Sharing Thanks

I can't bring a Martini on the nature trail? I love exploring new nature trails on Long Island. On Sunday my friends Liz and Tom took me to the Target Rock Nature Preserve. This week I will be featuring photos I took from this beautiful walk. I'm dedicating my thanks today for being thankful for being in nature. Here is what I was thankful for exploring this beautiful new trail. I was thankful to see this amusing sign at the beginning of the trail. I was wondering how many people brought martinis or cosmopolitans while walking on the trail that the need for this sign arose? The sign did provide me with a chuckle! I was thankful for the wonderful trees that provided me with shade and cool breezes on this hot and humid day. It was awesome how quiet the trail was, peppered with bird sounds and the rustling of leaves. I was grateful to see some adorable chipmunks scampering across the trails. We also were blessed to see a family of deer. Two adults with two fawn. The camou...

View from a friend's porch on Memorial Day Weekend My good friend has a wonderful shady porch. I wanted to post a picture from one of my favorite Memorial Day Weekend Moments. So thankful to all the serviceman who valiantly gave their lives for our freedom. Here are my thanks for some wonderful Memorial Day moments. I am thankful for sipping wine with good friends in the shade on their beautiful porch. Love the hanging flowering pots with the flag flying proudly in the background. Is there anything better getting together with old friends and sitting on a comfy wicker rocker on the porch with great conversation? So nice to see our friend Anne who was visiting from Washington DC. I am thankful for our town's Memorial Day Parade. It was nice to walk up to the end of our street and see an adorable family with kids patriotically dressed in red, white and blue waving small flags. I am thankful for meeting some neighbors on my block! Met a lovely family who was happy to fin...

Beautiful roses in the parking lot! I love finding beauty in unexpected places! My daughter Becky started working this week. We are a household with four drivers and two cars so I sometimes drive her to work. Saw these beautiful roses in the parking lot behind her office. Today I am sharing thanks for joyful moments in unexpected places. I am grateful to be able to drive my daughters places. Although it may seem like a chore, I enjoy the time it creates to have meaningful conversations. I am thankful for driving Liz to school today. It has been raining here a lot and I was telling her I hoped the sun would come out to make a beautiful day. Liz said, "Mom, everyday is beautiful." I did not know my daughter could be so profound! I am thankful for a nice lunch I had with my good friend Sejal. We had some deep parenting conversations today. She is a good friend and a good listener. I am thankful for my neighbor Rob, who helped Liz when she locked her self out of the hou...

    My cool cat Sasha sitting on the a/c I caught my cat Sasha sunning herself in an odd place outside our house! If you read yesterday's post I was thankful for all the love my pet Sasha gives me and finding her in the rain. I've been blogging since November and this week Sharing Thanks passed the 2000 page view milestone! I have learned so much in six months so I am dedicating this post to sharing thanks for what my blog has taught me. I am thankful for all my blog readers. What amazes me is how the blog has reached so many different countries. Yesterday I had 10 page views from South Africa! It reminds me of the show Touch on Fox TV network. It is amazing how a message encouraging gratitude can touch so many lives across the globe. I am thankful for all the blog readers who have shared what they are thankful for in the comments of my blog. I encourage anyone reading the blog to share what they are thankful for in the comments. I have had over 60 comments since I st...

Flowers in Central Park After a beautiful weekend we have been having a lot of rain here on Long Island. Sometimes we do not appreciate something until it is lost. It was pouring rain and I had not seen my cat Sasha in the morning. I was calling her name in the house and checking all her favorite cat spots. I was starting to worry about her. It was raining buckets outside! I was calling her name. Then I went to the side of the house, and Sasha was hiding in a basement window well. I was so happy to see her and brought her in the house! Here is what I was thankful for yesterday. I am thankful for my loving pet Sasha. She has been giving me the cold shoulder since we got Oreo. I was so happy to see her sleeping at the end of my bed yesterday! It made my day. She loves to visit me when I take a bath and sit by the tub. I was thankful that my daughter Liz made a good friend. She went over Christina's house yesterday and enjoyed hanging out! Thanks for a fun dinner with my daug...

Liz's Surprise Birthday Party at Johnny Rockets! Celebrations always bring people together. This weekend I helped plan a small surprise party for my daughter Liz's 18th birthday. On Saturday I was invited to a surprise party for my friend Liz and Tom's 25th Wedding Anniversary given by their 13-year old daughter Anna. Anna put an amazing pot-luck  party together! She asked each guest to bring a pot luck dish. It's love and friendship that make the party! Here are my thanks for the weekend! Thankful to my daughter's close friends, sister and cousin who helped surprise Liz for her 18th birthday! She loved all the thoughtful cards she got with pictures of her favorite actors! Thanks to the staff at Johnny Rockets, who did the birthday song backwards and provided great service to our little party. Thanks to Anna who surprised her parents with an awesome 25th Anniversary party. I had so much fun reconnecting with our good college friends and Liz and Tom's e...

