Sharing Thanks

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 ...

Strike a yoga pose while watching a sunset! Wonderful roadstop along the Taconic during a recent Adirondack trip with good friends. I have been on a health kick and am very grateful to have lost over 20 pounds in the past 4 months. I am so grateful to friends who have become my exercise buddies. It is incredible to feel lighter and less winded. I have not posted in a while so I am getting back to basics and sharing my four gratitudes with you today. I love hearing what your thankful for. Tell me about a friend you have that helps motivate you to get to your 10,000 steps a day or try a new actvity! Thanks to my friend Sejal, who woke up today at 5:45am so we could register for aqua aerobics at our county pool. This will be a new activity that I am excited to try. I love swimming and this will help me get to the pool once a week! Thanks to my friend Margaret, who met me for tennis earlier in the week. I had not played tennis in over 5  years. It felt good to know I can still...

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...

Long Beach, NY Boardwalk A lovely 80 degree day on Long Island led me to drive to one of my favorite places to walk: the Long Beach Boardwalk. Last year they rebuilt the bathrooms and you can find small restaurants to get a cool lunch, drinks, or coffee peppered along the 2 mile stretch!  I love that it is not overly commercial on the boardwalk. There is also a food truck alley next to the boardwalk. The boardwalk is 2 miles in length so I usually park near the beautiful hotel Allegria which is a great place to have a drink and watch the waves! There are some public art installations and a driftwood artist Mitch Van Duff Atlanticdriftwoodllc.com has some fun sculpture displayed. There is also a Home Sweet Home community art project on display lead by West End Arts! Surfer Sculpture by Mitch Van Duff Part of Home Sweet Home community tile art project I love getting some sand between my toes and getting my feet wet! This time of year the beach is still free...

Pink blossoms from my morning walk I love walking during the Spring and enjoying nature's burst of colors! Sunny daffodils, red tulips grace our neighbors gardens. Everyday something new is in bloom which makes me feel anything is possible in Spring. I enjoy being able to open the windows and hearing a chorus of birds, Soft breezes on my face accompanied by the warm rays of the sun on my back energize me. It's great to enjoy the outdoors this time of year. My dog Oreo loves taking a longer walk now that the weather is nicer. Its also nice to see more folks outside and catching up with neighbors with front lawn conversations. What are you grateful for this Spring? I love hearing about your #springjoys! Please share what your thankful for in the comments or tweet @sharingthanks with #springjoys.

Sasha basking in the sunlight! Find your sunny spot! I love observing my cat in the winter who can always find the warmest sunniest spots in my house. What can we do during the winter to bask in the light available to us? How can we steal a few moments of calm and get into that relaxation mode? Here is my top 10 list. I love to hear what you do to let some sunshine in to warm up a winter day. Sit next to your cat and enjoy the sun's ray of light while you gently pet her.  Soak in a hot bath with a good book and a hot cup of tea. Pull up your blinds and draw the curtains and let the light shine in your home. Curl up on the sofa in your living room with a blanket. We have a blanket bin in our living room to enjoy cuddling up while we binge our favorite shows. Fire up the crock pot and make a delicious home made stew or soup. Plant an indoor herb garden.  Just breath! Breathe in energy. Exhale and release all your stress energy. Pour yourself a cup of c...