access to nature, and our opposable thumbs.

We Americans are spoiled. We’d have a hard time living in a war torn America. We run to the grocery store when we run out of groceries, we turn up the air conditioning when we get hot, and have a quarrellous time when the electricity is off for just a few hours. Just the simple task of opening a bottle of Advil when we have aches and pains is something to be grateful for.

But seriously, we all take for granted that our world will always spin on it axis and we’ll have access to all the commodities that make our lives run smoothly. We’re so busy working to make our lives better we forget that our lives are already beautiful. We are far more happier when we’re grateful for what we have. We only go through this life once, there won’t be a next time.

The most valuable things in our lives are the things we don’t appreciate. We lose sleep and obsess over things that honestly don’t matter. Our every day life is full of countless blessings and we have to make a conscious effort to truly see how blessed we are. First Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Gratitude will bring us joy.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough,” – Oprah Winfrey.