Rhododendrom in full bloom Yesterday was day to celebrate friendship! I had an amazing moment of serendipity. I am lucky to have good friends that I met in 3rd grade when I moved to Rockville Centre. We grew up in the same neighborhood and have played kickball and spud together, as well as having teen tea parties. We may have been the only teens in the neighborhood who enjoyed sharing our days over a cup of tea and cookies. We all still live on Long Island and we help celebrate our birthdays together! Here are my thanks for yesterday. I was thankful for celebrating my friend Stella's birthday. Margaret and I treated her to a reflexology massage and dinner at Wild Ginger! We enjoyed the massages, relaxing together. We ended the evening over a cup of tea at Stella's house. We always get together and have lots of laughs! I took my daughters out to lunch at Bertucci's and we ran into my neighbors from Rockville Centre. So we decided to lunch together. My daughters got s...

White Pom Pom Tree Blossoms, May 2012 I saw these beautiful white pom poms during a neighborhood walk. My cold is finally going away. After a few rainy days the sun came out yesterday! Yesterday I enjoyed simple pleasures. A home cooked meal with my family, coffee with a friend. It is all of the little things that bring us small joys! Here are my thanks for yesterday. I was thankful to cook a home cooked meal for my family. I made chicken cutlets, green bean casserole with french fried onions, and home made mashed potatoes with gravy. Yum! I was thankful for having dinner together as a family. As the kids get older and everyone is busier it is hard to schedule family time. Last night we all got to sit down and enjoy a meal together. We enjoyed catching up with one another and hearing why my husband does not want to dine at the Outback again.  He did not appreciate getting prime rib which he asked for well done, microwaved. He said the prime rib tasted like leather. We were ...

Brian and his adorable pup, Mac  Is there anything more fun to watch then a boy and his puppy! I enjoyed seeing my nephew Brian and his adorable mutt, Mackensie. Mac is a ball of energy and I was lucky not to get a totally moving blurry face while I tried to take their picture. Taking good pictures of animals takes a lot of patience. Today has been a rainy Tuesday. A good day for hot baths and steaming cups of tea! Here is what I was thankful for today. Thankful to have 2 minutes of calm. Found this on Stumble Upon. Press the link and treat yourself to a quick 2 minutes of mediation. I failed this a few times. I could not hear the lovely ocean waves and first. Let me know how you like the link! /www.donothingfor2minutes.com/ I was thankful to take a wonderful hot bath and finish a novel I have been reading. Reading a good book while taking a hot bath is a simple pleasure for me.   I was thankful to be able to walk the dog in between all the rain today! I enjoy w...

Go Rangers! We all enjoy routing for our favorite sports teams. My husband Spencer is a long time Ranger fan and was thrilled that they beat the Devils last night! It's these small joys that can give us a burst of happiness. Here are my thanks for yesterday. Thankful that my husband, Spencer is enjoying routing for the Rangers in the playoff games. Spencer's friend Mike is also a Ranger fan so they have been enjoying watching some of the games together. I am thankful that my daughter Becky had a good semester at college. She checked her grades yesterday and was happy with her work.  I am thankful to see my daughter Liz working hard on her school work. Thanks to Karina her fantastic math tutor who is great at helping Liz understand Algebra II better. Perseverance and knowing when to ask for help can help you achieve your goals in life. I was thankful to have Becky's friends over last night. It is fun to watch them enjoy playing Scribblish. These are college freshme...

My Mom with my Dad and brother in Costa Rica Happy Mother's Day Everyone. Today I am dedicating sharing thanks to thanking moms! I love this picture of mom that was recently taken when my parents visited my brother in Costa Rica. My good friend Liz, sent me this beautiful quote this morning, "God could not be everywhere, so therefore, He made mothers." Becoming a mother is a life changing experience which teaches us the true meaning of unconditional love. I remember the day that each of my daughter's were born. Nothing prepared me for the love I feel for them. Our mothers love us no matter what so I'm going to start off my sharing thanks by honoring my Mom! I am so thankful for my artistic creative mom! My mom had me when she was 20! She was a young energetic mom. I wish I could bottle her energy. Even now, she does more in a day then most people get done in a week. My mom encouraged my love of music by finding a way to pay for violin and piano lessons. Sh...

Mother Nature Human Statue at Hick's Flower Show I have been enjoying reading tributes from daughters to mother's in the comments from my blog readers. If you are reading my blog please share something you are thankful about your Mom. I'm going to post all of the comments in celebration of Mothers Day on Sunday! Love this human statue of mother nature I saw at the Hick's flower show. Here are my thanks for yesterday. I am thankful for my daughter Liz's perseverance. She rallied and was able to have the courage to go back to school this week.  I am thankful for my good friend Sejal. She has really been a terrific friend and has helped Liz rally. We have been enjoying running errands together. I am thankful for my sister-in-law Ginny who invited Becky for a fun day in New York City. They went to see the musical Ghost. Becky really enjoyed spending time with her cousin and aunt!  I was thankful for the delicious cuban sandwich at Panera! Enjoyed some mall wal...

