Sharing Thanks

New York Botanical replica at the Holiday Garden Trains This month on Sharing Thanks I am sharing thanks for December Joys! My husband grew up with Lionel Trains. Spencer and his Dad would spend many December hours putting up an elaborate train display. Today I took my husband to experience the holiday magic happening at the New York Botanical Gardens. It was wonderful to see so many young children excited about seeing trains on the magnificent replicas of the Brooklyn and Hellgate Bridges. To find out how you can visit here is a link to the New York Botanical Gardens   Below is a short video I took to try to capture the magic. I was thankful to share this experience with my husband. We giggled over the conductor greeting everyone on stilts. Deep inside there is a kid inside all of us. What December Joy did you discover today? I love hearing your gratitude stories. You can share them in the comments of this blog or tweet them to me  @sharingthanks

Santa decoration found on my Neighborhood walk! Today I had some December Joy walking my dog Oreo around the neighborhood. Everyday new holiday decorations appear. This Space Sleigh Santa gave me a smile. When I was younger I remember being confused about seeing lots of different Santa's. I do believe Santa's helpers bring cheer. They help raise money for the Salvation army and raise holiday spirit. I enjoyed taking my kids when they were young to see Santa and snap a Christmas photo with him. We have the Santa spirit when we focus on what we give during the holiday season. The Santa spirit is alive when we read "The Night Before Christmas." It's alive when are kids write letters to Santa and leave him some milk and cookies to help him fuel his journey. I love Santa decorations and signs to the North Pole! I do imagine if I had the power of Santa Clause that I might make my headquarters in Bermuda. Let's spread some Santa cheer by sharing fun Santa pho...

Listening to "I Won't Grow Up" reminds me of the summers I spent at Girl Scout camp growing up. After dinner in the mess hall, the camp counselors would lead us to sing, "I Won't Grow Up!" I loved these song fests after dinner. They made me want to learn to play guitar. I'm enjoying watching Peter Pan Live tonight. I love that your imagination can take you to Neverland! The idea of flying through a starlight sky simply enthralls me. Today my Joy is sitting down with my daughter and watching this classic musical! This month we will be sharing gratitude for December Joys! Share your simple joy in the comments or you can tweet them  @sharingthanks  with #DecemberJoys.

Grandma with Becky and Liz in New Hope We are remembered by what we create while we live. This post is dedicated to the life of Catherine Virginia Davidson who passed away this November at the age of 87. I have been reflecting on her life and the love she gave our family. I am thankful for Grandma for treating me like one of her daughters. Grandma came into the world in Baltimore weighing less then 3 pounds. She was determined to live and was an only child to older parents. This may be why she was cautious, and could be stubborn. There is fine line between stubbornness and determination. Her mom was a seamstress and my mother-in-law loved to make homemade dresses for her three granddaughters. She would say that she did not have a creative bone in her body, yet she was an artist and made many beautiful garments including my wedding dress! She loved figuring out how to cut the material for the patterns. She loved her family and was married over 50 years and had four children, and fiv...

Forget about Cyber Monday and Black Tuesday. I am thankful for Giving Tuesday! It gives us a chance to contribute to make the world a better place. Today I gave to the  No Limits For Deaf Children . This group has a speech center  in Southern California and Las Vegas as well as an acclaimed National Theater Program for deaf and hard of hearing children. I was blessed to voluneer and be part of Silent NO MORE with my daughter Liz. This inspiring collection of stories read by indivuals with hearing loss helped educate people on what its like to grow up deaf. Please share your #GivingTuesday charity story in the comments. Let's see how much good we can all do today! It feels joyful to give!

