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The Thankful Heart

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, Virginia

Several years ago, a Jewish Rabbi visited the retirement community where I work and shared about the centrality of gratitude in Judaism. He explained the daily practice of giving thanks even in the midst of difficulty. Gratitude, he reminded us, is about a perspective of the mind and heart.

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November Notes

Lake Rooty at Innsbrook, Henrico County, Virginia

If you are in the Northern Hemisphere in the south this is a good month to get outside, walk, run, breathe. It’s also a good time to get clear and to think about what’s important. Fresh air can do that–clear the mind, open the heart, invite perspective.

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Storytelling

“Coming in hot!” shouted David, navigating a pathway through the chairs to the oyster-shucking station. Roasting oysters, I discovered, was a craft David, the host, had learned in his childhood days from his father when they lived in Wilmington, North Carolina, and then rediscovered in his adult years when he moved to a house with the “perfect” fire pit in the suburbs of Richmond. He quickly reclaimed this family tradition from his childhood and made a habit of sharing it with others. 

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The Ginkgoes

“Would you like to join me?” I asked my husband. He was startled. He had plans, and I wanted to drive 131 miles one way to see some trees.

“A ginkgo?” he echoed. “Is this a joke?”

“They are golden,” I replied. “And Blandy has one of the largest, if not THE largest, grove of ginkgoes in North America.” He said he would let me know.

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