Wednesday Gratitude #8 at Heart and Home

                        

“Let's be grateful for those who give us happiness; they are the charming gardeners who make our soul bloom.” - Marcel Proust 

Hi everyone!Wednesday is Gratitude Day at Heart and Home. MckLinky will be open by 6:00PM on Tuesday. Please link to your actual gratitude post, not your home page. And remember to link back to Heart and Home in your post. Thank you!

Today I'm feeling thankful for all my friends, those in my "real life", and the new friends I've made since I started blogging in July last year. When I started writing Heart and Home I didn't realize that I would develop warm friendships with people who live all around the country, and all around the world.

I was surprised to find myself welcomed into cyberspace by you: a lively, friendly group of people (mostly women!) who have treated me with kindness, and inspired me with your talent and ingenuity. Kimm, Kim, Kimba, Kelee, Kathryn, Denise Marie, Glenda, Beverly, Cindy, Riet, Chari, Sherry, Sarah, Delores, Pat, Nerina, Rhoda, Susan, Tam, Mary, Gina, Leigh, Melissa, Marty, Julia, Donna, Yoli, and all the rest of you...You are a special community of women who open yourselves daily, always help each other out, and offer support and encouragement. You constantly inspire me with your cleverness and creativity, and you share your secret recipes and teach me how to do things I might not try on my own. You make me laugh. You share your thoughts about your lives, homes, kids and husbands, and you don't sugar coat anything. You're not afraid to laugh at your mistakes. You're always ready to try something new, and you can stretch a dollar like nobody's business! You have spirit, grace and true compassion for one another. You encourage me to be the best person I can be.

I wish I could invite each one of you, my friends, to join me on the deck for quiet afternoon "thank you" tea! We would sit outside on a warm afternoon, at the table on the deck. We would share stories about our days, our lives, and our dreams for the future.

I know we would laugh together, a lot!

I think you would like the blue, white and yellow table setting,

and the spring Daffodils.

I would want everything to be especially pretty for you this afternoon, and for us to enjoy an hour or two of warm and comfortable companionship.

The birds chirping, the view of the trees in the orchard,  and the soft ocean breezes would create a relaxing atmosphere.

I'd make something delicious for us to eat, perhaps a light quiche, a fresh green salad, and some warm, crusty bread. I'd like to serve you just-from-the-fields strawberries and cream, for dessert. We would drink cups and cups of jasmine green tea with honey. ( Or, if you prefer, I can brew you some dark and fragrant coffee!)

Sometime during our afternoon, I'd want to share the story about Colette. I heard about her from my friend Kelee, at the Katillak Shack. Colette is alone, and fighting cancer. Kelee and some of her friends, through "Design Gives Back", have been recreating her broken down home into a warm, healing space for Colette, where she can feel safe, nurtured and comfortable while she recovers from chemotherapy sessions.

Sherry, from Country Wings in Phoenix, had a wonderful idea! It's her plan to help cheer Colette up with cards and letters from all of us. I know you would want to send a card or two with a kind and encouraging word for Colette. Won't she be surprised when the cards start filling her mailbox? To get Colette's address, you can e-mail me or Sherry. We'll get right back to you so you can start writing and sending those love notes her way.

In the meantime, I'll get you another cup of tea and some more strawberries. Because that's what friends are for!  Each one of you is unique and special to me, I appreciate you and am so thankful for you! I'm looking forward to our next visit here at Heart and Home, on the Redwood coast.

Until next time,

XO

Heidi

I'm happy to be linking to Between Naps on the Porch, for Tablescape Thursday. Thanks for all the great parties, Susan!

Wednesday Gratitude, where you can post about anything that "makes you happy and makes your heart sing."