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Gratitude

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As I head into Manhattan for another day of coaching work, I am feeling grateful. Not just for today’s job, but for a host of things.

• For a husband who reacts with surprised delight when I unexpectedly come in the door after three days away.

• In that same vein – for a husband who writes the most beautiful lyrics and is a true wordsmith, as well as a romantic. As I was listening to my playlist while driving home from Hartford, two of his songs came up and, though I’ve heard them many times, I was amazed at the beauty of his words.

• For work. For the chance to work at what I love and have loved since I was in the 7th grade. How many people get to do that? I know it’s rare. I don’t take it for granted.

• For inspiring colleagues who, in turn, inspire me.

• For Darko, who I first worked with in 2008, and who has been an inspiration ever since. I am very, very fortunate that he continues to want to work with me.

• For the actors I have the honor of working with. You know, 99.9% of actors are very nice people. There are a few bad apples, but I can probably count the not-so-nice people I’ve worked with on one hand. Maybe six fingers. And that, my friends, is after more than 30 years of doing what I do. How lucky I am!

• For my sister and her family. For my nephews and nieces and great-nephews and great-nieces. For a magical little boy named Z.

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• For a lilac bush that has flower buds, despite unexpected snow and ice and freezing temperatures.

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• For a climbing hydrangea with buds that were encased in icicles just over a week ago. I frantically tried to break them off, but I could only do so much. It has survived quite nicely. I’m not so sure whether the daffodils will bloom and there is definite damage to the day lily leaves and some sedum, but they’re pretty strong, so we’ll just wait and see.

• That being said, I’m grateful for a relatively mild winter after two winters in a row that were devastatingly harsh and seemingly endless.

• For Spring, which is technically here, but not so here during the past two weeks. I know it’s coming. The temperatures look as if they’ll be climbing toward the end of the week. Then I can get outside and do some much-needed cleanup work in the gardens.

• For the car my dad lovingly gave us when he decided to stop driving. It has made my life so much easier. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. Every day.

• For books and music and beautiful pottery and textiles and all the things we surround ourselves with here at the cottage. Layers of meaning, layers of words, layers of beauty, layers of well-loved things: they are the substance of our home.

• For our cottage. I walked in the door last night and fell in love with it all over again. You’d think I’d been gone for weeks, rather than three days. It is my safe place. It is our home. It is everything I ever dreamed of for all those years when I was living in studio apartments, or city apartments, or rented houses, or rented rooms. I loved all of those places and made each one my home. I didn’t need someone telling me to do that, I just did it. I’ve always done it. Anyplace I hang my hat is home, as the song goes. But this  is different. This is something we never thought we’d have; two people working in the arts, earning a livable wage, but not a house-buying wage. At times, it’s been a struggle, but it’s a worthwhile struggle. We love it here. We NEVER take it for granted.

• For this blog and my other blog and for all of you. I’ve written about it many times, so I won’t say anything more. I’ll just say, again, how grateful I am for all of you.

• For all my former students – hundreds of them. I treasure our friendships and the time we spent together. Occasionally, I even get to work with one or two of them, many years later. What a joy they are.

• For my brother and my mother and my father and my father-in-law and Winston and Riley and Scout. Gone from this plane of existence, but with me every day. I love you forever. For grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and friends and colleagues and students who have graced my life and who have passed on. I love you forever. For childhood friends and pets who are no longer with us. I love you forever.

Oh, theres’s more. But that’s a good start for today.

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Claudia,
    This post brought a smile to my face and tears to my eyes. Re your weather, we are much the same in Central Pennsylvania. Our azalea bushes were open in glorious bloom when an extremely cold spell hit and every single flower fell off the ground. Sad to see.
    Susan

    • Very sad. I keep watching the daffodils, hoping against hope that they’ll still bloom.

  2. What a beautiful post and a beautiful list, Claudia. Written with such feeling from a warm heart. Thanks for sharing it. Inspirational!

  4. Remembering everything to be grateful for is so important. I am so grateful for you and Don and for answering the phone 18 days in a row for my sweet little guy.
    Love you,
    M

  5. It is important for us to be grateful. So many people are suffering with different heartaches. We have to enjoy everyday ! Thanks for helping us to remember.