I apologize for not completing my #TurkeyThanks gratitude challenge in November. On November 19, my mother-in-law passed away and I took a break from my blog. It's important to take time to grieve a loved one. We need to stop and take a small break to shed tears, and remember and honor our loved one. I am so thankful to friends and family who supported us by attending her funeral mass, sending our family a fruit basket, lovely plants, and beautiful cards. We must be thankful for each moment we wake up and get to experience a smile, the sound of laughter, a sunset, a hug, hearing a song, being able to dance!  It's a reminder to appreciate the people in our lives and think about how we are interwoven into each other's lives. I have been using the time to reflect on all the kindnesses I received from my mother-in-law and the legacy that she has created. I am going to start a new gratitude challenge, beginning on December 3rd celebrating 2014. Join in the fun and share ...

Morning Meditations: Daily Reflections to Awaken Your Power to Change I love reading books that make me think. Today I want you to think about a book your thankful to have read. Growing up I was inspired by Richard's Bach's, "Jonathon Livingston Seagul" I loved Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings Trilogy" and I confess Shirley Conran's "Lace" was my first great summer read.  This week I am enjoying W.W. Norton & Company's book, "Morning Meditations" I love to start my day reading  a few meditations on gratitude,communication, forgiveness, mindfulness, and reflect on ways I can lead a purposeful, happy life. What book are you thankful to have read? I love hearing about what inspires you. Please share a book you enjoyed reading and how it made you think and feel.

Pilgrim cookies from Fairway Thanksgiving is coming. I was thankful to see these adorable pilgrim cookies at my favorite grocery store Fairway. I remember as a kid looking forward to the chocolate Thanksgiving Turkeys my grandmother would give to us as a treat. Part of the fun is preparing the feast,making special family recipes and honoring traditions. One of our family traditions is to wake up on Thanksgiving morning to bagels, and watch the Macy's Day Parade on TV.We love watching all of the broadway performers, and the fantastic marching bands. My husband's family likes to make sauerkraut for Thanksgiving. It's a Baltimore thing. Now whenever I have sauerkraut I think of Thanksgiving too. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it celebrates family. No gifts are exchanged, we just enjoy parades, savoring good food and conversation with our families and friends, and a little college football. Most of all I like the spirit of Thankfulness it brings. At our dinner ...

Liz comforting our dog Oreo. Day 16: Sharing Thanks November Turkey Thanks Challenge Today's challenge: Thank someone who showed compassion to you when you made a mistake. I was a little out of sorts yesterday. I was clumsy. I went to Dunkin Donuts and my big pocketbook swung around and knocked off a glass coffee mug on the display. I picked up the broken pieces and brought it up to the counter and explained what happened when I ordered my coffee. To my surprise they said it was ok and thanked me for bringing them the broken cup. I offered to pay for the cup but they refused to charge me for it.  I sighed a huge relief. I also want to thank my friend Deborah for lending me her music folder at our concert last night/ I had left my folder at the last rehearsal and it got packed away. I really appreciated her kindness of lending it generously with softspoken words. Let's face it we all make mistakes. We are not perfect. Compassion helps us pick our selves up, learn...

Me using my talent playing with the South Shore Symphony TURKEY THANKS Gratitude Challenge: Day 15 Share a gratitude story about being thankful for a talent you have. I want to also thank my good friend Monesha who gave me the idea for this gratitude prompt. I was thankful to have lunch out with my daughter Becky and her friend and we were talking about my blog and I was asking them if they had any good suggestions for different ways to appreciate. Thanks Monesha and Becky for a fun lunch! I am thankful for my musical talent. I love playing the violin with the South Shore Symphony. I have met so many terrific people through music. I have nurtured my talent through lessons and practice over the years. Thanks to all the music teachers I have had who helped me become a better musician. I also want to thank our concert master Susan. I had the joy of sitting first stand one year in the orchestra and Susan taught me a lot of great fingering and musicality by getting to play as...

Sunflowers from a Riverhead farmstand Day 13: #TurkeyThanks Gratitude Challenge: Today I want you to think of something unexpected you are thankful for! Everyday has something unexpected about it. Today I received an unexpected gift from a friend. She gave me a pair of warm shoes for the winter. It's a wonderful feeling to a get an unexpected gift! I also found a penny while walking home from lunch. It was nice to walk to lunch instead of taking the car. This helped me reach my walking fitness goal for today. I always will pick up a good luck penny if its facing heads up. If its tales, I turn the penny over and leaved it for someone else to discover and pass on the good luck. What are you thankful for today that surprised you? I love to hear your gratitude stories.

