Sharing Thanks

I got home from NYC at 1:30 am last night and did not get a chance to post my gratitude for the day. Tonight I'm going to post early and combine my thanks from yesterday and today. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, joyful, prosperous, appreciative 2012! 1) Thanks to Billy for acting for my daughter Liz's film on Tennessee Williams. He was such a good sport about helping her out. 2) Thanks to good friends, the Gera's who we enjoyed spending time with today! 3) Thanks to Benny's Burrito's! Had a delicious spinach burrito yesterday on a double date with my husband and some great friends. It was so much fun walking around Greenwich Village enjoying the sights. I love the energy of the city. 4) Thanks to good memories of my grandma Harriet, who I always remember today. She was a party girl and her birthday was on New Year's Eve.

I'm posting late tonight. We had a nice dinner party with friends to celebrate my husband's birthday. This will be a short post, it's late, and I am a happy tired. 1) Thanks to Sue and Mike for coming over to celebrate Spencer's birthday. We had a nice time together catching up. I met Sue when our kids started kindergarten together! 2) Thanks to Oreo for your playful spirit. I enjoyed playing frisbee with you today. 3) Thanks to Becky's friend Billy who has agreed to act in Liz's film project about Tennesee Williams. 4) Thanks to my daughter Liz who helped me bake and get ready for the dinner party tonight.

Red Berries on a December Day, 12/26/11 I enjoy taking and sharing pictures. Some days I am able to snap a small moment of natural beauty with my camera. If I can, I try to include a picture for each blog post. I saw these berries recently when I was walking around New Hope, Pa. They seemed like natural Christmas decorations! 1) I enjoyed driving around looking at Christmas lights with my daughter Liz tonight on our way to visit Grandma. 2) I am grateful for my sister-in-law Laurie who made a wonderful birthday dinner for my husband tonight. He loves lasagna! The whole meal was delicious. It was nice to see grandma smiling at the dinner table enjoying the fun. 3) I am thankful that my daughter Liz is getting an early start on her Tennessee Williams research paper and project. It is nice to see her enthusiastic about doing her schoolwork. 4) Thanks to Sejal who gave me some great information on Able ride that I could share with Laurie, and Grandma. Sejal is a good dear frien...

Winter Pansy, December 26, 2011 I love pansies! I was surprised to see this pansy plant blooming in the winter in New Hope yesterday. Today was a nice lazy day. This was much welcome after all of the hustle and bustle. 1) I am thankful for enjoying a hot bath and reading the new issue of Family Circle that came in the mail today. Liked the Be Happy Now article which listed, "Appreciate the little things." as a simple mood boosting strategy. You can share your get-happy secrets at familycircle.com/happiness 2) I am thankful to the Feher's who did a great job watching Oreo while we were away in New Hope. Oreo seemed so comfortable at their house and she really enjoyed playing with their dog, a long-haired chihuahua. Thanks to my daughter Becky's friend Jimmy! 3) I am thankful for good holiday dinner leftovers. We enjoyed the ham for dinner tonight. So nice to heat up warm homemade comfort food. 4) I enjoyed having a fun movie afternoon with my daughters. We sa...

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. I am so grateful for everyone's generosity. I am posting a day late because I celebrated Christmas night in Pennsylvania. Here are the things I am most thankful for the past two days! 1) Thankful for a peaceful, happy Christmas morning. We enjoyed opening up gifts in the morning. I loved all of the gifts. The P coats I bought for my husband and daughter fit them perfectly! They looked cute wearing them to church yesterday. My daughter Liz loved her film editing keyboard. It's nice to see the joy on their faces! 2) Thankful to go to mass as a family. The priest gave a good sermon this morning about seeing things differently. It was nice to pray and sing Christmas carols together. 3) I am grateful that my mother-in-law got to enjoy Christmas. Laurie and Toto made a beautiful lamb dinner and we had a nice time together. Grandma enjoyed the homemade cookies my daughters baked for her this morning. 4) I am thankful to the Kerr's who ho...

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas Eve. We had our annual party tonight so I am posting very late tonite! It's nice to celebrate with good friends and family. We had about 18 people all together, which was one of our smaller parties. 1) I am grateful to my daughter Liz who helped me cook for the party. She is an excellent potato peeler! 2) I am thankful for my daughter Becky who pitched in and wrapped some presents for me and helped all our guests with their coats. 3) Thanks to my husband Spencer who barbequed our famous Christmas Eve London Broil with a teriyaki, maple syrup marinade. 4) Thanks to everyone who sang their hearts out to the 12 Days of Christmas. Had so much fun playing for the piano while everyone sang their favorite Holiday songs. Thanks to the all the guests for playing my Christmas Eve rendition of charades. I love games at a party.

