Wishing You a Grateful Heart on Thanksgiving

On this Thanksgiving Day, my goal is simply to be a kinder person and to express my sincere gratitude more often. I will start here with all of you that have come into my life or have reconnected through the internet. A heartfelt thank you to all of you who read my posts. Whether you visit regularly or occasionally, you and your feedback have helped shape my path. Just knowing you are out there, keeps me from feeling so alone and isolated. It really is inspiring and energizing being connected to a global sisterhood / brotherhood of like minded beings!

I am so grateful for each and every one of you! You who have offered me your friendship in good times and in bad; have celebrated, sympathized, advised and supported me. In truth, your kindness has made a lasting mark. Connected by fate, in one way or another, big or small, I carry a little bit of each of you with me always.

Thank you all, thank you very very much!

Here's a few quotes by people who say it so much better than I can.:

"Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone."  ~ G.B. Stern

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice."

~ Meister Eckhart

"Gratitude is the memory of the heart".  ~ Jean Baptiste Massieu

"It is not what we say about our blessings,

but how we use them,  that is the true measure of our thanksgiving." 

~ W.T. Purkiser

Wishing You Many Blessings Always

and a Very Grateful Heart,

X♥O

Thanksgiving is a word of Action

"He who thanks but with the lips
Thanks but in part;
The full, the true Thanksgiving
Comes from the heart."
~J.A. Shedd

"The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies;

but let the thankful heart sweep through the day

and just as the magnet finds the iron,

so it will find, in every hour, some divine blessings!"

~Henry Ward Beecher

"We can only be said to be truly alive

in those moments when

our hearts are conscious of our treasures." 

~ Thornton Wilder

I am truly thankful for so many things, including you.

Thank you so much for your friendship!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday and a very thankful heart.

X ♥ O

 

Happy Thanksgiving Today and Everyday

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation

is not to utter words, but to live by them."  ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action."  ~ W.J. Cameron

"Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day."  ~ Robert Caspar Lintner

Happy Thanksgiving!

This time of year reminds us all that we have so much to be grateful for. Deep and sincere gratitude is something I don't think, feel or voice as often as I should. Giving thanks throughout the day is a wonderful way to live. Please join me this week in a more conscious attitude of gratitude!

Some quotations on Gratitude:

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. " ~ Cicero

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. " ~ Meister Eckhart

"You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink. " ~ G.K. Chesterton

This text from my November 19th 2007 Spirit Art Letter.

Many Blessings

See more of my seasonal images available for licensing here.

Giving Thanks

See more fall images here.

Giving Thanks

Selling most of my work myself, I've been making personalized handmade thank you cards for everyone who purchases an original painting from me for years. The pay off is well worth the effort. I archive each painting with an ID code and a photo which is kept in on file. I use an ink jet print out of the piece and glue it to quality paper and write the title of the piece and a personalized message for each painting purchased. It's also a great way of keeping a record with pictures and addresses of my collectors. My buyers always comment on how much they appreciate the notes and look forward to receiving them in the mail. Often these notes find their way onto people's desks at work or get carried around and shown to friends and family.


Later they end up attached to the back of the piece. I am fortunate that people get excited about my work and it's a way for them to show it off without carrying the actual artwork around. In this day and age, I need all the collectors and help I can get. Thank you cards and personalized attention help to turn my customers into collectors and friends.I am very appreciative of my collectors and live by the saying that the quickest way to stop the flow of abundance is to neglect showing gratitude for that which you have already received.

I often get responses like this one from my web site testimonials page. "I just wanted to let you know that I took the watercolor out of the packaging last night. In short, it is a beautiful piece of work, and I am truly happy with it. I also want to thank you for the nice card that you included with the watercolor - very classy. Thanks again Sandy, and I hope to buy again from you in the near future." ~ Jason C. Nelson, Dallas TX ~ 8/14/03

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." ~ William Arthur Ward

See Robert Genn's opinion on artists writing Thank You Notes and other artist's responses here.

Does Thanksgiving Dinner Make You Sleepy?

Is it the Tryptophan in the turkey that makes you tired?
This question came up at our Thanksgiving Dinner table yesterday and maybe it did at yours too.


According to this online article By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., Tryptophan & Carbohydrate Chemistry, it's not necessarily the tryptophan in the turkey that makes you sleepy after the Thanksgiving feast. Other factors such as over eating, alcohol intake and a high ratio of fats and carbohydrates are probably the major contributors. This overload requires the digestive system to work harder which increases the blood flow to to stomach, thus decreasing flow to the brain. Turkey actually contains only a small amount more of the chemical Tryptophan, than a lot of other foods. For example, Dr. Helmenstine states that turkey contains 0.333 g of tryptophan per 100 grams of edible portion, while chicken contains 0.292 g of tryptophan per 100 grams of edible portion. So, I guess that answers your question, Chuck!


Many Thanks to Sally and Chuck for a wonderful day yesterday at the New Jersey shore!

Easy To Make Turkey

This is a photo of a little turkey decoration made by my now 16 year old Nephew, Cody Yates, when he was about six. I always make it a point to show it to him when he visits. It sure has held up well, considering it has been on display in my kitchen for all these years. Makes you wonder what they put in them things! Anyway, you may want to save some corn next Halloween and try it with your kids!