Sharing Thanks

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...

Liz dancing in a summer rain! We had a small heat wave earlier this week.  Temperatures were in the 90s! It was a hot summer day, and I was being a sloth and relaxing at home. I have been doing the Oprah and Deepak Chopra Manifesting Gratitude through grace meditation exercises. I don't like to watch TV during the day and I decided it was a good time to just sit and meditate to Day 4: Grace is replying. While I was meditating listening to Chopra's soothing voice, it started to rain. My daughter Liz was home and she said come outside. I thought she saw a rainbow? So I ran outside and it was a sun shower, raining hard. She was happily dancing in the rain. I joined her. The cool rain felt exhilarating! Its been a long time since I splashed in puddles. It was a joyful moment filled with Grace! After our water ballet in the rain, we both went in the house and changed into dry clothes. I was thankful to have shared this cool moment of joy with my daughter. What's helping you ...

Chalk art at Norman J. Levy Preserve Thankful for this beautiful end of summer weather with hints of Fall in the air. It was a top ten day on Long Island so I went for a 2 mile walk at the Norman J. Levy Park & Preserve. It felt great to just get outside. There is something soothing about being in nature. I love bringing my camera along and taking pictures to capture the joy of seeing a moment of beauty. I am listing my thanks today with the pictures I took of these small joys Water Lily Pond at the top of the Preserve I love this part of the park. They have a Monet like bridge overlooking the pond. I was happy to spot a few water lily blooms. After you walk around the pond I came across this incredible view. Great South Bay View from Norman Levy Park and Preserve I love the tranquility of this park. You pass a few kindred souls, walking or running in the park. I saw  someone enjoying the peace and reading a good book. It's lovely to smile and say hi to the few...

The best Tiramisu Milkshake with a dash of color and even a magic wand! It was nice to have a magical Monday! We had a wonderful night out with some good family friends. Here was what I was thankful for yesterday. Thankful to have a great night out with our friends the Gera's! They suggested going to "Diner by the Sea" in Long Beach, NY. We were lucky to get a table as this diner is a popular hang out. I splurged and go this Tiramisu Milkshake that came with sparkling sprinkles and even a magic wand.  You know I just had to get the french fries too. Thankful to have an upside down night. Since we decided to start with dessert first, we walked done to the beautiful Long Beach Boardwalk. I love listening to the pounding surf. Thankful to see my girls enjoy running on the beach, climbing a life guard chair and taking tons of fun pictures together. They also dipped their toes in the ocean. Thankful to hear some great sounds of summer from a live band that was pla...

Photo by Ellen Birch. Taken at the Museum of Modern Art Water Lilies room. Art evokes emotions with color and light! To establish a grateful attitude focus on the beauty that is available to you everyday. Notice the light, and color of a moment. Sit and breathe in the beauty of that moment. Carry the picture of the moment in your mind and use it to bring you to a relaxing state of mind. I had many wonderful moments this long weekend.  I was thankful to be able to spend Sunday with my good friends at MOMA! We were energized by art and learning about the artists. One of our favorite places to go is the Water Lilies room at MOMA. The colors are mesmerizing and reflective. We sat in the room and soaked in the beauty and light of Monet's genius. It is one of the most relaxing places in New York City. I was thankful to have a good belly laugh with my friends. We went to a modernist art display and were chuckling over a piece of art work that resembled a stainless steel...

The Emmons Lab from the University of California has done a lot of gratitude research in the last decade and has found that the simple act of saying ThankYou   has many health benefits. Want to keep those New Years Resolutions? Then learn to say thank you! In one study people who kept gratitude lists were more likely to make progress toward achieving important personal goals over a two-month period compared to participants who did not keep gratitude lists. To learn more about this ground breaking gratitude research listen to Robert Emmons himself! I'm devoting the Month of January to help you start a gratitude habit! Each post this month will focus on techniques that will lead you down the road to thankfulness! I invite you to try these exercises! The first exercise is to start your day by waking up to gratitude! When you open your eyes to wake up, continue laying down in bed and take a deep breath. Breath in a "Thank You" Breath out a "Thank You"...