Panera's new gift card holder, December 2012 We are busy getting ready for our annual Christmas eve party. Enjoying the hustle and bustle of the season. Many reasons to be thankful today. 1) My good friend Stella called me this morning and treated us both to a reflexology massage this morning. I nice way to relax and unwind. Then we enjoyed catching up over lunch at Panera. 2) I'm thankful for my daughter Liz who helped me go grocery shopping for the party tomorrow. 3) Grateful for some wonderful family time tonight where we decorated our Christmas tree together. We have so many ornaments with different memories attached to them. 4) Thankful to be listening to some holiday music while I'm sharing thanks tonight. Also enjoyed practicing some Christmas carols on the piano so we can all enjoy singing tomorrow night! Enjoy the season!

My daughter Liz had her last day of school of today, my husband took off from work, and my daughter Becky is home from college. We are on a break. Can't wait to sleep late tomorrow! So many things to be grateful for today. 1) Went to Panera today to buy some giftcards, and what did I find printed on the gift card? "Share thanks" This put a smile on my face. 2) Thanks to my mom who treated me to lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. We enjoyed sharing good news and had a great conversation discussing how our brains our wired for spirituality. 3) I am thankful for good friends. We had dinner with the Gera's tonight and had a lot of laughs together. Tonight it was balloon night at "On the Border". Even though we are all basically teens and adults it is still fun to act like a kid and marvel at balloon magical creations. 4) I am happy that I was able to finish my holiday shopping today. I was also thankful to find gifts that I was looking for easily. I wa...

Happy Hanukkah! I overheard some profound wisdom today. I was getting some iced coffee at Dunkin Donuts this morning and the man ahead of me asked the cashier, "Do you celebrate Christmas." She politely answered no. The man asked, well "What holidays do you celebrate?" She answered smiling, "I celebrate everyday." 1) The first thing I am grateful for is being at Dunkin Donuts to overhear this "I celebrate everyday." wisdom from the cashier. 2) I am thankful that Liz is feeling better and had a good day at school today. 3) I am thankful for having a fun late afternoon at the movies, to see Chipwrecked with both of my daughters. We especially liked the Chipettes rendition of "I Whip My Tail." 4) I am thankful for the nice holiday cards I received in the mail. I love the picture cards and seeing smiling faces wishing our family a Happy New Year!

Reading this blog is like unraveling a mystery about who I am. Each post reveals something different about me. I had fun teaching music lessons today. I try to find easy holiday music to teach my students so they can enjoy sharing songs with their families. I had fun wearing my Nutcracker holiday vest. Today was one of those ying-yang days. It had its challenges, and the day improved enough that I can easily share four things I am grateful for. 1) I am grateful for my wonderful music students. One of my new violin students gave me an eraser with the word Ugh on it. This made me laugh, it may be the perfect word for an eraser. I could picture myself making myself make a mistake, saying ugh and erasing my words. 2) I am grateful for spending some quality time with both of my daughter's Becky and Liz tonight doing some Christmas shopping together. 3) I am thankful for the ipod audio cord in the car which lets my daughter play their music so we can enjoy listening to songs togeth...

The temperature has dropped! It was 19 degrees last night. Brrrr. Today was not the easiest day so I'm going to be thankful for the folks who helped make it a little better. 1) Thanks to the dog groomer at Petco. Oreo got her first full groom today and she looks so different. Thanks to a co-worker at Petco who does dog training who helped calm Oreo down so she could be groomed and get her Christmas green bow. 2) Thanks to Dr. Altman who made time to see Liz today and helped make her feel better. 3) Thanks to our health insurance company who sent me a check for the claims I filed promptly. This is a really good time of year to get some money back. 4) Thanks to the Brown family from Bermuda. Enjoyed getting your sunny Christmas card today.

Our family had an early Hanukkah party at my parents house tonight. It's a few days until Hanukkah but our family has a tradition of celebrating holidays when we can all get together. It was nice seeing my brother and his family. I'm super tired tonight, and I am committed to sharing thanks everyday. 1) I'm grateful to watch the cousins play a fun game of boggle tonight. 2) I'm grateful to my parents for setting a beautiful table and for the delicious meal, generous gifts and their love. My mom made fabric wallets which the grandkids all loved. 3) I'm grateful the my nieces loved the headphone earmuffs we gave them. It's fun to see someone open a gift and really enjoy receiving something unexpected. 4) I'm grateful for my nephew David's photos. He is really developing into a talented photographer. I will enjoy showcasing them in my home.

