It's Thanksgiving Day and we have much to be thankful for. There isn't much that can totally discourage a Thankful Heart... if you develop an attitude of gratitude you will always look for the Silver Lining of any cloudy day. When your glass isn't filled, but sits at half... you will be the one to see the glass as half full and not half empty. You will encourage yourself by counting your Blessings and keep your focus on what is left... and not what is lost. Your Spirit will be bouyant even when life's issues threaten to sink it... you may go down for a short time under the pressure... but will bob back up to the surface and refuse to go down with the ship. You will maintain Joy... which is quite different than Happiness... because Joy isn't dependent upon circumstances. You will adapt... improvise... and seek out the Green Pastures that provide rest and nourish your Soul. You will take great pleasure in the simple things of Life, those things that cannot be bought at any price. You will value those things that should be a priority... Family... Friends... Health. You will take the time to do those things that mean much... maybe just to you and that special other person and nobody else... but which pay enormous dividends. You will grow old with Grace, Dignity and the knowledge that it is a privilege not afforded to many. You won't take anything for granted and will appreciate every little thing and give Thanks often, daily in fact... and not just on a particular Holiday for it.
I never tire of beautiful photographs of Gypsy Vardos and Bohemian Visions... they inspire me and transport me to a World that I adore and feel very much a part of in my day to day style of living, outlook and vagabond sensibilities. *All images are cribbed from Bing Images and favorite websites... except for the image of the Young side by side with the Old and feeling great Love for each other along with being touched by what we love and surround ourselves with daily!*
I'm a person that refuses to stagnate and I'm forever in movement. Nature is the most preferred, has the best ambiance and most magnificently decorated space I have ever occupied so I am more at "Home" there than in any permanent man built structures... regardless of how lovely they might be. I am thankful every day that I step outside and see all of Creation... it's FREE to us ALL you know. There's no mortgage payment on experiencing the great Outdoors and all the Lord created for Mankind to enjoy at His pleasure and with His Grace. The skies... the natural scenery... the plants and trees... the sounds... the wind... the wild creatures... the Mountains... the Sun/Moon/Stars... the Oceans/Seas/Lakes/Rivers/Streams/Waterfalls... the fresh air... flowers... the tastes of the foods... multitude of natural Heavenly fragrances... the list is virtually endless my Friends of all that we've been freely given and can appreciate and enjoy each day. I'm presently awaiting my first Jeanne Bayol book with eager anticipation of the images therein... it will be my Christmas present to myself... one day I should like to own every book ever published by this Author, collector and restorer of vintage Gypsy Roulottes. My Bohemian Mom told me that the reason many of the old Roulottes didn't survive into modern times is that it was customary in Gypsy Culture to burn the Roulotte of the decedent it belonged to. It wasn't until it was discovered that these gorgeous structures could command anywhere from $10,000 t0 $100,000 paid by avid enthusiasts that the practice of burning them after the death of the owner was reconsidered and abandoned... after all... what self respecting Gypsy would not jump on that!?! *LOL* And for the rest of the World it is certainly a Blessing that this custom isn't in practice so much anymore so that the beauty, exquisite workmanship, Art, Cultural significance and History of the Roulotte can be shared and enjoyed by future generations... the moveable free roaming and Spirited Art of the Tzigane... who have always been a People at one and in perfect Harmony with Nature... Dawn... The Bohemian
Dza devlesa - God go with you.