A Little Thanks Goes a Long Way

I absolutely love this time of year.

Here in Wisconsin, the leaves have mostly left the trees 

and every step you take you'll hear a crunch

as they're all beneath your feat.

It's a delightful time of year for baking (see picture above)

 since the added warmth

and the delicious smells are sure to 

entice the entire family to gather around

the table (or at least head to the kitchen). 

And sweaters...

It feel so good to grab a mug of coffee, tea, or cocoa and 

throw on a soft warm sweater.

I adore walking outdoors in the morning watching the 

steam from my coffee then visiting with my horses  

in their warm stable. 

I begin each day making a mental list

of things I am thankful for

Here's why I do that and why I think you should too:

-When you count your blessings you realize how bountiful they are and regardless of your bank balance you'll feel rich!

-While you're thinking about things to be thankful for, you can turn off the noise of the world for a little bit - it's an emotional and mental break from stress.

-As you think about things to be thankful for, you will relax your muscles and begin to smile and breathe more deeply which is good for mind and body.

-When you are thankful, you'll start looking for more things to be thankful for throughout the day and we all know that when you look for something you'll find it.

Nothing I'm saying here is new and if you prefer hearing it from someone older, wiser, and famous - check out what Shakespeare himself had to say about being thankful

"Oh Lord that lends me life, 

lend me a heart replete with thankfulness"

                                                ~William Shakespeare

As you know, thanksgiving is quickly approaching here in the United States. Yes, this year is going to look a little different than years past, but the fact remains we can still take time to be thankful, show thanks, and smile. 

What are some ways you can step up your thankfulness game? 

-offer to pay for someone's groceries

-send a thank you card to someone who has touched your life

-call someone you haven't spoken to in a while and thank them for their friendship

-thank someone on social media for brightening your day with their pictures and stories

-speak to the manager at a store and tell them you're thankful for a particular employee who went above and beyond to provide you with delightful customer service

-thank an author for writing such lovely stories (don't forget the best way to thank an author is by leaving a review)

Please leave a comment on this article and share your thoughts and ideas about spreading thanks today and always! Thank you for taking time to read this today and thank you for being you!

Hugs,
~Crystal

and now...a little more about me...

Shown from left to right:
Delphine riding Honey
Mr. Otto holding Eudora
Crystal riding Marv.
Thank you Forward Farm, LLC 

Crystal is the office manager, council secretary, financial secretary, and musician at her church, birth
mother, Auntie, babywearing mama, business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Press Corp teammate for the DairyGirl Network, Unicorn Mom Ambassador, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their five youngest children, two dogs, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, horses Darlin' and  Miss Maggie May, a bunny named Penelope who is absolutely the most amazing companion, and over 250 Holsteins.

And now she runs a virtual classroom for her children who are distance learners! 

You can find Crystal milking cows, riding horses, and the occasional unicorn (not at the same time), taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books here, and at her own blog - Crystal is dedicated to turning life's lemons into lemonade and she has never (not once) been accused of being normal!

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