Judith Glende: Thanks Be For Giving

When my son was little he use to say "Thanks Be For Giving" instead of Thanksgiving. His special phrase has stuck with me ever since and it made so much sense to me.

 I give thanks that he walked through the door today so happy to be home from school for his "Thanks Be For Giving" break.

I give thanks to be able to celebrate this holiday one year after a scary diagnosis of stage II Melanoma. I dodged a bullet last year and I give thanks everyday for that.

I give thanks to have a job that I love and the most supportive husband and son I could ask for. The two people that know me the best and still love me!

I give thanks for the joy in my customers eyes as they covet that special piece of jewelry I made because it speaks to them.

I am a lucky girl and give thanks for giving~

Judy

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You can learn more about Judith at her blog, Judith B Designs

Judith Glende: Silhouettes

When I was in my teens the month of November started being a very sad month for me.  My parents each died in November, and I took care of a dear friend who also passed away in November.

Bad news came in November.

The trees were bare, it was cold and grey.

I dreaded the month as it always brought back sad memories.

A few years ago on a cold November day, we were traveling in the car and I was looking out the window and really started looking at the trees. For the first time I noticed how beautiful their form was; something you could not see when they were fully leafed.

The silhouettes were beautiful.

I felt like I finally started to open my eyes and see what was around me.

How and why did my eyes finally start to open?  All because of the guidance of the book, "Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy" by Sarah Ban Breathnach. This book is organized as a walk through the year with gentle lessons of comfort, joy and guidance to contentment. I kept a journal through my walk and wrote down five things I was grateful for each day.

I started seeing the simple things and finding the pleasures in them, like those trees that I never noticed before.

I started to view my life differently. I no longer write what I am grateful for each day, but I acknowledge them and verbalize them more...

I feel them.

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You can learn more about Judith at her blog, Judith B Designs