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Katrina Kenison

celebrating the gift of each ordinary day

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Home » Blog » Blessings

November 26, 2012 14 Comments

Blessings

What happens when we begin to count them? The day becomes a poem, the list a prayer, life itself a gift.

sunrise
flannel sheets
cold water
hot water
peppermint soap
oatmeal
long underwear
iTunes
sturdy legs
running shoes
dogs
silence
online friends
close-by friends
new friends
forever friends
traditions
sons with jobs
nephews and neices
oranges in a bowl
peppermint tea
tech support
hardcover books
1.50 reading glasses
a good haircut
a good husband
cardinals
clouds
stone walls
old trees
pink geraniums
piano music
faith
photos
grandmothers
grown children
little kids
handwritten notes
child pose
new kitchen sponges
Mary Oliver
parents
laughter
magazines
folded towels
matched socks
candlelight
cloth napkins
soup
resilience
forgiveness
footrubs
wrinkle cream
peppermint ice cream
chocolate sauce
sunset
stars
the moon
the sky
space
wonder
the words “good night”
flannel sheets
dreams
breath
today
tomorrow
this
now

Inspired by my friend Maezen

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Comments

  1. Lindsey says

    November 26, 2012 at 5:03 pm

    Oh, wow. Wow, wow, wow. Gorgeous. A poem, indeed, woven out of ordinary life. Thank you. xoxo

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth Grant Thomas says

    November 26, 2012 at 5:12 pm

    I love this. And, I can’t help but notice that there’s a lot of “peppermint” on your list 🙂

    Reply
    • Kristen @ Motherese says

      November 27, 2012 at 1:47 pm

      That’s exactly what struck me! 🙂

      Lovely, lovely list, Katrina, full of lovely, lovely reminders. xo

      Reply
  3. amanda {the habit of being} says

    November 26, 2012 at 5:16 pm

    such beauty in the ordinariness of life and the every day, the often overlooked.

    Reply
  4. Lisa says

    November 26, 2012 at 6:57 pm

    I love this simple list of the things that make life special.

    Reply
  5. Sara says

    November 26, 2012 at 7:12 pm

    This is so beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing.

    It’s powerful simplicity made me teary, but they’re good tears. So good, they could make my list.

    Thank you for the reminder.

    Reply
  6. pamela says

    November 26, 2012 at 8:29 pm

    Never before has a list brought tears to my eyes. This is beautiful. I am going to hang this in my kitchen and look at it every time I feel wobbly. And that photo – my goodness!!! It’s wonderful and so funny and sweet.

    Reply
  7. Janet says

    November 26, 2012 at 11:18 pm

    This is my poem everyday when I stop to notice. I remember always wanting to get to the top of the stairs on my early morning walk or run just so I could be at the top when the sun would be peaking over the top of the mountain. Can’t be put into words because the emotion is just so big.I guess that would be one more to add to the poem….very early mornings!. Thanks for continuing to inspire.

    Reply
  8. Karen Maezen Miller says

    November 27, 2012 at 12:39 am

    Knocks at the door

    Reply
  9. Susan Schrott says

    November 27, 2012 at 7:55 am

    Katrina…..I just LOVED this post. LOVED LOVED LOVED IT.
    Thank you for sharing this with us and for the inspiration.
    You can bet I will be following in your footsteps and taking pen to paper this beautiful morning.
    xoxoxsusan

    Reply
  10. B. Aronwald says

    November 27, 2012 at 8:24 am

    What a lovely list – so simple and beautiful. I am not a religious person but am very spiritual and have come to admire my Rabbi and his family’s orthodox tradition of saying thank you for all the little things throughout their days. For starters – waking up in the morning to see another day. It is all the little things we often overlook that bring deep fulfillment and joy. Unfortunately, our society is running so fast that many of us miss the opportunity to gain the peace of mind that comes from being in the moment and the opportunity it provides to be grateful. Slowing down enough to relish the little things, the small moments of joy each day, is the key. That is what your list can do for people. Everyone who wants to be more in the moment and therefore more joyful should make a list like yours each day until it becomes natural for them to just live it – to be in all the moments we are all so lucky to have. Unless of course you are deeply unhappy. Then you’ve got some hard work ahead of you to make your life what you want it to be. But don’t lose hope. Start small. Start with one moment a day and build from there.

    Reply
  11. Angie Locker says

    November 27, 2012 at 9:45 am

    yep!

    Reply
  12. Judy Berna says

    November 28, 2012 at 6:56 am

    I also noticed the peppermint theme and even scrolled back up to see if I were losing my mind! Peppermint is not a bad thing to be addicted to. 🙂
    Hubby and I watched most of the PBS series “The Dust Bowl” recently (he, being a history man, sucked me into it). I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought of those scenes, those pictures, those personal stories, as I’ve gone about my day, in the week since. I find myself thankful for all the little things those mamas didn’t have. Hope for tomorrow is a big one. But beyond that, clean, dirt free kitchen cloths and curtains. A washing machine/dryer that does all my work for me and spits out sweet smelling things for my family. A hot shower that leaves me feeling and smelling better all day. Windows that keep out the weather as well as the dust. A never empty pantry and a well stocked grocery store down the road when we are feeling our weak form of needy.
    I loved this post Katrina. Thanks for slowing me down today, making me think again about my own blessings, and sending me off on another day of gratitude.
    Hugs!
    Judy
    justonefoot.com

    Reply
  13. Jurian says

    November 28, 2012 at 5:25 pm

    I love that a good haircut comes right before a good husband. Everything in its proper order. :)Beautiful reminders.

    Reply

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Katrina Kenison
I’m a wife, the mother of two sons, a passionate reader, a former editor, a slow writer, a friend, a seeker. Somewhere along the way, I realized that a good life is made up not of peak moments but of many small ones – imperfect, fleeting, ordinary, precious. And so I slowed down and began to pay attention. Writing, it turns out, is a way of noticing.

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