Counting Your Blessings

"There is so much abundance in nature, so much to be grateful for. And it’s all available to everyone! A Sense of Place can help you to experience this abundance… to contemplate it and connect to it in a meaningful way. There are many simple blessings to be enjoyed in the natural world; small glimpses of wonder that can evoke deep emotion, trigger sweet memories, or provide inspiration, insight, or delight. ... Throughout the course, you are encouraged to seek out these moments, which often change and flow with the seasons, then to record them and connect to them. This practice teaches us to count our blessings in the moment, and to understand their transience as they come and go with the rhythms of nature, and the passing of time."

 

This is a quote from an interview I did with Stephanie at Wellness by Design last spring. She'd asked me how my seasonal nature journaling eCourse, A Sense of Place, nurtures a gratitude practice. {See the entire interview here.} As we enter autumn, gratitude is on my mind again. To me, fall is the season for counting and celebrating our blessings. For really taking stock of what we have and nurturing a sense of contentment, and appreciation.

 

This is not always simple. It's so easy to slip into a different consciousness - one of I need... I want... or I don't have enough... Messages are constantly coming at us in all directions to have more, be more, do more. One must truly make a concentrated effort to regard all she already has, is, and does. And then, to find the courage to accept that it is, in most cases, quite enough. Something to think on...

 

Over the years, my journaling practice has truly helped me develop a practice of gratitude. And in my seasonal journaling courses, I strive to help participants nurture the same. Through first noticing, then really observing, and finally recording the beauty, wonder, and abundance of nature, one can connect, or reconnect, to the many blessings that surround us each and every day. For me, these simple, readily-available things - a brightly-colored leaf, a crisp breeze scented with wood smoke, a golden pumpkin in my daughter's arms - make my soul sing in gratitude. What makes your soul sing?

I'd love for you to join me in the fall session of A Sense of Place, now available for download. The eCourse is self-paced, which means you take it at your own speed, and work at your own level. There's no pressure. No "sharing with the class" - unless, of course, you wish to. Participation includes membership in a private A Sense of Place Community on Facebook, where I offer extra support and inspiration, and members from all over the world often share their experiences and photos of nature in "their place."

 

To learn more, or register now, follow this link.

 

And in appreciation of my readers, here is a sample page to enjoy from A Sense of Place ~ Fall:

 

excerpted from A Sense of Place ~ Fall. Copyright A Natural Nester. 2014.