The Garden of Gratitude
When your world is spinning…
Fast and furious off its axis
Parts and pieces flying all around…
Unsettled and stirring in the fury
Of perhaps a storm hit hard unknowingly.
When your earth’s breaking apart…
Crumbling into parts and pieces
Scattering thoughts swirling with the dirt
As though gravity has lost its pull
You become unbound
Un-tethered to your truths.
Dig your heels in the ground
Tend to the garden…
Of Gratitude.
There’s fertile soil there
To plant the seeds of strength
Where perspective blooms
And fortitude blossoms.
Where restoration and transformation give way
To affirmation.
Your world may be turning
Recklessly and Restlessly
But solid ground is found
When you dig your heels in the ground
To tend to the garden…
Of Gratitude.
There are hidden treasures lying there
Beneath the spoils and toils of trouble.
Dig deeper to anchor your weight in…
You’ll discover their power
And unearth the jewels of joy.
Let the richness soothe your mind
Taste the sweetness of its pleasure.
Hold on tight. Grasp the light
Beyond the whirling winds.
Plant your peace…
In the budding ground
Underneath your feet.
And as your world spins…
~Bask in the bouquet from your garden~
Of Gratitude.
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing your talent; this is perfect for the TToT!
Aw!! Thanks so much for reading this Kristi! <3
“…as if gravity has lost its pull…and “Hold on tight. Grasp the light.Beyond the whirling winds.
Plant your peace…” love those lines! Happy 100!
Aw! Thanks so much Ivy!! I do too… <3
What a lovely tribute!! 🙂 I’m sure Lizzi will love it!!
Thanks Roshni! I really think this is a fairly good analogy… 🙂 We all have gardens to tend to!
What a lovely tribute. Gratitude really is a garden that needs tending.
I really like that visual, Vanessa! I picture all kinds of flowers and bushes and blooms… that truly surround us every day. It’s so important to tend to those precious jewels, despite some tough trenches in the dirt.
Lovely. I’ve been missing you a lot, Chris! And love the new look, by the way. Very cool.
I’ve been missing you TOO,Lisa!! I’m so glad you came by to read this one! <3 Love you.
This is gorgeous, Kitty, and SO RIGHT! Even in spite of everything, being able to tend to gratitude is both a distraction, a re-framing, and a chance to count blessings. You are definitely one of mine. THANK YOU for being part of my world, and such a wonderful friend <3 <3
YOU are and always will be one of mine, Faves. <3
Absolutely beautiful and great reminder, too Chris!! 😉
Thanks my friend!!! MWUAH!!
Love your new look, friend!!! And so glad you linked up for 100!
Thanks Sarah! I am sooo glad to have it done!! I lurv lurv LURV it!!
Hold on tight. Grasp the light.
Amen!
Yes, May! AMEN. <3
Wow! A poem for the celebration! Very nice! And a spot on analogy.
Thanks Christine!! Happy 100th!!!!
This is a beautiful tribute to our Ten Things of Thankful! Thank you for sharing it with us!
Oh I’m just so glad you like it Dyanne!! Happy HUNDREDTH!!! 🙂
Love the poem and the changes in your website! <3
Thanks so much Nance, for coming by to read it. I really love the make-over sooo much!! Thanks for noticing!! I have been wanting to polish it up for years… SO excited about it! <3
Chris,
This poem is lovely, and a perfect tribute to Ten Things of Thankful. I am glad you linked up or we would have missed this written work of art.
Thanks so much for coming by to read it Pattie!
Christine,
I guess that I hadn’t been by your blog since you redesigned it. It looks so great. I love the changes that you’ve made. Really fabulous.
This poem perfectly describes my life right now. Everything is going crazy. But in spite of the mess and the crazy my husband and I have been talking lately about how these couple of weeks make us both have a new found appreciation for all we’ve been given in life. And how grateful we will be when the construction is finally over.
Thanks so much Amy!! Oh I bet your world is SPINNING!!! Hang on hun!! And keep tending your garden!
100 weeks – wow!!
Such a perfect poem for this week, and for me to read because I’m going to make it about me for a second and tell you how badly I needed this, my dear.
Oh T! I am SO glad you were able to soak this in, sweetie. Praying you can tend to your garden… <3 (And hoping you are okay!!) HUGS and let me know if I can do anything to help... okay?
Hi Chris! What a great visual this is. I love it, never heard of it before! Digging in my heels to anchor myself in the ground of gratitude. That’s really beautiful.
It seems like Jesus really liked plant growth, and farming thoughts for spirituality. I think this fits right in with that. Being anchored, planting seeds, growth…Beautiful!
Blessings,
Ceil
Thanks Ceil!! I really like that visual too… I picture this glorious garden full of budding flowers with labels of all things worthy of praise. As we stand amidst the blooms and feel the soil’s warmth of hope and smell the fragrance of peace. <3
Love that you mentioned “hidden treasures.” maybe that’s what Life should be, a never ending treasure hunt!! For good stuff. I mean, you wouldn’t plant weeds in your garden, right?
there’s just so much goodness going on in these lines… I can’t even 🙂
There are HUNDREDS of treasures in our every day… if we just open our eyes and heart to them, right? I think I miss too many… Shame on me! This summer, I will be tending my garden every day, so as not to miss one!!
What a wonderful message Chris! Your words are like honey to the soul. The garden of gratitude is the best place to be and heal. No other place has this power.
Be sure I’ll keep your words close to my heart.
Stay well and have a lovely week.
ps – Love the new design!!
Thank you so much Marie!!! Yes, you are so right! No other place has power like this… gratitude is a transformational gift.
Just lovely, Chris <3
Thank you so much, my dear friend. <3
Such a beautiful reminder. I need to remind myself often to tend to that garden of gratitude. Because “solid ground is found When you dig your heels in the ground.” Oh, so true. I’m so behind in reading blogs (and life in general), but I’m glad I read this. Thank you, my friend. And the design looks great!
When we are running at top speed, it’s hard to dig our heels in the ground! So hard. But you of all people, find a way to do it. I believe that is your greatest source of strength, my friend. And I just love that about you. <3
You have no idea how much I needed this. My mind and spirit have been spinning away from me and what I thought I knew. Thank you thank you for telling me to focus on gratitude rather than my doubts. Thank you so much friend.
OH Stephanie!!! I am just thrilled that these words moved you and helped you to focus on such things… I have been there, my friend. Dig those heels in the ground! Stand firmly on your foundation of faith and gratitude. You will always find your perspective there. <3
Oh, how I loved this part…
“Let the richness soothe your mind
Taste the sweetness of its pleasure.
Hold on tight. Grasp the light
Beyond the whirling winds.
Plant your peace…”
During a particularly difficult time, intentional gratitude helped me to find the light again. It was one of the early steps in a very long journey. There were many steps in the journey and many paths to take, but intentional gratitude helped me to move again so that I could begin the long journey to learning to be grateful, whole, and happy…even in the midst of the storms.
And, oh my goodness. THIS. They are indeed hidden treasures beneath the spoils and toils. Yes..dig deep.
“There are hidden treasures lying there
Beneath the spoils and toils of trouble.
Dig deeper to anchor your weight in…
You’ll discover their power
And unearth the jewels of joy.”
Wow, Chris. Just wow.
It sounds so cliche when we hear ourselves say it out loud, but it isn’t. It’s so good for the soul. It reminds me of this part of what you wrote….
“Bask in the bouquet from your garden.”
Bask described what it feels like so beautifully. It’s like warm sunshine after a long, hard, cold winter.
I love you Topaz…
Your heart is sunshine to my soul.
It always lights it up!! <3