Appreciation

Today is Thanksgiving 2009 and I sit at my computer to share my thoughts about the day. East Tennessee is experiencing the most glorious weather today with blue skies, light breezes and fluffy clouds scudding across the sky. I often gaze about me, regardless of any specific holiday, and marvel at the beauty that surrounds me. We are nestled at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the terrain is gentle, rolling hills, dramatic ridges, many lakes and rivers, mist wreathed mountains in the distance and the verdant glory of the Tennessee Valley. I have lived several other places in my life, but I always find myself returning here....to my home. Southern hospitality and friendliness, soft cadence of liquid vowels in our speech, savory southern cuisine, rich history and old-fashioned manners still exist in a manner unique to this region. Family is here, friends are as well, and memories abound to create what I consider to be an ideal place to live.

This past year has been a challenging one, for me on a personal basis, as well as for our country and for the world at large. Yet, despite personal challenges, this year has also been one of deep and intimate discovery and growth. It was this year that I began the next level of my writing career and embraced some new genres, with one of them being blogging. I count the blogging process as one of the most unexpected, delightful changes in my life. I am growing as a writer and a creative spirit in areas that I hadn't anticipated and that makes the experience all the richer. I am finding that my writing is reaching out to people around the world and sparking conversation, laughter, growth and a desire to delve deeper into areas that inspire.

I have made conscious shifts and adjustments on a personal level that have opened up my life, once again, in ways that I could never have predicted. Friendships both old and new are flourishing and family connections continue to be that golden, happy energy in my life. I am blessed beyond measure, I find, on this lovely November afternoon. Yes, there is sadness in the world, tragedies exist and injustices happen. Today, however, I choose to focus on the blindingly sharp clarity that surrounds me and write my appreciation in the most glowing words possible.

I feel a profound sense of happiness today and I am aware that that is, in part, a result of the people with whom I surround myself. It is also a culmination of hopes, dreams and desires that I have chosen to hone and tweak until I have created a wide open path for myself to walk. Life is, indeed, good and I am fortunate to be here, this day, this hour, with these people and experiences.