Thanks for the "Little" Things, by Susan Aylworth

As this post appears, I will be far from home visiting with a son and his family. I'm grateful for easy air travel that makes this trip possible. We in the U.S. have just celebrated Thanksgiving and the opportunity to consider our blessings. We all think of those for which we are most thankful such as our beautiful families, good friends, and loaded tables. 

A friend recently reminded me of the many small things I daily take for granted. When I have lived without them, I have remembered how important they are. Here are just a few.

I'm grateful for hot and cold running water, light at the flip of a switch, and window screens that allow me to have natural light without fighting flies and mosquitoes.

I'm grateful for days when the sun shines brightly and cloudy days when we expect rain. In drought-plagued California, I'm especially and deeply grateful for rain, whenever and however it comes.

I'm grateful for headlights on cars so we can drive at night, and I'm deeply grateful for tail lights on everyone else's cars so I can see them and not have a meeting of the minds in the middle of a dark city street.

I'm especially grateful for tail lights on large trucks. By following them at a safe distance, I can drive securely on a dark night when our valley is thick with fog.

Modern HVAC systems are a blessing we often neglect to consider. I hate to think of how my recent ancestors managed in below-zero temperatures in the Rockies without central heat. My grandparents lived in the sweltering central Arizona desert (sometimes in the low 120s!) without air conditioning. In their earliest days, they managed without evaporative coolers or fans. In contrast, I can set the temperature in my hallway thermostat and stay comfortable. I appreciate it!

I appreciate the glasses that allowed me to see for many years, the intraocular lens implants that are helping me see now, and the sunglasses that keep the light from blinding me when I'm outside on a bright day. 

I'm thankful for a supermarket nearby so I don't have to grow all my own food, for people who grow the food I eat, and for safe agricultural practices that help me trust the food I buy. 

At this season and in this year, I'm glad to be part of the "Puppies for Christmas" series produced by the authors of Sweet Romance Reads. If you haven't purchased your puppies books, this is a good time to do so. <wink, wink>

In fact, the more I consider, the more blessings I remember. I'm thankful for all the big things, but I'm also deeply grateful for those "little" blessings that make my comfortable life possible. Today I'm thankful for you, my friends, for all of you who read and live and love. May this coming year be your very best ever.

Susan Aylworth is the author of 23 published novels including four books in the Christmas Town series. Watch for Book 5 coming in time for Valentine's Day. Susan lives in northern California with Roger, her writer husband of 52 years. Contact her at her website: susanaylworthauthor.com, @SusanAylworth, or via susan.aylworth.author@gmail.com. Susan loves travel, music, her large and scattered family, and perfect raspberry jam. She also loves to hear from readers, especially if you'd like to have your name as a character in a future book. (Beware: You may be the plucky sidekick or jealous rival!)