Gratitude Day #28 - 2018 - The Four Seasons

Gratitude Day #28

Today I am grateful for the four seasons.

No, not the singing group. Well yes, I do like them. But, that's not what I'm talking about.

I love living in an area where we have the joyful experience of sweet smelling springtimes, playful summertimes, the crunch of autumn, and hunkering down for the winter cold.

It would be difficult for me to live where it is either cold and dark, or warm and balmy all the time. I have experienced a sampling of that when:

1. We visited Russia. The sun didn't come up until 9:00 am, and by 4:00 pm, it was pitch black again. That would make for a very long night.

2. I have visited my sisters several times in the winter when they owned homes in Florida. No...I don't think I could get used to a hot Christmas or a decorated palm tree. We were also in Mexico during late fall/early winter. Christmas decorations were out, and I was sweating.

Now, this is me. I am pure Ohioan, so I am used to the change in seasons. I look forward to it. They each have their beauty, and their aggravating times, too.

I love springtime in Ohio -- because there is a "greening" of the fields and the woodlands that is not duplicated at any other time of the year. It is fresh and vibrant, and brings the earth alive. The songbirds wake us up as we begin sleeping with our windows open.

I love summertime in Ohio -- because Ohio is a playground. There are lakes and streams, hills to hike, trails to explore, and the sound of tree frogs and cicadas that sing us to sleep at night.

I love autumn in Ohio -- because the hills and the forests look like they're ablaze! Oh, they are so beautiful! And, when I walk through our yard, or at local parks, or even just out to our mailbox, there is that beautiful crunch under our boots as the earth is being put to sleep again.

I love winter in Ohio -- because we live in the country, and our snow is "clean". I can't stand dirty, black snow from scads of traffic. I love the smells of winter; the pine boughs, the candles burning, good food that is simmering on the stove or baking in the oven. Nestling down under blankets with a good book is one of my deepest joys.

I can find good in just about everything I see, because that is what I look for. Mom told me if I look for bad, I will certainly find it. If I look for good, there's plenty more of that.

So, tonight I am nestled in my warm home with a blanket on my lap, a candle burning close by, a computer on my lap, and a husband softly snoring. He will leave shortly for the Family History Center while I nurse broken toes.

It's a perfect evening.