DAY 12: #TurkeyThanks Gratitude Challenge Give Thanks For Something Silly! Oh know they are going to turn me into Pumpkin Pie! Today's challenge is to focus on the little silly things your grateful for. I happened to come across this upside down pumpkin on my morning walk today and it gave me a chuckle. Then I also noticed this. Yes it's a swinging Squirrel. I am always amazed by seeing something new in everyday places. It's what I focus on that makes me notice the silly simple joys in life. Be grateful for being amused! Share something that your grateful for that was silly!

I love this picture of a floral flag I took this summer at Jones Beach. The red and white flowers look  like they are proudly waving in the air. Day 11: #TurkeyThanks Gratitude Challenge Make a gratitude list to give thanks to your country. I am thankful for our freedom of speech, for a nation whose citizens respect the outcomes of our elections which enable us to have a peaceful transition of power. I am thankful for our constitution and our ability as a people to be able to keep amending it. I am thankful for the separation between church and state which makes America one of the great melting pots. We are made up of a multitude of different people, with different ethnic backgrounds, and practice different religions. I am thankful for America where creative expression and innovation still thrives. I would also like to thank our veterans who have sacrificed to protect our freedoms and our nation.

There is nothing better than having your own dance party. I saw this video today on twitter and it mad me laugh. I love the energy and the pets in the video watching this cleaning dance routine. I'd be thankful if my husband cleaned the house like this. Let's be honest I'd be thankful if cleaned the house without dancing. For today's challenge be thankful for that feeling you get when your busting a move. Share a story about when you were caught dancing to yourself. I have a habit of doing dance moves while I'm sitting at a red light listening to my tunes. Yes, I'm over 50 and I dance in my car. I looked over to the left turn lane next to me, and two young men were hysterical that I was dancing. It gave me a laugh. Sometimes you have to laugh at yourself! I was thankful I gave them a laugh and a story. I am always thankful to dance, it just feels good!

Golden leaves embracing the sun. I am thankful for the light and warmth of the sun. I think cat's are masters of finding thesunny spots in the house. It is amazing the when a ray of light comes in through the window and practically kisses your skin. I just saw an amazing pink from a sunset. As each day gets a little darker it makes me appreciate the light. Today I want you to think about the light in your life, and radiate appreciation.  I thought about this prompt when I walked at Planting Fields Arboretum today. The light made these yellow leaves turn to gold. I am also thankful for the people in my life who light me up with their kind deeds, words, and smiles. I was thankful to run into a friend at the grocery story. I am thankful to my parents for visiting my daughter Liz at college this weekend. I was thankful to share cinematic light by seeing Intersteller with my husband and daughter last night. Love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. What light were...

Thanksgiving Duckies Welcome to Day 8 of the #TurkeyThanks gratitude challenge. Today I want you to focus on the friends in your life that your thankful for. I am blessed with a few very close friends. I got to see 2 of them today! Thanks to my friend Stella, we got to go for a walk at Hecksher Park in Huntington. We enjoyed the fresh air fall colors and watching the swans in the pond. Then I got to walk to Hempstead Lake State Park with my friend Margaret. After our long walk we enjoyed some wine, cheese and these delicious new cranberry and sage Triscuits. I spotted these cute Thanksgiving Ducks at her house. They made me smile. I love spending time with my friends, talking, sharing stories. Thanks to my friends I hit 14,000 steps on my Google Fit. That's a personal record for me. Share your thanks for some of the friends in your life. Life is more meaningful when we have people to share our joys and sorrows with. I'm thankful today we got to share a joyful day out...

