41 Comments

What do I appreciate this morning?

You and the beauty you so faithfully seek out and share.

That jay inflight profile is wonderful.

Expand full comment

Thank you!

Expand full comment

Love the rock and its message :)

Expand full comment

Thank you Alison!

Expand full comment

Strolling through your words felt like a serene walk in the park, minus the actual need to put on pants. Your tales of bird songs and blooming buds have lifted my spirits, much like the first cup of coffee in the morning or finding that the chocolate stash has magically replenished itself. The appreciation for nature's little wonders you've described is contagious, and now I'm sitting here, appreciating the little things too - like the miraculous way my Wi-Fi has decided to work flawlessly for once. Your narrative is a gentle reminder that amidst life's chaos, there's beauty and renewal waiting to be acknowledged, like rediscovering a favorite pair of socks you thought the dryer had devoured. Here's to hoping our appreciation skills mature from little elephant to big elephant status, and may our hearts and gardens bloom with the practice. And just maybe, I'll start talking to my plants, offering them T.L.C. and whispered compliments, hoping they'll thrive or at least not file a restraining order. Thank you for watering our spirits with your words!

Expand full comment

Thank you Talha! I mean - what would be better than finding the chocolate stash has magically replenished itself?!? I love the beautiful writing in this comment, thank you for sharing it with me!

Expand full comment

This is a fabulous look at loss & recovery through beauty. And how amazing about the painted rock in the parking lot, "Always take the scenic root." My favorite photo is the March sunrise.

Expand full comment

Thank you! Just realizing the stone says “route” and I typed “root” so I’m assuming “root” is the word I needed!

Expand full comment

What do I appreciate in my world today? You!!! Your thoughts and images are a blessing that soothes the mind and soul. Thank you for your gift of vision and heartfelt sincerity that you share with us. Truly priceless.

Expand full comment

Thank you Mark!

Expand full comment

Wonderful essay! Brought up a lot of my old memories of love and loss, seasons and years passing..

Expand full comment

Thank you Michael

Expand full comment

Thank you so much~ this is so meaning full~ I feel the grief in my sons who loss their father last month~ and I too have handwritten letters from my aunt and dad that I feel their love~ I have a sign on my bathroom mirror that says ( I am enough) it helps me~ this post is beautiful ❤️

Expand full comment

Thank you Catherine - yes, you certainly are and I love that you have that sign! Love to you and your family.

Expand full comment

I so appreciate this post today!!! So much beauty and love of nature! I'm holding this in my heart today. Thank you, Karen! Xoxox

Expand full comment

Thank you Roxy!

Expand full comment

Lovely Karen! Thanks so much!

Expand full comment

Thank you Sue!

Expand full comment

Thank you for renewing my appreciation of life. ❤️

Expand full comment

Thank you Doug!

Expand full comment

So much giving in your appreciation, Karen. And I am lapping it all up with rebirth of Spring!

Expand full comment

Thank you Sandy!

Expand full comment

I appreciate your eye and ear for the beauty of the world around us, Karen, and for sharing so generously with us! Thank you.

Expand full comment

Thank you Jeffrey!

Expand full comment

How amazing the rock you found….I love that!!! Wonderful pictures and great essay on appreciation and change. I think of your Mom every time I look at her ceramic bear I have and the holiday clothes she made for it ❤️😍👍. I’m so grateful you passed that on to me when you were downsizing for your move all those years ago. I think I might put a sticky note on my bathroom mirror too! We are loving all the birds singing the trees here too…. Spring is bursting everywhere here too and the green is so lovely 💚💚🦆🐦‍⬛🌱🌿☘️🍀🪺🌳🌷🪻🌼

Expand full comment

I love you Aunt Sharon and I'm glad you have the bear! Sticky notes on the bathroom mirror are awesome! I'm glad you've got a green spring, enjoy it!

Expand full comment

Love you too… so much!!!❤️😍🥰👍

Expand full comment

A magnificent and touching ode to nature, love, loss, appreciation, your parents, and your "little girl" self. Just beautiful in every way. While the destruction of the copse of catalpas is heartbreaking, I'm taking the message of the painted rock as a good omen for the future. That the scenic will take "root" once more and the buntings and their neighbors will come home to new possibilities. Have a blessed Feast of Saint Patrick. Think green! ;-) XO

Expand full comment

Just realizing the stone says “route” and I typed “root” so I’m assuming “root” is the word I needed!

Expand full comment

Thank you Lauren! I love "the scent will take root"!

Expand full comment

Your whole tribute to spring is just beautiful

In particular, I still have the handwritten notes from my grandmother and mom. My mother always signed hers with a heart. To this day, though I can only hold them in my hand, that love is still tangible , still alive. I’m sure you feel the same.

“Appreciation transmits the energy of love“.

You ask , what do I appreciate today?

This.

“I will water my own heart with appreciation too. I wonder what will grow?”

Thank you.

Expand full comment

Thank you Lor! Yes, that love is still very much alive.

Expand full comment

A truly profound post dear Karen. "To feel the heartache of the loss and hold it alongside the possibility of the new." As I age this becomes a daily challenge/invitation. I deeply appreciate your beautiful photos and deep insights.

Expand full comment

Thank you Oriah. I agree it is a daily challenge and invitation, even more so as we get older.

Expand full comment