Sharing Thanks

Sunset at Jone's Beach af Field 10 So thankful to have a beautiful day on my birthday ending with this colorful sunset at bayside at Jones Beach.  An added bonus was seeing a seal's head pop up in the water and then take a deep diveBeing outside in nature always refreshes my soul. Makes me feel like I am on a mini vacation.The water was so calm the other night. I love watching birds flock up and take flight together. Do you have a favorite sunset spot on Long Island? I would love to hear about it.  I have a few spots that I drive to regularly to take advantage of this free display of color every night. I will post my favorite spots next week. I am sure sunrises are breathtaking as well but I am more of a night owl then an early bird. When I started this blog I enjoyed sharing my daily gratitude with the idea that sharing my daily simple joys would help other people start a gratitude habit and have a spot to share what your grateful for in the comments. I have found myself shar...

  Lilly pads from my walk at Norman Levy Park Finding new ways to adapt and pivot I am thankful to be able to get outside and walk in beautiful town, county and state parks on Long Island. I like to go during the week when there are fewer people to be socially distant from. I enjoy watching the butterflies and birds flights. I love feeling the breeze on my face while soaking in the sun and listening to birdsongs. I am thankful to be able to gather with friends from all over the world for weekly Friday night cocktails and game nights. Laughing and sharing stories with friends have helped me weather these trying times. Its wonderful to hear how people are coping in different states and different countries. It helps me realize the commonality we all share. I am thankful to participate with my music virtually.  To keep everyone safe I have started to give violin and piano lessons over Zoom. It's been a learning curve on how to manage being able to see, hear and coach the students....

Thankful for a new year and decade! Wow, its 2020! January is such a great time to reflect and restart. I read in Arianna Huffington's Weekly Thoughts Newsletter that tiny changes can lead to big results. She recommends reading B.J. Fogg's book Tiny Habits. Fogg a Stanford behavioral scientist writes, "To be effective, change doesn't have to be hard at all-and it shouldn't be. Tiny adjustments that come easily and make us happy are the ones that work best." So I have decided to set small monthly goals in 2020 instead of resolutions that last until about the first few weeks of January. I am an avid reader of fiction, nonfiction, and yes self-help books. I love going to my local library and discovered and took out a book by UK author, Marianne Power called "Help Me!" The pink cover with a stack of books caught my eye at our New Non-fiction display at the library. The title of the book did not disappoint me. I put my books in the backseat ...

Daffodils starting to Bloom at Bayard Cutting Arboretum  I am filled with gratitude after the past three days of glorious Spring weather. Temperatures in the 60s, clear blue skies, and soft breezes. I am thankful to see sunny daffodils gracing my neighbors gardens. Magnolias in bloom. I am trying to go back to the roots of this blog and just share four moments I was thankful for yesterday. I am always thankful to wake up and try to start my day by thanking all the people who are going to help me today. It's a lovely first thought in the morning. I find when I remember to start my day in this way I notice all the little kindnesses that are generously given to me. Someone holding a door for me, or letting me go ahead in line at the supermarket because I just have three items to pay for. These niceties really brighten my day. I was thankful to see Rocktopia on Broadway with a good friend. I am a classical violinist and music teacher and was so happy to see so many p...

Decorations at the Oak cafe at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum I have been finding joy in unexpected places during these dark December days. We all need some extra light in our lives. I am grateful for the bright lights and decorations that are popping up in my neighborhood and discovered during my adventures to my favorite state parks and cultural experiences in New York. I have been tweeting @sharingthanks with the #TistheSeason some of my favorites. I hope my photos brighten your day. What I wish for most in the world is Peace , kindness, abundance for all, and tolerance! You can join in the fun by sharing your gratitudes and pictures on Twitter @sharingthanks with the #TistheSeason hashtag. I will be retweeting your gratitudes and snapshots of joy. You can also join in the fun by sharing something your thankful this season in the comments. I love hearing about what your grateful for. This week I am grateful for taking a walk at the beautiful Bayard Cutting Arboretum ...

I love sharing beautiful spaces with fellow friends who appreciate the impact of art fused with nature. So thankful to my friend Liz who invited me to go see the current Chihuly exhibit at the New York Botanical Gardens. I loved how Chihuly's pieces enhanced the beauty of the main greenhouse exhibits. We were blessed with a crisp fall day with blue skies. I took this video to capture the wave of colors undulating that looked like painter's brush strokes in the water. Below is the glass work that made these beautiful reflections. If you live in the New York area I recommend you go to the New York Botanical Gardens to enjoy this artist's brilliant work. The NYBG also has some fun fall displays. My friend and I enjoyed posing with pumpkin man. Below are a few more pictures from the greenhouse that illustrate how well this artist's work merges with nature. Hope you are enjoying this autumn season. Please share a fall activity that your thankful for! If ...