Smiling Rocks found on Caumsett Beach I love taking walks in nature and finding unexpected surprises. I went for a walk with my good friend Stella at Caumsett State Park and was surprised to find these smiling rocks on the beach. They look like they were left by creative kids with a black crayon! There simple designs made me smile. Smiles are contagious. I just started a new pinterest board dedicated to smiles. It is hard not to smile when someone smiles at you! Smiling is an easy way to spread happiness. You can view my new Pinterest board at Smiles . Here is what made me smile today! I am thankful for a beautiful October Day! Enjoyed walking on a 68 degree, sunny October Day. I enjoyed finding a beautiful small red leaf on the sidewalk! I am thankful to the Banfield Vet center at the PetSmart at Huntington Station. They took good care of Oreo and gave her all her shots for this year!I am thankful to my Mom who came with me to the vet with Oreo. Oreo loves my mom. It was nice ...

Seeing this video today gave me a smile. Yes Beluga Whale's do boogie. Music soothes all of our souls! Here is what I was thankful for today! Thanks to the postal worker who helped me tape up a box to send a care package out to my daughter in college. Thanks for a beautiful sunny day. I enjoyed walking Oreo around the neighborhood seeing some fall floral color. I am thankful to offer a helping hand to family friends, after they got into a car accident last night. Luckily no one was injured. I was happy to provide a ride. Thanks to my cousin Barbara who sent my daughter a graduation present in the mail. She will be thrilled to get something special in the mail! What made you smile today? If you want to share what your thankful for you can write your thanks in the comments! Tweet your thanks with hashtag #sharingthanks or @sharingthanks. 

Dandelion wildflower at Norman Levy Preserve Last week I got to walk at one of my favorite parks the Norman Levy Preserve. It had closed for a while after hurricane Sandy. I was happy to see it open again and wanted to explore the park. I was thankful to be able to walk and look at the beautiful bays toward Jone's beach again. This huge dandelion caught my eye! I love bringing my camera to the park. This dandelion looked like a beautiful flower next to the purple wildflowers around us. We all need the courage to stand out. Our differences are what make us more beautiful! Here is what I was thankful for when taking my nature walk. Happy Earth day everyone! I was happy that the fishing pier at the park withstood the hurricane. I love walking out to the middle of the bay. Sometimes I will lie back on one of the park benches and enjoy meditating and breathing in the sea air. So refreshing! I was thankful to see the Nigerian goats. They got a new barn. They are green energy wor...

Impressionistic Clouds. Makes me want to paint! I love finding something beautiful in an unexpected place. Let's play a game. Here is a question of the day! Guess where I took today's photo! Just list your guesses in the comments along with something you saw that was beautiful! I listen to the Pulse on XM radio in the mornings and they have a question of the day game with no prizes. I am always amazed how people enjoy just playing and calling in to see if they have the right answer. It is so important to play in life! I appreciate being around people who love to play! Here are my thanks for today! I am so thankful to get my car back from the dealer today. Last week I thought my car's engine was dying. I love my Honda Odyssey! We have had so many great road trips with this car that I was heart broken. Millennium Honda was able to diagnose the noise and it turned out to be a timing problem. I loved driving my car home today. It was so quiet and felt like a brand new car...

Pine cones on my mid-morning winter walk today. Happy 2013! Welcome to a new year filled with promise. New Years Day gives us a chance to reflect. We think about how we want to change. A new year feels like a clean slate which we can write a new story to improve our lives. I like to set goals for the new year, rather than resolutions. This helps me make a plan on how I can achieve my goals. One of my goals this year is to be healthier and lose some weight. This goal is going to require that I change some of my habits. I am starting out by making small mini goals. This will help me get into better habits gradually. Life is always changing and the more we can embrace this the more we can open ourselves up to opportunities and enjoying what we are doing right now! Another goal I have is to find a full time job! I am thankful to friends and family who will support me to help me achieve these goals. I am also thankful for myself for having the wisdom to make some changes for the better....