It is the last Friday of the year and time to reflect upon all that I have to be thankful for this year.  As many people are doing, I am thinking about the past year and looking forward to what comes  next.  I am trying to bring the things that I have learned this year with me into the future and leave behind or release the things that no longer serve me in a positive way.  It is a wonderful feeling to be able to release those things that no longer work in my life and to realize that if we are a breathing, living, ever growing person, this is an ongoing positive process.
I have spent some time looking over my Friday's blog posts to see if what I wrote about each Friday  is what I remember most about this year. It is.  I am most thankful for the people in my life.  For my family, my friends, and for all of the people I have met this year on my continuing creative journey.  I am thankful for the time I have spent talking with people, sharing ideas and confidences.  I am thankful for the people who took the time to leave a comment on my blog or who emailed me personally with a thought or suggestion.  I am thankful for the writing teachers, art teachers and photography teachers who have taken the time to encourage me to keep creating.  I am thankful for Jamie Ridler's Circe's Circle, Circe's Tribe and personal wisdom.  Jamie and her wonderful groups of inspiring women have been a great sounding board throughout the year.  
It has been an interesting year full of learning.  I want to continue on this creative path and see where it will take me next.  I have decided that my word for the year is Trust.  So I trust that next year will be just as positive and exciting as this one has been.  It has been an awesome journey which I know will only get better as I continue to slow down and enjoy the special moments that I am taking the time to create each day.  I hope that you too will enjoy the moments that you are creating and share them with the world.  Please join me each Friday to share the things that you are most grateful for each week.
                                                        Have a wonderful, healthy, and happy New Year!
                                                                                                                            Ginny

The day after Christmas has always been a special day to me.  It is a time to relax and enjoy quiet time at home but it is also a day to begin to think ahead to what comes next.  This year I have been thinking a lot about what I would like to do next creatively.  I know I want to continue painting but I do think it is time to take my work to a new level.  I am not sure what that means but I do think it means painting more and working once again with a good teacher.  I have enjoyed just playing this year and I will continue to do that but I think it is time to to move forward and see what happens.  What next step are you thinking about taking  next year?

Friday is the day that I have set aside to reflect upon all that I have to be grateful for.  This week has been filled with special moments.  Nothing ranks higher than spending quiet time with my newest grandson.  He is such a calm peaceful baby and everyone who is lucky enough to hold him feels very peacerful after spending time with him.
Spending time in the park pictured above is also very peaceful.  It is like stepping back in time.  The last time we were there, families were taking pictures for their Christmas cards, children were waiting in line to see Santa, and young couples were  sitting on the steps of the gazebo holding hands completely oblivious to the world around them. It was Sunday afternoon and everyone was dressed in their finest.  I am very grateful that there is place so close that we can go to that transports us back to a time and place that does not really exist anymore. 
I love this season of the year.  Some people love the hustle and bustle.  I love the quiet moments and the time spent with family and friends.  Some people love the malls and the crowds.  I love small shops filled with unusual objects.  Some people love big parties.  I love small gatherings with family and friends.  I am grateful that there are so many opportunities for everyone to enjoy the season just the way that makes them the happiest. It is what makes the world so interesting.  We are all the same yet so very different. 
I hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday season and that you will take the time to enjoy all of the very special moments that will present themself to you each day.
                                                 What are you most grateful for this holiday season?

 