  6. Your beautiful post with your gratitudes brought a smile to my face this early morning. Thank you for reminding me to list the things I am grateful for this morning.

  8. Thank you so much for this post, I needed to be reminded that we all have so many things to be grateful for and we need to remember to ‘count our blessings’ every day. Safe travels into the City today.

  10. A post like this, reminds me there is more right in my world, than not. Thank you for reminding me to be grateful! ;)

  11. Lovely post with beautiful thoughts. Lifts my heart. Thanks – I’m grateful you write this blog.

  14. Well said, Claudia. Thank you for the reminder to focus on what’s right instead of what isn’t.
    And I am grateful for your writing.

  15. The healing power of gratitude. Thank you for reminding me of all I have to be grateful for also. I had a wonderful nights sleep (also very healing). Today is the start of another busy week, but I’m grateful for the love that comes my way each and every day. It’s a good day to be thankful.
    hugs,
    Linda

  16. what a beautiful post, claudia! i am glad you have such a long list (and it doesn’t include everything) and gratitude for those blessings.

    your post is a good reminder for me today. progress is being made, but there’s been and remain health issues, financial stress and other concerns among my family and when one hurts, we all hurt (and help each other). your list has inspired me to create my own. thank you! as it says in the Bible … a cheerful heart does good like medicine.

    hope you all have a great week ahead.

    kathy in iowa

    • There are always ongoing areas of concern and stress and worry. But when I remind myself to stop and express gratitude, I am comforted. And grateful.

  17. Hi Claudia, so lovely, reading your post today just made me smile and feel grateful and content…you sound very content today! Life is good, most of the time! Thank YOU for posting most every day and keeping me grounded and aware. xxoo

  19. Sweet post Claudia! We should all take time to stop and realize how blessed we all are on a daily basis. Thanks for reminding me how much I have to be thankful for.

    Judy

  21. Claudia, I think this is the most beautiful post you’ve ever shared with us. Your words were so melodic, your sentences so perfectly crafted that they sound like music.

    Safe travels to NYC and back.

    xo

    Sheila

  22. What a beautiful post!! You inspired me to think of all the things in my life I’m thankful for.

  26. And we ~~ are thankful for thee!!

    (Yeah, I was going to put “for you”, but knowing that you love Shakespeare, and the fact that it rhymed, well, I just went with thee!! ). ?

  27. I love your moment of gratitude. You have some great things to be grateful for and appreciative of. I don’t know you specifically and some of the things on your list are very personal, of course, but the tone of this post in itself was inspiring, and a good reminder of the good. Thank you.

  28. What a terrific post, Claudia! It sounds like maybe a cosmic or celestial “cloud of self-awareness” hit you this weekend, or settled down over you while you were asleep. Or something. A good thing, whatever it was. This post sums up your current world in a REALLY beautiful way – very touching. Maybe the heavy pall of your grief for Scout is beginning to peel away a bit too. Another good thing. More power to you… ✨✨

    • I think it did. I was so happy to come home on Saturday after a very satisfying work experience, and the cottage was beautiful and I was so happy to see Don. And that feeling remained all day yesterday. It doesn’t always happen, but I wanted to seize on it while I could.

  29. Thank you for your beautiful post, Claudia! It is so good to “stop and smell the roses”, as they say. We should do it every day – although that is not always the easiest! I am happy that you have so many “roses” in your life, as you deserve it all! Your post made me stop and reflect. I thank the Good Lord for His graciousness and blessings to me.

    • It is sometimes very hard. I know. But when we can ‘be there’ with gratitude and thankfulness, we are transformed.

  31. I saw that you’re on the road today Claudia… I pray for safe travels for you.
    I loved seeing your gratitude list… it was thought provoking (as most of your posts are)
    I too have much to be grateful for. I won’t go into it here, but I will say, I’m grateful to know you, and have you as a friend.
    You are a warm, laughable and knowledgeable person… always willing to help a gal out. (the recent McCoy purchase for instance) thank you, friend.
    Pat

  32. Your list today is an inspiration to me. I need to make a list of my own. I think if we look at our world, each one of us can find something to be grateful for. A lot of somethings!
    Blessings,
    Bets

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