My Cat, December, 17 2011 It's been another beautiful sunny December Day. I'm busy getting ready for the holidays. I am lucky to be in an extended family that come from different faiths. We enjoy each others traditions and get to celebrate many different holidays. We are getting ready for Christmas at our house. It's the small kindnesses that I am grateful for today. 1) I was grateful for finding a parking space at the very crowded mall today. When you get a space quickly without having to drive around it is a blessing. 2) I was grateful for my husband's help in cleaning the living room in preparation for getting our Christmas tree tonight. It was nice to work together. Our cat Sasha loves the Christmas tree. She loves to sleep underneath it. We are lucky that she does not try to play with the ornaments. 3) I was grateful at the busy stores I shopped at today that the long lines moved quickly. 4) I am grateful for my cat Sasha, who came and sat on my lap toda...

I'm posting very late tonight. Just got home from NYC. I love New York at this time of year. My daughter Becky goes to school in Pittsburgh and was taking the bus home tonight from college. Her bus was supposed to get in around Midnight so my other daughter Liz and I decided to make a fun night in New York before meeting the bus. Liz has always loved Peter Pan so we decided to get tickets to the show starring Cathy Rigby at Madison Square Garden. I really admire her spunk, she has to be older than me and flies around the stage with the vigor of a 13 year old boy! So many people to thank tonight! 1) Thanks to the disability service line who were able to sell us the tickets to the show tonight and provide a good assistive listening device so Liz could enjoy the show! 2) Thanks to the staff at the Madison Square Garden Theater who moved us to better seats so Liz could also lipread. She was so happy. Thanks to the wonderful cast who put on a great show. The flying was so much fun ...

Lawn Reindeer, December 15, 2011 During this time of year I enjoy looking at all of decorations as I walk my dog Oreo around the neighborhood. There are many reasons I am grateful today. 1) There is nothing like reading a good book with an iced french vanilla coffee from Dunkin Donuts. This is my guilty pleasure. 2) I'm grateful to my parents who took me out to lunch today. We enjoyed each others company and I was excited to hear that they have read my blog and are proud of me. 3) Sometimes I get so relaxed I forget things. Today I left my pocketbook at Chadwick's at lunch. I am grateful to the restaurant host who noticed I lost it and put it aside for me. So nice to get your pocketbook back with all of your checks, credit cards and cash in tact. 4) Grateful for spending some quality time with my daughter Liz tonight. We have been doing some holiday shopping. Liz and I had fun wrapping up our presents.

Norman Levy Preserve Pond, December 2012 It was another beautiful December day here on Long Island. This is my 30th post and I want to reflect on how sharing thanks is influencing my life. I have been enjoying writing the blog and I am surprised how it has helped me view any day in some positive light. I took this picture last week. I enjoy walking at the Norman Levy Preserve. What is amazing to me is how nature can heal itself. The Norman Levy Preserve was a garbage landfill many years ago. Next to the preserve is still a town dump. When I visit the preserve you can see part of the dump or choose to marvel at the views of the bay. I am using this metaphor about sharing thanks everyday. On the blog I am choosing to be thankful for the kindnesses or beauty afforded to me, rather than vent about what has gone wrong. Here is what I was thankful for today. 1) Grateful for my second follower! Welcome to the blog. 2) I am thankful to my good friend Stella. We had a nice phone conversat...

Oreo on our morning walk in the sun, December 13, 2011 Oreo is our puppy who is six months old. I am grateful to her, she makes me smile with her antics, and she is always happy to see me when I come home. I am dedicating my sharing thanks to dog lovers! 1) Thanks to Oreo I was able to enjoy being outside. Oreo helps me stay fit by going on long walks around the block! 2) Thanks to Oreo, my daughter Liz and I enjoyed some time outside today. Even though Liz was not feeling well she got some sun and fresh air when we took Oreo to the dog run. 3) Grateful for the dog lovers who have worked with Nassau County to have some nice dog runs. We went to the dog run in Cedar Creek Park, in Wantagh today. It's fun to watch the dogs run around and play. 4) I am grateful that Oreo is getting better with her dog training everyday. No accidents today.

