November 24, 2016 In appreciation, art By Patricia Saxton

Thanksgiving Grace

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It’ll be Thanksgiving Day when this posts, and I hope everyone has a beautiful time of it, with bellies and hearts full.

Some tables will be overflowing, some spare – but wherever we are, the sentiment of gratitude is worth treasuring. It’s good to pause and reflect, and give thanks for our blessings, for the people we love, the gifts we have – as well as for the soil that allows our food to grow; for the sun and rain and wind, for the workers who oversee the crops, the delivery people and stock-the-shelves people and checkout people; the plates we serve our meals upon; the sweaters that keep us warm; the crews that keep our roads safe to travel and the neighbor who lends that last-minute package of spinach you need.

I’d have to add chocolate to my list, and tea, of course. And music and paint and pencils and the magic of creativity. And the coach who pushed me harder; the teacher who encouraged my best work; the stranger who made me smile on an especially bad day. For people who’ve laughed at my jokes, and those who showed me lovely things about myself that I didn’t see, and even those who made me see things I didn’t want to see or feel things I didn’t want to feel, because all of that, it turns out, builds character worth having. And if life is indeed a bowl of cherries (I’m not sure who came up with that one, or why, but we’ll go with it), we’d be well to appreciate the shiny parts as well as the pits, as one would not be so without the other.

Gratitude has no bounds, but today’s a perfect day to be extra thankful – and to send out a wish that yours will be filled with goodness and grace.

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November 27, 2014 In appreciation, art, design, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

A Humble Thanksgiving

One more for this season of gratitude… I think I had my Dad in mind when I made this simple poster. The wheat reminded me of his upbringing, a time when they lived off the land ~ worked from sunup to sundown, ate the crops they grew, made butter and cream and drank the milk from their cows, had appreciation for a good harvest. Nature was kind or troublesome from year to year, but they never went hungry (something to do with my Grandmother being a good cook?!). There were some very hard years, yet he claimed they never “wanted” for anything. An orange for Christmas, some hand-knitted socks. He never lost his humility, love for land nor respect for its bounty. There was a lot to learn from that.

May we all be grateful for our blessings.

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November 26, 2014 In appreciation, art, fine art, life and the universe, poetry By Patricia Saxton

Grateful

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They say the only two things you can count on in life are death and taxes. And I suppose there’s some truth to that. But there are other things; things that cost nothing, take nothing, and give much; things deserving of steady gratitude. They’re simple, and yet somehow grand in how they make life more bearable; they make life sweeter. Here are some of those things for me:

The sunrise
that never fails,
And evening skies
with orange trails,
Moss beneath a tree, and
Cathedrals made of leaves.

Children laughing,
Lovers dancing,
Birds announcing dawn.

Poetry and paint,
Seasons and songs, and
Boundless African skies.

Breezes made of lilac,
And honeysuckle,
And great rolling seas,
And angels’ whispers,
And dragons’ wings
That flap against the clouds.

Kind familiar friends,
And hands that hold,
Bodies that heal,
Minds that imagine,
Spirits that soar,
And the grace
Of hearts that love.

– P.Saxton

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“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought;
and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

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November 28, 2013 In appreciation By Patricia Saxton

Giving Thanks

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Thanksgiving ~ our very American holiday of feasting; a day with the sole purpose of being thankful for our blessings; a tradition with roots of gratitude that has managed, beautifully, to evade the trappings of modern commercialism. One day to simply appreciate what we have; nothing more.

They come in all forms, these gifts ~ they come as our families, our friends, our health, the ground beneath our feet, the roof over head, blankets to keep us warm, the abundance of this Good Earth we share; for land that lets us turn corn into deliciously simple muffins or set a table of lavish sustenance. And it comes as freedom. Because freedom is breath and possibility. Freedom gives us earthly wings to follow our dreams, and that is no small blessing.

So eat, drink, be grateful…… Happy Thanksgiving to you!

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November 22, 2012 In art, creativity, design, graphic design, inspiration, life and the universe, painting, work and play By Patricia Saxton

Gratitude X’s 3

I had some fun feeling grateful. Hope you will too ~ and I’m wishing a very Happy Thanksgiving to all!

……………

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought;
and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

………..

Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. ~ Karl Barth

………….

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.
~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

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November 21, 2012 In appreciation, inspiration, life and the universe, photography By Patricia Saxton

Gratitude

This gorgeous image is a place in New Zealand called Emerald Lake. Stunned by its beauty, I immediately felt grateful that grand, magical places like this exist in our world. Then I was grateful that someone was at the right time and place with the right camera equipment to capture this shot for the rest of us to appreciate. Then I was grateful that I wasn’t actually there, because it looks too cold. Then I was grateful for my home, my family, my friends, my cats, my art, and for all of you, and for the existence of chocolate ~ and that without fail, the sun rises each day, giving us another opportunity to appreciate and be thankful.

May we all feel gratitude and recognize blessings, large and small, inside and out, near and far. ~ Love, Patricia
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November 23, 2009 In art, creativity, design, graphic design, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

Week 13: "52 Weeks of Peace"

During this week of one of the most American of holidays, traditionally filled with family, friends, food and football, we all give thanks for our bounty and our blessings, large or small. And I hope too, that each of you may find Peace draped within the folds of your own personal gratitude – and lovingly baked into your Thanksgiving feast.

All peace designs are shown together under the “52 Weeks of Peace” tab above.

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