Thanks to Dawn Landau for making Gratitude a New Year’s Tradition. I’m happy to be taking part once more. 

“For the fourth year in a row, this is an opportunity to hit pause and focus on all the good things that each of us has in our lives. The holiday season has a way of rushing in, every year, and making it hard to remember that throughout the year, there are blessings. There are so many things that bring joy, so many happy things; yet it’s easy to find to lose sight of this fact, as we manage busy lives.”

To take part, set your timer for ten minutes and write 50 things you are grateful for. Once I started it was hard to stop. 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

1. My home – just celebrated our tenth year in our dream home. 
2. My husband – 46 years of marriage. 
3. My 3 sons who have all grown to be men I’m proud of. 
4. My granddaughter Olive
5. Her new sister Elsie born on my dad’s birthday, 12 November 2017
6. Olive’s adorable dog, Poppy
7. Friday Fictioneers – I’ve made so many friends through sharing stories, learning how similar we are in our hopes and dreams no matter where we’re from. 
8. What Pegman Saw…I took part in it this past year. Nice to have a different prompt and 50 extra words to play with.
9. My health
10. A nearby place to swim
11. The joy of swimming a mile, flip turning at each end of the pool
12. Counting backwards in Hebrew and Spanish to keep track of my pool lengths
13. My elliptical trainer for those times it’s too cold to get out of the house
14. A good hot shower after a hearty workout
15. A warm cozy room that serves as office and studio
16. Strong, hot black coffee in the wee morning hours when it’s still dark outside
17. My G-d who speaks in a still small voice during those quiet times
18. Abundance of healthy foods
19. A sense of humor, the ability to laugh at myself
20. My friends and family who’ll laugh at me if I don’t.
21. My synagogue
22. My dancing friends on our synagogue dance team
23. My rabbi, who knows the value of a good pun
24. My blogging friends
25. The internet and Skype friends around the globe
26. The ability to make people happy with my writing and art – I say this with gratitude for the feedback from others
27. My 6-speed Chevy Cruz that’s paid for
28. No longer having to punch a clock and the privilege of doing what I dreamed of doing as a child, ie being a professional artist
29. Some successful book signings and art fairs.
30. A growing number of art commissions.
31. Books to read and lose myself in
32. Music, all kinds (I won’t deny it, I love classical…particularly Chopin).
33. Being able to read and write Hebrew (more or less)
34. Taking time to enjoy the quiet
35. Good paintbrushes
36. My computers: desktop and laptop
37. Legs that still work
38. Smelling fragrances and odors, it means my olfactories works
39. The color PURPLE
40. Other colors beside purple 😉
41. The fresh smell after a rainstorm
42. Flowers, Daffodils being my favorite
43. My muse who tells me stories when I least expect it
44. My spinning mind that decides to go into overdrive when I want to sleep.
45. A good Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc
46. Gluten free pasta so I don’t feel deprived
47. Ozarks Writers League – OWL
48. All of my Wisoff cousins I never knew I had until we discovered each other online
49. Friends I’ve known since early childhood. It’s a rare blessing to share pictures of grandchildren with the same ‘kids’ I used to play hopscotch with
50. I can still turn a cartwheel.