Played Scribblish with my daughters! Yesterday had its tough moments and it also had some truly joyful ones. I have always loved playing board games and card games. I love when we turn off the tv and are able to play a game that sparks our creativity. Here are the small joys I was thankful for yesterday. Becky's friend Shannon came over and they wanted to play Scribblish! So they invited me and my other daughter Liz to play. Scribblish is a cross between pictionary and telephone. We all had a good laugh over our drawings and captions we wrote while playing the game. Thanks to Monesha who gave Scribblish to Becky for her birthday. I am thankful for my good friend Sejal. She is a true friend, who really cares about our family. I am so lucky to have such a faithful friend. It is wonderful to be able to spend time with someone who does not judge me.  I am thankful to Dorothy Shi Studios who took a beautiful headshot of my daughter Liz. Last night we enjoyed looking through t...

Deep blue Iris Love seeing all the beautiful Iris in bloom. Took this picture outside of the music school where I work part-time. I wish I had a picture of Becky's smile today! I wanted to take her picture, and she is at an age where she does not want me to take her picture. I respect that! Here are my thanks for today. Thankful for Becky's beautiful smile. She got her braces off today and her pearly white teeth are dazzling. She had braces put on late at age 17, as one of her teeth was stuck in her gums. Happy she got them off finally at 20! Thanks Dr. Ostreicher for a wonderful smile. I am thankful for peoples flexibility. Happy Liz's counselor could make time for her today. Thanks also to Mrs. Burt who was able to change the times of some of my music students. Sometimes life happens and we need to be flexible. I am lucky to have such kind associates to help with us. I enjoyed seeing these beautiful blue iris today. Love the vibrant color and lovely fragrance. T...

Central Park Wooden Bridge My family has a weird tradition of celebrating holidays early. For our family, the celebration is being together so we decided to gather a week early so my niece Chelsea could join the fun since she will be returning to take a summer college course. Half of us live on Long Island and the other half lives in New Jersey. This Sunday my sister-in-law Ginny was kind to host this wonderful early Mother's Day gathering. Here are my thanks! So thankful for Ginny, who hosted a delicious Mother's Day feast. I loved the BBQ steak, ribs, grilled vegetables and beautifully decorated chocolate cupcakes. It was great to see my nieces and nephews and my parents. So thankful for having a wonderful MOM! She is a fireball of creative energy! I hope I am as active as she as in my 70s. I am thankful to the traffic gods! We hit no traffic on the George Washington Bridge in either direction on our trip to New Jersey. I drive is always more pleasant when you are n...

Bass jazz notes in Central Park One of the things I love about Central Park in New York City is the unexpected surprises that you see. Last Saturday I was able to visit the park while my daughter was at the photo studio. I loved seeing and hearing this bass player who decided to practice jazz outside near the pond. There is so much wonder around us everyday if we just take the time to look and appreciate our surroundings. Here are my thanks for yesterday. I was happy to be asked to go see the midnight opening of, "The Avengers." with my daughters. My daughter Becky who is 20 said that its so much fun to see the midnight show because the audience is pumped about the movie. I have to admit I may have been one of the oldest people in the audience! It was a great movie with a fun script and good performances by Robert Downey Jr., Scarlet Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Ruffalo was great as the Hulk. I enjoyed sharing this experience with Liz and Becky and recommend t...

Meditation Garden I love this beautiful contemplating meditating goddess statue framed by pink flowers. One of the many joys of blogging is the wonderful comments from readers. I am still resting - recovering from a bad cold. I even went to the doctor yesterday and was put on antibiotics to help my body fight the bacterial infection. I was thankful that I did not have bronchitis. Here are my thanks for yesterday. Thanks to Janine who shared that meditation helps her recharge her energy. Janine said, "My favorite way to recharge is to meditate, either while lying or sitting on the yoga mat, or while walking outdoors - letting go of all thinking, worries, etc. No thoughts whatsoever. The stillness is vast, profound and supremely energizing!" In honor of Janine I posted a picture today that is meditative and beautiful. Thanks for your beautiful comment, it made my day! Thanks to Premier Urgent Care who gave me a check up and put me on a zithro pack to help me kick th...

Pink Azaleas, May 2012 Yesterday was a beautiful sunny spring day! Welcome May and lovely May flowers! Love all of the azaleas I have been seeing walking around my neighborhood. Bright pinks, pearly whites, and vibrant purples. We are getting April showers for the first day of May here. We could use the rain, so I am thankful to see and hear the patter of raindrops on our sunroof. I'm still trying to get rid of a nasty cough, cold or allergies that have been lingering. Been enjoying resting. We all move at such a fast pace that we often forget the importance of rests! I'm a musician and all music have rests written in which help create the beauty of the melody. A rest can give you a breath and separate melodic lines to create a beautiful song. Life is similar, we need to value our rests so we can energize and be able to create! Here are my thanks for yesterday. It was nice to rest and catch up on one of the last few episodes of, "Desperate Housewives." Watching...