Jamie Ridler, of Jamie Ridler Studios has come up with another wonderful idea.  It is called the Hands Up How To Project.  She has asked everyone to write a post sharing something that they have learned that may make life a little easier for someone else.  Then she is going to put a link to each post on her site on Christmas Day.  Just think of how much good all of those wonderful ideas can be on Christmas Day.  Each post will be like opening another Christmas present.
I really thought about what to write today. For some reason, it wasn't easy.  But the thing I want to talk about is the power of gratitude.  I know we have all heard about how important it is and how being grateful for what we have can change our lives but I have truly experienced just that especially this year.  Several years ago my husband was diagnosed with a chronic disease which changed many things in our lives.  At first we were overwhelmed and than we were scared.  Little by little we became used to our new circumstances and adjusted to the changes that we slowly began to make.  At the same time, I was participating in Jamie's online book club.  We were reading the Happy Book and each week we wrote about something that made us happy that week.  I looked forward to all of the posts and started really noticing what made me happy. The more I noticed, the more things I found to be happy about.  Suddenly, I found that as we talked about something that had changed in our lives, I began to point out something that was good or that I was grateful for.  I wasn't saying that the negative things weren't there just that there was also something to be grateful for.  Gradually over time, I realized that both my husband and I were doing this without thinking about it.  This practice helped us to become who we are today and has made our lives so much more positive. Every day we experience things that are wonderful and we enjoy them.  We share simple things and are grateful for the experiences.
Each Friday my blog is dedicated to the things I am grateful for that week.  Some weeks there are big events to report but most times it is something small but important.  It could be a beautiful sunrise, a walk with a friend, or a talk with my grandson. It could be a trip to the beach or seeing a beautiful bird off of my deck.  The important thing is that I am noticing so many special things each day and remembering them.  My life has slowed down considerably but the moments that I enjoy and that I  am grateful for have increased unbelievably. 
So the thing I would like to share most today is that we will all experience hard times but one thing that will help us get through them is to look for the good that is also there and to acknowledge it.  The more you look, the more you will see until one day you realize just how very lucky you really are.  That is what happened to us.
I hope you will join me each Friday and share what you are grateful for that week.  I would love to hear from you.

Ginny
 

I love all of the seasons.  Each one brings something different to look forward to and to enjoy.  Winter brings cold mornings spent cuddled under a warm blanket for just a few more minutes.  It is a time when a hot cup of tea tastes a little bit better, when the smell of baking cookies is just a little bit more tempting and when the feel of snow on my fingertips brings me back to when I was young and loved to build snow forts and have snowball fights with all of my friends. Winter is a quiet time.  My wish for this winter is simple.  I want to enjoy all of the special things that winter has to offer.  I want to capture the special moments by taking more pictures.  I want to write more in the early morning and paint in the afternoon.  I want to take long walks in the snow (if it does snow). I want to spend time with family and friends laughing and having fun. I want to make the most of each day and of each opportunity that winter brings my way!  Those are my wishes for winter!  What is your winter wish?
Thank you Jamie of Jamie Ridler Studios for asking this question today. It was a great way to focus on what I want to do during the winter months.

                                                                                                
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.  They must be    felt with the heart.  Wishing you happiness.                         Helen Keller

I know that we all have experienced those moments that are so special they are with us forever.  May this holiday season be filled with many special moments that you don't have to see or touch - just moments that you feel and remember forever.  Happy Holidays!!

This was an extra special week.  Our third grandson was born on Wednesday.  He is a beautiful baby and to me looks just like his brothers when they were born.  It is wonderful to see my son's family grow and to be able to share so many special moments with them since we live so close.  This week I am very grateful for my family! 
As you look back upon the week, what are you most grateful for?

                           "Follow your bliss and doors will open where there where no doors before."
                                                                                                            Joseph Campbell (Chapter 12 The Artist's Way) 
Yesterday my husband and I went searching for places to take pictures.  We decided to walk through an antique store that we had been in many times before.  It was beautifully decorated for Christmas with twinkling lights and lots and lots of shiny objects.  But as we turned the corner there was an opening that I had never noticed before.  It was like walking through a magical door that led to quiet and solitude.  It was large and fairly dark but there was something special about it.  There was a calm and peacefulness to it that the front of the store did not have.  I am sure we will walk through that door many times again. Possibly, to hang one of my paintings or pictures on the wall.  Maybe, that was the door that will open many new adventures for me.  Only time will tell.
What door would you like to open this week?

It is Friday which means it is time to reflect on the week that has just passed.  What I have found since writing this post each week is that I am so much more aware of all that I have to be grateful for.  I have also found that most weeks I am grateful for many of the same things. 

This week I  realized once again how much I enjoy the holiday season. I love the bright lights, the beautiful colors,  all of the decorations and especially the time I get to spend with family and friends. Holidays can be stressful and sometimes disappointing but I choose to make them as simple as possible and to enjoy them to the fullest. 

What I am most grateful for is learning  that if I slow down and enjoy each moment every day can feel like a special holiday!  This is definitely one gift that I won't be returning!  What are you most grateful for this week?