Angel at Rockefeller Center, December 2011 Today has been a quiet day after a very busy and wonderful weekend. I enjoy looking at all the holiday decorations that dress up this dark time of the year. The sun sets so early as we approach the Winter Solstice. I wanted to post a picture I took on my camera phone tonight of some Christmas lights that I saw during a dogwalk. The picture was too dark so I thought you would enjoy this picture of an angel I saw yesterday instead. 1) Thanks to all the people who brighten our neighborhoods with colorful light displays. I enjoyed looking at the houses lit up when I walked the dog tonight. 2) Thanks to the Merrick movie theater's $4 Ladies Day special. My daughter and I enjoyed going to see the "Muppet Movie" tonight. We were able to go since my daughter finished her homework early. We loved the movie. I especially loved the "Rainbow Connection" duet by that timeless couple, Kermit and Miss Piggy. 3) Thanks for anot...

The Grinch was spotted on Sixth Avenue and 48th St. Today I met some good friends in the city and we enjoyed seeing New York City dressed up for Christmas. Ellen and Liz are two of my best and dearest friends. I am so grateful for their friendship and love when we make the time to get together. 1) Thanks to another beautiful December weather day. I loved walking around NYC with all of its energy and hustle and bustle. We saw the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center, visited St. Patrick's Cathedral and even spotted the Grinch on Sixth Ave. Below is a picture of Liz and me in front of the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center. Rockefeller Center, December 11, 2012 2) Thanks to the choir who was singing at St. Patrick's cathedral during our visit today. I have never had the pleasure of hearing the wonderful acoustics of this very famous cathedral. Below is a picture of the manger that is at St. Patrick's. Can you find the dog in the picture? Manger at St. Patrick'...

I have had a super sonic day today. So many moments to be grateful for in one day. It is late and I am committed to sharing thanks everyday so I am up late writing tonight's blog post. Thanks to my new blog readers. I broke the 100 page view milestone! Now for my thanks! Norman Levy Park December 10, 2011 1) Started out today taking a walk at Norman Levy Park. Thanks for a beautiful day and beautiful view which I snapped a picture with my phone. I love standing at the top of hill and looking out over the marshes and bay. Sonic Roller Skating Santa Sighting, December 10, 2011 2) Thanks for a fun road trip with our family friends the Gera's. Started doing some holiday shopping and stopped for a quick lunch at Sonic in Deerpark. Thanks to the roller skating Santa at Sonic who put us in the holiday spirit! 3) Thanks to the Coach company who sent me a $190 gift card. In February my friends gave me a Coach bag for my birthday. I had never had one! I'm one of those $30 K...

Sunset in Central Park November, 2011 Today was a beautiful day. When I am thinking about what I am grateful for I often turn to nature. The picture above was taken a few weeks ago about the time I started my blog. I watched the sunset with my husband Spencer while we walked around the reservoir in Central Park. If you are a runner it is one of the most scenic runs in New York City! I wanted to get a picture of today's sunset however while driving to find a better place to take a picture, the sun went down and I missed the right moment to capture the beauty. I would have been better off taking the picture right where I was. I guess the lesson is enjoy where you are and stop looking for greener pastures. Here are my four thank yous for today! 1) Thanks for the beautiful sunset tonight at the dog park. I enjoy watching the sky and love to savor watching sunset on a nice day. You need to stop and just enjoy the view, in an instant the sky changes and darkens. 2) Thanks for the b...

I have had a busy day today. For my blog I share my thanks at the end of the day. Sometimes events allow me to frame my thanks around a specific idea and sometimes my thanks are about totally random unrelated events. It has been a random day today! It is nice when the universe bestows so many kindnesses. 1) Thanks to my daughter's ENT's secretary who was able to give us a same day afternoon appointment outside of school hours. My daughter uses a cochlear implant to hear so if she reports ear pain its important to get it checked out. 2) Thanks to my mom who took me out to lunch today at "Famous Daves" for BBQ. We had a great time talking about philosophy. I told my mom about my Sharing Thanks blog and she was so supportive and enthusiastic about this project. 3) Thanks to the Children's Hearing Institute who provide an excellent support program for mainstream hearing impaired elementary and teens. They also have resurrected a parents group. Tonight they had...

My blog features a new quote of the week. In the spirit of this quote I am writing my thanks that are personal, real and specific of kindnesses bestowed on me today. 1) Thanks to Meredith, the first person to comment on my blog. Your comment brought me joy that this blog can help people develop appreciation for the good in their lives and make the world a kinder place. 2) Thanks to my dad, who called me to take me out to lunch today. It was really great spending time with my dad sharing a salad, pizza and good conversation. My Dad recently saw a movie called, "The Way" which he described as a wonderful thought provoking movie that made him think about what his purpose should be. I love the movies so I enjoy hearing about new films. My Dad had just come from the pool, he loves to work out and I really admire his zest for life. 3) Thanks to the kids at Clarke High School who have been kind to my daughter. Liz is a junior and new to the school. Liz came out of school smil...