Blue Hydrangea on a November Day Today's Challenge, is to go outside and take a walk and look for something beautiful that your thankful for.  Bring your phone or your camera and take a picture and share this beauty. Email me your picture at sharingthanks@gmail.com or Tweet it to me at  @sharingthanks  . Today I saw these beautiful Blue and Purple Hydrangea's. I am enjoying seeing these last blooms of November. Flowers always make me happy. Love these deep hues. I enjoy seeing the patterns of color and nature's wizardry. A few weeks ago I even saw some Monarch butterflies flittering around some wild flowers at the Norman Levy Preserve. When I see something beautiful, I take a moment to stop, look, and then breathe it in. It energizes me and I love taking pictures to capture this moment. Sometimes looking in my camera helps me focus to see the beauty. With the days getting shorter and cooler I relish being outside and capturing the colors of the changing season. I ...

Organic Mountain High Chai Tea at Spuntino's Today's challenge is thinking about something or someone your thankful for that gives you comfort. There is something comforting about sipping a good cup of tea. I enjoyed trying this new Organic Mountain High Chai from  Two Leaves Tea  at a cool new Tapas Italian Restuarant called Spuntino on Old Country Road, in Westbury, NY. The tea warmed me up from the inside out. It was the end to a perfect healthy meal, of brussel sprouts, and butternut squash ravioli. Small satisfying portions. Drinking a hot cup of tea any where warms my soul. Growing up I enjoyed having tea with my good friends in high school. We would make a hot pot of tea and share our hopes and dreams of the future. I still love getting together with my friends and sharing a pot of tea. My mom is a tea drinker, and would often make me a cup of tea. I have also been know to cozy up with a good book, a cup of tea soaking in a hot tub taking a bath. So relaxing. Sha...

Turkey discovered during my morning walk! Thanks to everyone leaving comments on facebook, twitter and my blog!  Today's Gratitude Challenge is to think of an activity you did today that your thankful for! Today I was thankful for my walk around the neighborhood.   I love taking my dog Oreo for 2 or 3 walks a day. We also have a fenced in yard which she likes to play in. I love bringing my phone and am always surprised and different things that I see during my daily walks that amuse me. This Turkey on a lawn gave me a smile. The #TurkeyThanks Challenge has Turkey on my brain! The trees in my neighborhood are turning fiery red, orange, and yellow. It's an autumn rainbow! Autumn leaves in East Meadow  Walking is also a great way to stay fit. I just started using the Free Google Fit App to track my activity level with the goal of improving my health. It was easy, I just downloaded on my phone, and let's face it I always have my phone on me, so it is a bu...

Today's gratitude challenge is to think of a song or piece of music your thankful for. Music speaks to us on an emotional level. It can energize us, uplift us, and sometimes even move us to tears. Often a song can trigger memories of a special celebration or bring you back to a specific time and place in your life. This Fall I have had the priviledge to play a ground breaking concert with the South Shore Symphony and Keith Emerson from Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. Can you find me playing in the violin section in the video. Our orchestra got to share the stage with a legend. Music genres collided. Jeffrey Biegel, played Emerson's piano Concerto brilliantly. It is a moment which I will always treasure! I am also always thankful when I hear Madonna's "Crazy For You" on the radio because it is our wedding song. Earth, Wind, and Fire's, "September" gets me dancing and transports me back to my disco days of college. Share a song that your thankful fo...

Volunteers collecting food for Island Harvest at Stop & Shop Today's Gratitude Challenge is to be thankful for the helpers in our lives! Think about the people that have helped you or someone else. Take this space to thank them for making a difference in your life or the lives of others. We all have a need to help someone if given the opportunity. Yesterday these are the people that were my helpers! Thanks to these  beautiful volunteers for collecting food for Island Harvest. These smiling girls greeted me at Stop and Shop yesterday. I was happy they gave me the opportunity to do something kind. I bought several items to donate with hopes of feeding hungry families in need on Long Island.  Thanks to my daughter Becky who helped me peel potatoes while I was cooking a beef stew in the crockpot. This hearty meal sustained us on this cold, windy, fall day! Thanks to the stranger who held the door open for me at Dunkin Donuts. Small kindnesses from strangers always mak...

