Monday, July 20, 2026

From Gratitude To Grateful


  A  L  O  H  A 

From

Honolulu


 To speak gratitude 
is courteous and pleasant, 
to enact gratitude is 
generous and noble, but 
to live gratitude 
is to touch Heaven.
Johannes Gaertner


People give you
what they are
not what you deserve;
What you deserve
you give to yourself.
Anonymous



I used to schedule gratitude,

pencil it in
between my fears.
It was neat work,
rows of thank yous
like fenceposts
but the grass kept growing wild.


Now the air just
happens,
and I breathe it.
No checklist,
no ceremony.
Just ordinary steps,
Walking on the ground. . .





The Quiet After Saying Thank You
After the words,
silence stays,
not empty,
but feathered with meaning.
Maybe that’s what gratitude becomes
once it’s done performing:
just a hush in the body
that hums:
I’m still here.

Cloudia Charters



What is love? Gratitude. 
What is hidden in our chests? 
Laughter. What else? 
Compassion.
Rumi

ᨊᨋᨌᨍᨎᨏᨐᨑᨒᨓ
Love Pixie & Cloudia
ᨏᨐᨑᨒ


 Links

Nature Notes

AWWW Monday

T Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 




14 comments:

DrumMajor said...

Hope you have a peaceful day. A little swig of something is good too. Linda in Kansas

Stewart M said...

Love that leaf print in the concrete - a modern day trace fossil.
Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Cloudia said...

Thank you Stewart. I had exactly the same thought

eileeninmd said...

Lovely words and images Cloudia! I love the leaf image and Pixie and her reflection is cute.
Take care, enjoy your day and the new week ahead.

Anvilcloud said...

I took a look at the two-week forecast, and I am grateful that it looks like nice and not too-hot summer weather.

Tom said...

...thanks for the Grateful Dead fix.

Kathy G said...

Just from the title of your post I knew I needed to read it today.

Martha Jane Orlando said...

Inspirational as always, Cloudia. Blessings!

RedPat said...

Great words and i love the leaf, Cloudia. ;-)

MELODY JACOB said...

Those quotes, especially the idea of living gratitude rather than just scheduling it like a chore, are beautiful.

Sandee said...

Love them all, but Pixie is the most beautiful. I love that reflection of her.

Thank you for joining the Awww Mondays Blog Hop.

Have a fabulous Awww Monday and week. Scritches to Pixie. ♥

DVArtist said...

Very beautiful post. I really like the second quote. Have a good day.

William Kendall said...

The leaf print is unexpected.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I love what Stewart M said about the leaf. That empty and abandoned Hennessy bottle was a great find. It was perfect for T this week, dear Cloudia (and Pixie). Lovely Grateful Dead song, too.