This past Tuesday, I suddenly found myself with some unscheduled TIME so I ran away (for two hours) from my insanely busy schedule and gave my overloaded brain a much needed rest.
It was a beautiful spring day and I found myself (again) at The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge located in Morris County, NJ. The moment I stepped out of the car, I felt the knots in my stomach and the tightness in my shoulders melt away as I let go of the tension that had been building up inside of me. I found myself breathing in the fresh air, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face, and hearing the chirping and singing of what seemed like dozens of birds. And I devoured it all as if famished. This is what my soul was craving for. I stood in front of an open field and I drank it all in, letting Beauty renew my very being. And with all my being, I said Thank you.
I can express no kinder sign of love
Than this kind kiss. O Lord, that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!
For thou hast given me in this beauteous face
A world of earthly blessings to my soul,
If sympathy of love unite our thoughts.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Henry VI: Part 2 (1590), 1.1.20
If you would like to share your version of “Thankful Thursday” (photos or text or both) today or in the future, you can link your post to my post on Thursdays in the comments section with the title “Thankful Thursday”.
Happy Thursday Everyone!
More Thankful Thursday Thoughts:
May 22, 2014 at 8:45 am
I haven’t been there in decades, maybe I should revisit 🙂
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May 24, 2014 at 12:26 am
It’s wonderful discovering again through the lens of a camera but I know there are beautiful places out your way as well. 🙂
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May 22, 2014 at 9:28 am
This really is a beautiful post, both words and the photo. Happy Thursday 🙂
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May 24, 2014 at 12:26 am
Thank you so much Amy!
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May 22, 2014 at 10:07 am
Beautiful picture. Thank you for sharing. Here is my Thankful Thursday post.
http://hostessatheart.com/2014/05/22/thankful-thursday-2-surviving-the-storm/
Thank you and have a great day!
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May 24, 2014 at 12:27 am
Thank you for sharing!
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May 22, 2014 at 10:10 am
Going out into the great outdoors is a lot of fun! Sometimes my family likes to take a drive through the mountains around us and stop to get out and walk a bit. My eldest niece loves doing this the most.
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May 24, 2014 at 12:29 am
It certainly is. It’s wonderful that you live near mountains. The only mountains I see around here are the mountains of laundry that are always piling up! 🙂
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May 24, 2014 at 12:13 pm
I remember those mountains as well!
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May 22, 2014 at 10:39 am
Right! I keep forgetting to include my post for the day! http://martha0stout.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/in-laws-thankful-thursday/
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May 24, 2014 at 12:29 am
Thank you for sharing!
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May 22, 2014 at 12:34 pm
It looks like you spent those two hours wisely. The beauty restores one’s soul. Here’s my post:
http://pattisjarrett.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/thankful-thursday-good-fences-9/
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May 24, 2014 at 12:30 am
Thank you so much for sharing your thankful Thursday post with us Patti!
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May 22, 2014 at 3:16 pm
how beautiful. bless you.
thanks for coming by today. 🙂
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May 24, 2014 at 12:30 am
Thank you and bless you too. My pleasure. 🙂
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May 22, 2014 at 4:05 pm
Happy Thursday again! I’m so happy that you got to do what your soul was craving for. And let me tell you again how grateful I am to you for initiating this challenge. Being grateful feels so good…
Here is my post for today: http://celebratingsunshine.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/thankful-thursday-my-hubby/
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May 24, 2014 at 12:32 am
I am so glad you are sharing your positive thankful thoughts with us!
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