Sharing Thanks

Love this Tuscan garden I saw at the Hick's Flower Show! I'm sharing this little piece of heaven. One of my goals is to visit Tuscany and tour Italy. Two of my favorite films feature scenery from this beautiful area "A Room with a View" and "Letter's to Juliet." I enjoy visiting quiet places with natural beauty. Sometimes when I am visiting some of the parks on Long Island I am struck by the vast number of people that are walking, running with their ipods on. I love music very much but I invite you to turn your ipod off and to tune in to the natural music all around you in a quiet place. I was walking at the Norman Levy Preserve and once you get into the trail, man made noises disappear and you can listen to birds chorus, the sound of a soft bay breeze, the music of nature. Here is what I was thankful for: I was thankful for listening to the sounds of nature. Hearing bird calls, my footsteps on the path, and enjoying the peace that silence can brin...

Thanks mother nature for providing us with clean air, drinking water, delicious food and love! Mother's day is Sunday May 12th! Want to thank your mom and show your appreciation! You can thank your mom in the comments section of my blog or on my twitter @sharingthanks using hashtag #thanksmom!       It was a beautiful Spring weekend.  Here is what I was thankful for! I am grateful to my Mom who has always been there for me encouraging me every step of the way! Thanks for your love, your boundless energy, and your creative spirit! I love you MOM!!!!! I was thankful to enjoy seeing Iron Man 3 with my daughter Becky! We loved Robert Downey's performance of Tony Stark and the great script with some memorable lines! I was thankful to my Mom for throwing an instant party which allowed us to have an impromptu family gathering to wish my niece Chelsea a great trip to Spain!I I was thankful to give a music lesson on Saturday morning to Sam. I really enjoy...

Let's Go Duck's! We have been having some beautiful Spring weather out on Long Island. Last Saturday we headed out to see a minor-league baseball game for some family fun. I love being outside and watching a sporting event live. Here is what I was thankful for. Thankful to enjoy a beautiful evening outside with my daughter Liz and her friend Kavita! Happy that the ticket prices for the game are $10 - $12. Every seat in this small stadium is a good one! Love that the parking is free as well. Thankful to see a few people in our section have the thrill of catching a foul ball. This may be a lesson in life that there is a silver lining to a mistake. Let's face it a foul ball is a strike and when a fan catches a foul ball it is a small miracle for them. They have a huge grin on their face and they leave the stadium with a happy memory and a souvenir. Thankful for the amazing Grucci Fireworks after the game. It was a clear night and the fireworks were dazzling!  I love th...

Kids climbing trees with spotters at the Arbor Day Festival Ahhh to be 10 again. I enjoyed watching these courageous kids climbing this tall tree and have the experience of being among the high branches. It was a gorgeous Sunday at the Arbor Festival at Planting Fields Arboretum. I was so so happy to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. Here is what I was thankful for! I was thankful to see families enjoy this beautiful state park. The magnolia trees were beautiful shades of pink and purples. I was thankful to see 5 happy wedding couples getting there wedding pictures taken at planting fields. I was thankful to see kids running around the great lawns and enjoying the simple joys of nature. I was thankful to see so many people going home with small tree saplings to plant. I invite you to share a small joy of nature that you are thankful for!

Love this video of Michael Buble singing in the 66th Street Lincoln Center NYC Subway station. This is what I love about NYC you never know what you are going to see and hear when you ride the subway. Love the acapella group and the tile acoustics. What a way to visit Lincoln Center by subway!

Enjoy this Ocean Guided Meditation video with Deepak Chopra. I watched it, and it took me to a state of beautiful calm! Namaste! Little Buddha from Hick's Spring Flower Show I loved taking this picture. Looking at this peaceful Buddha statue meditating next to his tree provides me with an instant moment of calm. What is amazing is that these instant moments of calm are available to us everyday if we choose to stop and savor a moment, take a deep breath and count to 4, repeatedly. Studying music gives us the ability to learn to count measures. There is something very relaxing about counting measures with people who gather to make music together. The harmony and the counting provide relaxation and the joy of coming together to create beautiful music. I believe by counting measures we are tapping into the rhythm of life. Here is what I was thankful for yesterday. I was thankful to the waitress at Chili's who found my cell phone for me. What a relief to call the re...

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...