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Happiness often sneaks in a door you did not think was open 
To coincide with my 52 weeks of gratitude I joined up to write 31 days, where we pick a topic and write for the next 31 days. My topic is unexpected joy and I plan to write from both present and past perspective of the "unexpected joy" that fills my days.
Each day brings the opportunity to begin again and each month gives us a starting...

"The greatest tribute to the dead is not grief but gratitude" ~ Thornton Wilder
Week thirteen (September 18th -24th)
Finding peace
The promise of the season awakens a sense of renewal and I inhale an elative breath. The crisp air catches in my throat and I step into the abundant sun. Listening to the chatty sparrows pierce the air with song, a symphony of enchanting clatter as I drink in their...

Week twelve (September 11-17)
Fall is my absolute favorite season, and although it often feels like the shortest of the seasons it does not change my longing for the cooler days with layers.
A - AutumnB - BountyC - CiderD - DeciduousE - EarthyF - Family gatheringsG - GratitudeH - HayridesI -  InspirationalJ - JoyK - KindnessL - LeavesM - MaizeN - NovemberO - OctoberP - PumpkinsQ - QuiltsR -...

 
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can" ~ Arther Ashe
Week Eleven (September 4 - September 10)
I have been a dedicated runner for around eight years, a symptom of my quitting smoking and the inevitable weight gain. Since that time my goals have evolved and the gratitude in my abilities has wavered from unimaginable to unstoppable, and while I have flourished in countless...

"Running teaches me that I am capable of so much more than I ever imagined"
It was one of those mornings where everything delivered a sting of tears, from a cable station to a card, a movie preview to a photo, if asked to speak, fresh tears would surely fall. Where this emotional overload derived from I cannot say? Maybe a dose of anxiety while I attempt to distract the melancholy pangs on...

Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile and a grateful heart
Week ten (August 28 - September 3)
Each day I awaken with a new sense of gratitude when I notice the gifts that abundance delivers. A night at the camper revitalizes my love for nature, well except for those spiders, and I easily create lists of love. The simple moments of having my family together around...

"You've always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself"  ~ The Wizard of Oz
Week Nine (August 21 - August 27)
Recently I began a course on small courage from my friend Ruth Clark. Just the mention of discovering our courage reminded me of an earlier time when I was first provoked to seek the bravery within.
It was 2006 and a group of friends were planning a trip to New...

"Life is a balance of holding on and letting go" ~Rumi
Week Eight (Aug 14-20)
Summer has been non-stop with parties, weddings, travel and lots of running, and while I savor each and every piece of it, sometimes the overloaded calendar can be too much and I long for quiet. Unearthing time between adventure and avoidance is a bit of a balancing act that I continually struggle to achieve. Either...

"I run for peace, strength, health and balance. I run because I can and she cannot. I run because there are days when the heartache is impossible and I must extract something to be grateful for." 
 ~ Tina Zarlenga
Today marks three-years since the removal of Deb’s brain tumor, the timeline where doctors roughly estimate your recovery stalls to nothing, but that does not satisfy us, if there...

"Find your tribe, love them hard" ~Danielle La Porte
Week Seven (Aug 7-13)
This week has been filled with celebrations, the start of the Olympics and an amazing concert, opportunities that easily illuminate gratitude, but even on the good weeks I find myself extracting pieces of the past to the crossroads where choice changes us and pain corrodes what is left. 
Recalling the restarts, when...