Sharing Thanks

  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....

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 ...

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...

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...

I am thankful for seeing this Piano Guys playful video of  "Angels We Have Heard on High." These vibrant  classical musicians are using their talents to inspire young musicians. There is also something magical about the inside of a piano! One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the music it has inspired! As a kid a loved going caroling. Singing outside with a group of family friends warmed my soul. This week seems all about music to me so here are my musical thanks! Thanks to my violin piano student Irina! She actually introduced me to the Piano Guys a few months ago. She is a 9th grader and loves watching the classical music videos they make. I am thankful that Piano Guys is creating excitement for classical music to a new generation! I am thankful for the South Shore Symphony Orchestra. We are performing the Nutcracker with the Leggs Ltd. Dance ballet company this weekend. I love immersing myself in the music of the Nutcracker for two weeks. This community event i...

South Shore Symphony at the Madison Theater. Can you find me? It's been a windy cold weekend here! Good music and home made cooking have been keeping me warm! I am so blessed to play in the orchestra with the South Shore Symphony . If you live in Long Island check out the website for our spring concert dates and programs.  After a concert I love lingering listening to the lovely melodies that are in my head. Our conductor Scott Jackson Wiley, brings out the best in us! Here is what I was thankful for this weekend. Thankful to be able to play the Gershwin Piano Concerto in F with the beautiful and talented Karen Faust Baer. Bravo on her engaging performance and for the lovely Gershwin encore. Thanks to the timpanist, who met an aspiring classical timpanist after the concert to talk about percussion and music conservatories. Our orchestra loves mentoring high school students and has several students playing with our group. Thanks to my good friends Sue and Mike, and Stella S...

Sunset at Jones Beach Field 10 I love watching the sunset over the water! One of my favorite winter things to do is to take a beach drive before sunset and go to Jones Beach Field 10 by the fishing pier and watch the sun set over the bay. I took this picture on Sunday. It was so relaxing to just sit for 10 minutes and watch the sun sink into the water. I love the purple reflections dancing in the water! We got a light dusting of snow earlier in the day and you can see some of the snow on the rocks. Taking the time to enjoy a tranquil moment of beauty can really boost your mood! Here is what I was thankful for yesterday. I was thankful I mustered up the energy to write a difficult letter. I am thankful that I was able to stop the procrastination and face the music and just write my final letter as a girl scout leader. I loved being involved with girl scouts for my daughters and the wonderful girls I mentored. Now it is on to a new chapter in my life! I was thankful to go to orche...

Love these Patriotic Nutcrackers I love getting out my Nutcrackers as part of my home holiday decorating. I had a very wonderful weekend filled with music. Every year the South Shore Symphony performs the Nutcracker with Leggs Ltd. Dance featuring professional dancers! I love the Nutcracker music and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to play it. I love sitting next to the harp and hearing the introduction to the Waltz of the Flowers!  Here are my thanks for today. Sharing thanks for seeing angels dancing at the beginning of Act II of the Nutcracker. Thankful for talented beaming kids whose radiating smiles lit up the auditorium.  Thanks to my parents and my husband, who came out to see the Nutcracker on Saturday night. My parents treated us to dinner at Greek Town. The food and company was wonderful. Hats off to my mom who has been sharpening her Scrabble skills with an App on her Ipod. She creamed us playing scrabble afterwards. Thankful to take to my older dau...

Feathers from Michaels, February, 2012 I enjoy exploring my creative side at Michaels. They have so many different cool craft items. I saw these fun pastel feathers and enjoyed taking some pictures of them. Tonight was my concert. The South Shore Symphony performed with Piano soloist Jeffrey Biegel at the Madison theater and received a standing ovation before intermission. My thanks have a musical theme tonight. Music touches our emotions and promotes harmony in the world. Our orchestra has many talented players who span many ages from 14 year olds to 70 year olds. When we get together we are just all musicians trying to inspire audiences playing a varied classical repertoire. 1) Thanks for the wonderful musicianship of my fellow orchestra mates. Copland's Appalachian Spring was so colorful and vibrant tonight. Thanks to Molloy College for building a beautiful concert hall with amazing acoustics. 2) Thanks for the amazing artistry of Jeffrey Biegel. He brought down the house ...

Crocuses at Trader Joes, January 2012 Sometimes life gets overwhelming and last night I must admit I had difficulty focusing on the positive. I got a good nights sleep and now I am ready to think about the good things that happened yesterday and share my thanks a day late. 1) I have been enjoying seeing spring flowers featured at the local supermarkets. I took this picture at Trader Joes, one of my favorite places to shop. One thing I love about Trader Joes is that they have gourmet food and down to earth prices. Another good thing, is they have a tasting table and let you sample some of the products. It's always fun to try something new! 2) I am thankful to be playing music. I am a violinist with the South Shore Symphony and we did a benefit concert to help raise money for the Rockville Centre Community Fund. The community fund helps neighbors who are struggling financially get back on there feet. We played Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring. It was the best I have heard...

Pink Patterned Poinsettia's, January 9, 2012 It was a beautiful January Day on Long Island. After taking my daughter to school I decided to take a drive and commune with nature at the Planting Fields Arboretum. They have a greenhouse that is open to the public that has a wide array of orchids and is still decorated with an amazing number and variety of poinsettias. It is so important to spend some time outside in the winter, and soak up that vitamin D especially on a nice day. Here are my thanks for today. 1) Thanks for the public park at the Planting Fields Arboretum, which is free this time of year. I enjoyed walking at the old Coe Estate and spending some time in the fabulous lush greenhouse. 2) Thanks for the quiet peaceful serenity that I experienced there today. There are few places on Long Island where you can just listen and hear the soothing sounds of nature. 3) Thanks for the great musicians in the South Shore Symphony. We had are first rehearsal for this new yea...