My daughter the blogger of Book to the Becky My daughter Becky started her own blog this year and in honor of Mother's Day asked me to co-write a blog post:  Top Ten Books My Mom Thinks You Should Read  on her great blog  Book to the Becky Her blog is dedicated to all the books she loves to read. I am thankful that I have encouraged her to become an avid reader. I still love reading and learning from books. Is there anything better than a good book, a cup of tea and soaking in the tub? I love reading a wide variety of books: fiction, non-fiction, biographys, memoirs, fantasy, summer escape, philosophy, self-help. I also love discussing great books with people. I have enjoyed being in book clubs and sharing ideas with my friends and family. Thanks for clicking on the link and enjoying our mother/daughter guest post and enjoying my favorite book's list. What is a book that your thankful for? Summer is almost here and I love getting recommendations for book...

Angel at Rockefeller Center Kind people make all of our lives better, sometimes with simple gestures that enhance our lives and bring smiles to our faces. Today I am giving thanks for the wonderful people in my life. I am trying to go back to the basics of why I started my sharing thanks blog. To share a few things everyday that I am grateful for and to encourage you to share your gratitudes in the comments, or email me at www.sharingthanks@gmail.com and I can repost them. In this season of light and giving let us give thanks to the people who bring us of tidings of joy. I am thankful for my family. To my parents who taught me how to appreciate nature by taking us camping and on hikes. "Look at the Stars" is a mantra I have grown up with. They also taught me to work hard and play harder. The most important thing they have taught me was how to love and be loved. I am thankful to my fellow musicians in the South Shore Symphony. I am lucky to get to play the Nutcracker ...

White Wildflower at Norman Levy Park I had an epiphany at my morning meditation class today. At the end of the class which is held at our local library I heard the sound of a dog barking. It turned out to be someone's cell phone ringtone.  Sometimes my smart phone feels like a pavlovian dog. I jump everytime it rings, beeps, bells, and vibrates. We have all put ourselves on call 24/7 being available to the next facebook update, tweet, email, emergency, text, and phone call. When did we all become on call doctors to one another. The stress of being available to everyone all the time makes us jump when our phones vibrate!  I was thinking about what activities get me to turn off my phone. I turn off my phone for meditation class, for orchestra rehearsal, when I am at a play, or a movie. This got me thinking, I got that aha moment of clarity. I should turn off my phone when I am enjoying being out with my friends, at family gatherings, on my walks on the beach, or hikes in n...

I am so thankful to live 15 minutes away from the beach. It was a beautiful morning for a beach walk. I love to go to Jones Beach during the week for a relaxing walk. I usually walk one mile on the boardwalk and then head down to the shoreline for the walk back. I love listening to the soothing sounds of the ocean, while cooling off by getting my feet wet. I love looking for shells, smooth stones and beach glass. I love the tranquility of just listening to the waves roll in. I breathe in the sea air and the energy of the sun. It is such a wonderful way to start my day. I took this small video this morning to share my beach moment. Watch the video for a one minute beach break. Just relaxing and breathing for one minute will rejuvenate you!

I am so grateful to the 92nd Street Y for showcasing "Seymour: and introduction" in their reel pieces screening and talks. Seymour is about retired concert pianist Seymour Bernstein, who continues teaching lessons to students and master classes at NYU's Tisch school for the arts. I got to share this amazing experience with my good friend and musician Liz. The piano score in the movie is breathtaking. The film documents the emotional experience that music offers to us all. Ethan Hawke's direction to tell Seymour's story and impart his wisdom about how practicing a talent carries over to the discipline and values we hold dear in our personal lives. Below are 4 lessons I learned in watching this brilliant portrait of an artist. Finding and practicing your talent is part of the purpose of your life. Excellence comes from much practice and study. When we listen to an artist perform we need to appreciate the practice and courage that has been done to get a flawl...

Gratitude is scientifically proven to make us happier. I've put this Top Ten List together to help jumpstart your gratitude habit! This new thankful attitude will help your mind focus on the little joys available to all of us everyday. These suggestions are easy to do! Share your experiences in adapting some of these thankful habits. Wake up Thankful: When you open your eyes, Say thank you, thank you, thank you! You are alive, and the new day is filled with possibilities for you! Take time to stop and smell the coffee! Take the time to breathe in the sweet aroma of a cup of coffee, or home made blueberry muffins.  Enjoy your morning shower. Is there anything better than clean hot water streaming down on you, especially on these cold winter days. Be thankful for the clean water we have. Take a gratitude break. Incorporate a 1 minute break by taking a deep cleansing breathe and think of something your thankful for in this small moment of peace. Give thanks for your food...

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

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...

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.