GOD ONLY KNOWS VIDEO FROM BBC Watch this video and it will make you smile! Beautiful things happen when musicians collaborate in the the name of Charity. Thanks BBC for making me smile watching this video today! Another thing that made me smile today was watching the leaves dance to blustery weather. Thanks to my husband Spencer who put air in my car's tires in the pouring rain yesterday. It made me feel loved. Thanks for the coffee talk this morning shout out to my good friend Sejal. Thanks to my friend Ellen who I enjoyed catching up with this morning! I am looking forward to hear what made you smile today! Tweet @sharingthanks #TurkeyThanks anything that made you smile today. Or just leave a comment below. Enjoy the video and smile!

That's not a turkey it's a ROOSTER!  TAKE THE TURKEY THANKS NOVEMBER GRATITUDE CHALLENGE! Start November by learning to cultivate a grateful heart ready to bloom just in time for Thanksgiving! Gratitude is a heart muscle that can be flexed by the simple act of listing what your grateful for each day. Sharing what we are grateful can inspire others to think about gratitude in a different way! It's easy to participate in this challenge. Here are a few different ways you can start! Share what your thankful for in the comments of my blog Sharing Thanks! Everyday in November I will be giving you a new idea on "How to be grateful" and posting what I am thankful for. Or you can email me at sharingthanks@gmail.com! Or email me a picture of something your grateful for! I will share your gratitude in a post! Like my facebook page by clicking the button on the side of the blog or going to http://www.facebook.com/sharingthanksblogspot. You can post a pict...

This is a fun fall activity to start a gratitude habit! Today I want you to sit quietly and think about all the people who have helped you today. They could have offered you a ride, gave you a smile, held the door for you. We tend to forget each day how many people help us in some way.I am going to continue adding names to my Thankful Pumpkin throughout October. Making this little Thankful Pumpkin will help you understand that you are part of a wonderful giving community. All you need to make a Thankful pumpkin is a pumpkin and a sharpie!  I just bought a small sugar pumpkin at Trader Joe's, and found a sharpie in my craft room. We are a creative family so I always look to see what I have in the house before I go out and buy art supplies. Please tweet me a picture of your #ThankfulPumpkin @sharingthanks or email me a picture at sharingthanks@gmail.com. Will share your thankful pumpkins on my blog and twitter. Let's get those creative juices flowing. Here are s...

Love these crimson leaves. Fall is the perfect time to start a gratitude habit. In this spirit I am going to start blogging again about what I am thankful for everyday. Join me in the Sharing Thanks #TurkeyThanks Challenge starting on November 1st! If you want to join like my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter. Beginning November 1st post something your thankful for with #TurkeyThanks . You can post words or pictures! Let all of our gratitude send ripples of thankfulness in to the world. Here is what I was thankful for yesterday. So thankful for my friendship nature walk yesterday. I met my good friend Stella and we hiked down to the beach at Caumsett State Park. We spotted several deer families along the path. I have never seen so many at the park. They were fun to watch and were easier to see now that the leaves are changing. I was thankful to my daughter Becky who went grocery shopping for me. I really appreciate when family members pitch in. I was thankful for dramatic...

Amazing playful work by Jeff Koons. Can you find my daughter?                  I was so thankful to get to spend a Friday Afternoon with my daughter seeing the Jeff Koons art exhibit that is at the Whitney! It was a beautiful fall friday afternoon. Here is what we were thankful for. Thankful to stand in front of an inviting steel sculpture of Playdoh. It is so realistic you really want to touch it and make a playdoh sculpture of our own. Craft night is so much fun even as an adult. There is something relaxing about getting your hands dirty and trying to make something. Thankful to explore the upper east side with my daughter. We stumbled upon a great Thai place on Second Avenue. The interior looked like a garden and they had a great lunch special for just $9.  Up Thai  is a relaxing eatery with delicious thai flavors. Thanks to my mom who recommended this fun art exhibit to us. She loves art and I had given her and my dad a ...