Monday, November 23, 2009

Gratitude


I'm grateful to live a simple life, which is rich in the freedom it provides.

I'm grateful for friends and family, and all our flowered, feathered, and furry friends!

I have plenty.

I am rich.

I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

34 comments:

  1. I am definitely going to buy nothing on Nov. 27--no way do I brave the stores on Black Friday!

    So true, Monica; the things I am most grateful for don't have a price tag. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  2. I'm with Rose-staying home on Black Friday!

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  3. Hi Monica....simple but so full of meaning.....

    I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving......

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  4. Simple is best for sure Monica. I wish you a great Thanksgiving.

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  5. Mr McGregor's Daughter is right. I've found the very best things are free.

    It will be insane out there on 11-27. I'm staying home and enjoying my day off.
    Marnie

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  6. I have never enjoyed the manic frenzy of shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I don't like crowds, and I don't like parting with my money at the mall! The simple life is the best, even when many can't understand your reasoning. We have simplified our gift giving in our family at Christmas. We give gifts for the grandkids, but we only do a white elephant gift exchange for the adults. We have so much fun with it, the kids all want to get in on it too! Happy Thanksgiving!

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  7. We are indeed so rich compared to many on our planet Monica but sadly sometimes we forget the facts. A happy Thanksgiving to you !

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  9. Happy Thanksgiving Monica! I never go out on Black Friday. I don't even like Christmas shopping.

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  10. Oh, I so agree with your words!

    There's a great poem by Wordsworth, on a blog I visit by The Solitary Walker. I don't know how to do a live link here, but the address is: http://turnstone.wordpress.com
    The poem is called 'The World Is Too Much With Us', on the post on Nov 21.

    Makes me realize how rich I am!

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  11. That is a marvelous day and certainly worth embracing. Take care and have a delicious holiday! gail

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  12. What a great idea ....I'm in! (although I have NO idea what 'Black Friday' is?!!!)
    Me and my family are lucky enough to have plenty of 'stuff', we don't need more - and we are rich in love and laughter which are worth far more anyway :)

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  13. Happy Thanksgiving, dear Monica! (Gulp ... I have NEVER ventured out on Black Friday yet have a noon appointment at the Apple store tomorrow ... yikes)

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  14. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving Monica and congrats on the Horticulture list! I've never braved Black Friday myself and since I no longer have money, there's no worry that I'm missing out on anything! :-)
    Jean
    p.s. I have never seen so many bagged leaves as what you stumbled upon!

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  15. Monica I like this post rethinking spending. Because the simple pleasures to me are the best pleasures of all and sometimes nothing you can buy can equal it.

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  16. I'm in! Nice sentiment. Hope you had a great turkey day!

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  17. Monica, I purchased nothing today. (That happens a lot!) ha. However, I believe you're right. Being content with our lives and what we have speaks so clearly about where we are in our lives, doesn't it? I'm hoping you enjoyed a very special Thanksgiving with family and/or friends!! Have a restful weekend! :-)

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  18. Who has the energy to shop after hosting Thanksgiving? Not me!

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  19. Hi Monica, I'm going to leave one more little comment... please visit me tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon. There's a little something I want you to read. :-)

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  20. As a protest, we never go shopping on black friday either. That is the day our family is all here, so the temptation is not that great anyway. Each year we try to cut back more, after the extravagance of the '80s. We were out of control and our credit card debt showed it too. I am a confessed recovering shopaholic, a serious problem for sure. Not kidding, BTW

    Frances

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  21. Great idea! For the past three years i have asked my Sister and her family not to give me presents at Christmas and to donate to a charity instead, as I need nothing and feel happy someone else will benefit :)

    Happy Thanksgiving, Monica :)

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  22. I knew nothing about Buy Nothing Day, but I didn't actually buy anything! We drove to the mountains with kids, walked among huge trees, looked at the rivers...
    Monica, thanks for your comment on my Madrone post. You mentioned that Madrone's leaves turn brown - how could it be if it's an evegreen. Young leaves are green, but older ones turn brown and fall. I think the same is with conifers - they shed older needles which are brown. Wouldn't it be great if we could shed our grey hair and keep nice hair?

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  23. At first I was perplexed. Then I remembered the people who were killed in the crush last year.

    Lucy

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  24. Amen Monica! I haven't set foot in a store since grocery shopping for Thanksgiving dinner.

    Love this post. I share your gratitude for the the simple things in life, especially family, friends, and the gifts of nature, and am so grateful for the freedom living simply provides. I'm grateful having grown up with these values and never having gotten sucked into the rabid consumption culture before the economic crash. I'm so grateful my parents raised us that way.

    And speaking of freedom, because of Mom's thrifty ways she's been was able to enjoy an early and long retirement living a simple, sustainable lifesytle rich with the beautiful surroundings of nature and the closeness, love and admiration of family and good friends. We should all be so lucky.

    Hope you had a wonderfully simple Thanksgiving!

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  25. Two things I try to avoid "at all costs" -- shopping malls and super highways... unless it's the information super highway. Hope your Thanksgiving was full of joys.

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  26. This comment goes against the spirit of the post, but I'm making it WAY past that ridiculous shopping day. I found the most awesome buckthorn-hater's shirt:
    http://for-wild.org/store/
    I felt you'd really enjoy it! (Scroll to bottom for the shirt :)

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  27. Monica, sorry I missed this post, but not to worry, we didn't shop on this day... in fact, we shop as little as possible. If everyone asked themselves a question prior to making a purchase "do I really need this", we all might have less clutter in our lives and more meaning.

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  28. That's the spirit Monica..gratitude is the best gift one can have. blessings to you..hugs

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  29. I actually stayed home for a day of meditation. It was very restful.

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  30. I never thought about collectible decorations until my mother died 20 years ago and my brothers and I found boxes and boxes of ornaments from the 40s, our childhood. She was always buying new decorations and ornaments, but I never gave a thought to what she did with the old ones - and there they were, way in the back of a storage closet. We shared them out and I treasure mine, especially the sparkly red white and blue WWII ornament. Come visit, leave a comment and you might win my blogoversary giveaway, Right Rose Right Place and 2 dozen CowPots. Drawing on Dec. 12 in the morning.

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