Tallia's Thanks

Dear World,

Today my mother gave me an assignment. She says I need to take some time to stop and think. She wants me to write down all that I am thankful for. I told her that would take too long and was not worth starting. She said to try anyway. So, here I am trying.

To the Sun,

Thank you for your warmth. Thank you for the light you give each morning that springs above the hills and begins a new day. Thank you for the colors you bring to the sky in the evening and for knowing how long each day should last so that the world can take the rest it needs at night. Thank you that your light causes plants to grow and waters to shine. Thank you, Sun, for being reliable each day.

To the Wind,

Thank you for the way you can be both cool and warm depending on the season. Thank you for the way you bring relief on hot days and can blow sweet and savory scents a great distance. Thank you that you bend around objects and push through others, that you are not rigid but change throughout the year. Thank you for your strong persistence and the music you make as you rush through the trees. Thank you, Wind, for being flexible.

To the Trees,

Thank you for your enormous height that can be climbed in order to see great distances. Thank you for your strong trunks that provide homes to animals, birds, and insects. Thank you for your roots that go deep beneath the earth in search of water and so hold that earth together. Thank you for the foods of nuts, berries, and fruits, and for your ability to stand tall amidst a storm. Thank you, Trees, for remaining strong.

To the Rocks,

Thank you for your unyielding shape and structure, that you can hold up against the fiercest winds and waves and persist in storms and floods. Thank you that you provide a good foundation for homes and remain year after year when all other materials fade away. Thank you for the variety from which you are made and the degrees of color you exhibit. Separate you are strong, but together you are ever stronger. Thank you, Rocks, for determination against opposition.

To the Air,

Thank you for your ability to be everywhere, that you inhabit every space we go and extend yourself even into the smallest of spaces. Thank you that you give life to plants and animals, that you allow others to take you in so that they can remain alive. Thank you that you give without demanding a return. Thank you that remain present without ever being seen, always ready to be used when needed. Thank you, Air, for being humble.

To the Ground,

Thank you for your strength and ability to hold all of us up. Thank you for creating space for others to walk, grow, and live. Thank you that you can be both hard and soft, that you can be moistened and molded and still dry solid. Thank you that plants can take root and gather nutrients to grow in you and that even rocks find a place to call home in your depths. Thank you, Ground, for including everything and everyone.

To the Clouds,

Thank you for your ability to bring rain when the earth is dry and in need of moisture. Thank you that you can bring snow in winter to cover the ground and start a time of renewal. Thank you that you provide shade on warms days and fill the sky with shapes that bring joy. Thank you that you have no set form, but come in many ways, sizes, and colors. Thank you that you can reflect light or consume it and sometimes come low to the ground like a warm blanket. Thank you, Clouds, for working together with others.

To the Rain,

Thank you for the coolness you bring to the world. Thank you for the calming sound of your droplets upon the ground and for watering the grass, trees, and plants. Thank you for the moisture that helps things to grow, produce fruits, and refreshes the earth. Thank you for the clean scent you leave behind and the way you collect into streams, rivers, and lakes so that your depths can be reached when needed. Thank you, Rain, for giving yourself to others.

To the Fruits and Vegetables,

Thank you that you give of yourself to other living things, that you offer your labor for the benefit of others. Thank you that you come in all shapes, forms, colors, and flavors, that you grow in different seasons and provide nourishment year-round. Thank you that you take in the sun, water, and earth, and turn it into what is beneficial for others. Thank you that you also reseed and prepare for future generations by scattering yourself to the wind. Thank you Fruits and Vegetables for thinking ahead.

To the Flowers,

Thank you for your beauty, for the way you bring color to the world in every season. Thank you for your petals that brighten the earth and your leaves that alter their shade over time. Thank you that although you last a short time there are many of you and all together you create a constant pallet of different smells, images, textures. Thank you for your ability to heal and feed both body and mind. Thank you, Flowers, for being part of a the larger picture.   

To the World again,

I am surprised you provide so much. It really is hard to imagine what life would be like without you and every part that makes up what you are. It is hard to know when and where to stop listing things because there is ever more to be grateful for once you get started. Mom was right in making me stop and think. So often it is hard to remember how blessed I am--that we are--if the time to start a list is never taken. Thank you, World, for your patience and provision, for your continuation despite our neglect. May we remember to stop and remember--and be ever thankful.

Love, Tallia