{"id":33590,"date":"2024-11-26T07:46:38","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T12:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/?p=33590"},"modified":"2024-11-26T07:59:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T12:59:22","slug":"its-the-little-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/?p=33590","title":{"rendered":"It’s the Little Things"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet their songs repeat
Of peace on Earth, good will to men<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself reflecting on the many blessings in my life\u2014moments of joy, love, and togetherness that have shaped my journey. This week, I planned to share something entirely different, but life, in its beautiful unpredictability, had other ideas. My wonderful daughter surprised me with a “pre-Christmas” gift, one so thoughtful and unexpected that it brought a wave of gratitude and cherished memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her gift reminded me of the incredible experiences I\u2019ve been privileged to share over the years\u2014laughter around the table, quiet conversations with loved ones, and the simple, fleeting moments that fill our hearts and homes with love. These are the memories I hold close as we gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, and I hope they spark similar reflections for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These lovely bells that Emily drew brought back such sweet memories of Christmas services gone by. I can still hear the sound of the church bells ringing before the service, setting the tone for the evening. Our kids sang in the choir from the time they were little, their voices filling the air and helping us welcome the Christmas season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music has always been a meaningful part of the holidays for our family. Whether it was our son singing solos or our daughter playing the harp, those moments added something truly special to our celebrations. Music is such a gift, and I\u2019m grateful for the joy it brings into our lives, not just during the holidays but every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My whole family shares a deep gratitude for the animals that enrich our lives. Over the years, we\u2019ve had the privilege of participating in organizations that protect and care for many of these creatures. I have such fond memories of taking the kids to different nature parks, where we could see animals in their natural habitats and learn about the importance of preserving their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, we\u2019ve also had our own beloved pets through the years, each one leaving an indelible mark on our hearts. Our latest addition is Beaver, my daughter\u2019s rescue dog, who has quickly become a cherished member of the family. These connections remind us how much animals give to us, and we\u2019re so grateful for the chance to give something back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here\u2019s a picture of Beaver, our daughter\u2019s funny, quirky, and happy guy, looking just a bit silly. Isn\u2019t he a charmer? Animals have a special way of bringing joy and companionship into our lives, and Beaver is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re considering adding a pet to your family this season, I encourage you to visit your local animal shelter. So many furry friends are waiting for a loving home, and I promise they\u2019ll return that love tenfold. There\u2019s nothing quite like the bond you create with a rescue pet\u2014it\u2019s a gift for both of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We\u2019re so grateful for the \u201cfeathered friends\u201d that visit our bird habitat every day. It\u2019s such a joy to watch their lively antics as they flit between the feeders and bird baths in the yard. They perch in the trees, raise their young, and, though they sometimes have the occasional squabble, they mostly live in harmony with the other birds who share this space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every now and then, when the feeders are running a little low, a few bold birds will come right up to the window and give it a tap to get our attention. They\u2019ll then fly back to the feeders as if to say, \u201cA little help here?\u201d It\u2019s a gentle and amusing reminder to fill them up again\u2014a simple connection with nature that brings so much happiness to our days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019m so grateful for the opportunities our family has had to travel, both across the country and around the world, to see how others live. Every journey brings a new perspective, and again and again, we\u2019re reminded of how much we share in common with people everywhere, even as we celebrate the differences that make each place unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing I\u2019ve learned through our travels is that if you look for the good, you\u2019ll find it\u2014whether it\u2019s right here at home or in the world around us. It\u2019s a reminder that kindness and beauty are universal, just waiting to be discovered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I am reminded and am so grateful for the light of love that enfolds each one of us and makes our days so much brighter. Without the love of family, friends and those we meet along our journey through life the world would be a bleaker place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My daughter gifted me with 12 hand-painted water color cards each of which reminded me of how fortunate I am to have such a wonderful family and good friends. I’ve shared just a few with you today. Being grateful for the many blessings we have in our lives is a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving. As we go forward into this holiday season I’m going to start each day with gratitude and try to live it with love. Thanks, Em, for this wonderful pre-Christmas gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I heard the bells on Christmas dayTheir old familiar carols playAnd mild and sweet their songs repeatOf peace on Earth, good will to men As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself reflecting on the many blessings in my life\u2014moments of joy, love, and togetherness that have shaped my journey. This week, I planned to share something […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70469586,"featured_media":33604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[731331123],"class_list":["post-33590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-family"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9ziaG-8JM","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thriftingwonderland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/IMG_7320-rotated-e1732545150861.jpeg?fit=3024%2C3145&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/70469586"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33590"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33728,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33590\/revisions\/33728"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}