Thanksgiving Harvest

/ November 21, 2022

Hiking at Lake Fayetteville, enjoying the water and subtle colors.

I’m continually amazed and touched by the love and support I receive from our blogging community. As I’ve mentioned before, this is a big factor in my continued blogging. I will likely continue blogging in some capacity; it’s hard to imagine walking away from all the wonderful people I’ve met here on WordPress. When I get bogged down in my personal challenges, our community steps up to offer the gifts of friendship, support, encouragement, and kindness. Of all the harvests from this fall, our community is what most warms my heart this year.

Thank you!

Here are a few photos from this fall. Even with the muted colors, there were still pockets of color and beauty to be found.

The warm colors, rippling water, and reflections caught my eye.

I need reminders to keep looking for beauty and goodness, especially in challenging times.

There were lots of yellows with a splash of red this year.

At first, I was disappointed in the autumn leaf display for its muted colors. But gradually, I came to accept and appreciate what I found. This is a good reminder for my life. Too often, I compare and judge something as bad just because it isn’t what I wanted or expected. If we try, there is usually good to find in any person, place, or experience.

The muted colors and gray day at Lincoln Lake.

I don’t have everything that I want, but I do have health, a job, and people who care about me. This season of giving thanks reminds me to practice gratitude and look for the good instead of getting stuck on what’s missing

The yellow and tan leaf bouquet serves up a warm autumn dish for the heart.

May your autumn harvest be full of love and beauty.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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83 thoughts on “Thanksgiving Harvest”

  3. You have such a wonderful and necessary perspective, Brad. I’m so glad you are here to share it with us. Life has been wild for so many people recently, myself included, but it’s so important to keep looking around and extracting beauty from every possible place. If we look hard enough, we will find it. Keep being your fabulous self, my friend. 🍁💕

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  4. Lovely photos! You live in a very beautiful area. Nice to hear you’ll continue on with your posts! Autumn is a wonderful time to remind us of what we have to be thankful for! Beauty is there for all to see! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Brad! Donna

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  5. Thank you for another wise and beautiful and candid blog post, Brad. I always find myself taking a deep breath in and out when I look at one of your photos. And I, too, am grateful for our WordPress community. It is very odd yet also very dear to be supported by folks from around the world who are basically strangers yet who also can become beloved acquaintances and friends via our blog posts and comments.

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    • I’m so glad my photos help bring you a moment of refreshment. We certainly need those in our crazy world. And yes, it’s odd and heart warming to have friends all over the world that I haven’t met in person. Thanks for your kindness and loving presence Will. Hugs…

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  6. Good to hear, Brad. You would be missed. I consider the people I met on WordPress, who even made the effort to follow me to Substack, just as good of friends as those I have in my daily life. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  7. Oh my dear friend–Brad. We appreciate you so much! We will follow you through the ups and downs and even the plateaus and straight lines, walking through bright colors or dullness, it’s all a shared experience. Take a break or stay around, either way, we hope to see you.

    Loving your reminder here to focus on the gratitude. I have learned that health is one of the most important things of all. This is health in the mind/body/spirit. You need all 3, i think, in order to really thrive. I’m sending you my best wishes during this season and on all the days.

    Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures. I especially appreciated looking at the fall foliage (and the mix of lacking foliage) from the picture taken in the distance. A bird’s eye view always helps me get aligned inside.

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  10. A wonderful post, photos, and reminders Brad of all the important things. I loved reading this post and feeling your heart swell with the powerful perspectives that poured through. So grateful for you and the supportive community here, plus all the little things that often get overlooked, yet in fact are the fabric of our lives and love. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  16. It’s the boomerang effect Brad…You give to others and it comes back to you! Once we finally learn what giving of ourselves means life changes. Love the pictures, you captured the day beautifully, muted or not! It gave you the message and you received it. There is always beauty to be found if we silence expectations! Happy Turkey day Brad 🙂 Blessings to you! VK

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  22. Brad, these photos are stunning! Although fall leaves always make my heart happy, the melodic patterns, textures, and vivid (yet subtle) colors you captured in the second photo are hypnotizing…I can’t stop looking at it! Thanks for sharing your gifts, heart, and gratitude with us…I, too, am so grateful for the dear ones I’ve met in this crazy alternative universe I plunge in and out of. Sending you lots and lots of love and a beautiful holiday. H&S…

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  25. Wonderful images Brad, and I agree, we do have a wonderful blogging community, and you have all helped me within my own journey so many times…
    And even though I know we are tempted at times to stay silent for longer periods. We come back, knowing we are among good solid friends…
    THANK YOU also Brad, for being one of those friends..

    I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving weekend… Love and Hugs from over the Pond…
    Sue 🙂 💜

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  28. Sending all good wishes of love and Blessitude to you, Brad! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have had time to reflect on all things that are meaningful to you. I love that you decide to go out with your camera and take photos…it always seems you find something incredible to share with us. Here’s to a new week ahead filled with your wildest dreams!!

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  31. Lots of wisdom here, Brad, especially for those times when things feel hard. “This season of giving thanks reminds me to practice gratitude and look for the good instead of getting stuck on what’s missing.” I need to keep that in mind too this year. Thanks for the gentle nudge.

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  34. Incredible photos of the fall – maybe this is why I like this time of the year so much; if we step outside, it is hard to be disappointed because there is so much beauty with the colors all around. I like the thoughts you expressed “practice gratitude and look for the good instead of getting stuck on what’s missing” beautiful because if you get stuck on what’s missing (which you’ll never find), you miss the things/opportunities which may be little but can add up quickly. I miss Thanksgiving a lot, and you are right – being grateful for what we have is something to be so very thankful for. Cheers to a good start to the holiday season.

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    • Thank you Randall. It’s been a muted fall here, but still colors and beauty to be found. I need to continually practice gratitude and looking for the good. I hope your heart is full for the holidays to boost you on your next adventure to China.

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