So much to be grateful for today that it is hard to pick my top four items to share with you. Here goes! 1) My daughter Liz who is a teenager woke up and came downstairs on time and on her own. I am so thankful for this. Liz is learning to wake her self up. She is deaf and can not hear an alarm clock. So proud of her today. 2) Thanks to the attendant at the Getty gas station who helped check the air pressure and fill my cars tires with air. Temperature dropped yesterday and that nasty caution light went on again! 3) Thanks to Mrs. Burt for giving me more violin and piano students to teach! I enjoy teaching music and inspiring kids to listen and learn to play a variety of music. 4) Thanks to my good friend Sejal. I enjoyed shopping and lunching with her today. She is a great friend and helped me by picking up my daughter Liz from night school

It's Monday the start of a new week. I had a busy and productive day. Thanks to the people who helped me out today. 1) Thanks to the mechanics who worked to diagnose my over the weekend engine problems. With an oil change, some new spark plugs and a replacement part for a coil and my car is back on the road! 2) Thanks to my husband who let me borrow his car while he was at work today while my car was in the repair shop. 3) Thanks to Liz's photo teacher who put up a lovely display of artwork. My daughter was so proud to see her picture among the great art. 4) Thanks to good friends, who I enjoyed catching up with today. It's great to have friends you can share your ups and downs with. I believe that the practice of keeping this gratitude blog is helping me appreciate what is good in life. We all have challenges and problems to solve on any given day. We may not be able to control what happens to us but we can control our reaction and attitude on how we face life...

Kindness is always appreciated, and we need to give thanks! A small act of kindness really brightens my day. My blog today shares some kindness that I received today from family, friends and total strangers. 1) Thanks to my parents who gave me a ride home from the Nutcracker tonight. My parents are always there to support me. It was nice to see there smiling faces at the end of the show. They also brought two little girls to see the Nutcracker. 2) Thanks to the two little girls who came to see the Nutcracker. When we took them home they treated us to some ballet in the living room . Seeing there adorable faces trying to dance and leap around the room was priceless. 3) Thanks to Karinna for tutoring my daughter Liz in Math. She is a positive wonderful tutor and is helping Liz gain confidence in geometry. 4) Thanks to a great audience tonight for the Nutcracker. When I was walking in the audience after the show to meet up with my parents several people thanked me for playing such...

I am posting very late today. Getting home late due to car trouble. I am dedicating today's post to my husband who was my biggest fan and my knight in shining armor tonight. 1) I am thankful to my biggest fan, my husband who came to see me perform at the Nutcracker. It is really great that he is supportive of my music hobby. 2) After the Nutcracker I took my daughter to see a late movie. When we came out of the movie, the evil check engine light was on. The manual said driving while this light is on can cause severe damage to the car. Yikes! Thanks to my husband, who came to the rescue and helped us get the car towed. 3) Thanks to the triple AAA Bellmore Towing company who came so quickly to tow our car. 4) I am thankful to be back at home, safe,sound and warm.

It's another beautiful December day here. I am sharing thanks to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. I got to play in the South Shore Symphony for the Nutcracker tonight. 1) Thanks to the beautiful pas de deux! The dancers were wonderful. 2) Thanks to one of the girls dancing to the Waltz of the flowers. The beautiful smile on her face was beaming. 3) Thanks to Russian leaps in Trepak! This number earned a rousing applause. 4) Thanks to the beautiful music written by Tchaikovsky. It is magical everytime I get to play it.

December is here and it is starting out merry. So many great moments today it is easy to be grateful! It is amazing how a good day has a rhythm to it. Today started out well and had many merry moments. 1) My daughter Liz is feeling much better and went to school on time today. 2) My new Bosch dishwasher came and was installed, and is taking its first run. It is so nice not to have to wash and dry dishes today. 3) Had a great time with our friends the Gera's at Red Robin for an early dinner! 4) Thankful to be playing the Nutcracker. Had our dress rehearsal tonight. The kids looked absolutely adorable in their costumes. Hope your December started off merry. For many people it is time to prepare for celebration. I am lucky to belong to a big family where many of us celebrate different holidays and we all enjoy learning and respecting each others traditions. To quote one of my favorite children's songwriter Rafi, "One World, One Light."