Anna Maria Island

Heading for Home

For several years, my parents have spent February on Anna Maria Island, Florida. 

February is a GREAT time to get out of West Michigan, and the condominium they rent is in a fantastic location. 

Last Thursday, I flew down to join them.  The mission? Help pack up and drive them home. 

It’s tradition that they travel home via Missouri to visit family. I had so much fun seeing my Dad with his sister, then his brother, that I forgot to take any pictures!

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“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it 
is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” 
~ William Arthur Ward

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Hi friends!

Driving from Anna Maria Island, Florida, to Cape Girardeau and St. Louis, Missouri, before completing the trek to Michigan makes for an interesting journey. It was sort of like seeing the emergence of spring reverse itself. 

We quickly left the palm trees and 70 degree temperatures behind, but there were still flowers and trees in bloom. Before long, we were thrilled to see a bunch of daffodils, and by the time we were at my Aunt’s in Cape, she shared her delight that two crocuses were blooming. 

Thankfully, we had great weather all the way, and most of the snow in southwest Michigan has disappeared . . . at least for now. 

To help pass time in the car, my Mom would get out her huge spiral bound atlas and quiz my Dad and I on the names of state capitals. I gotta say, it was surprising how bad I was at this the first time around. Identifying the largest city in each state was doable! But some of those capitals? Pretty tricky! 

Anyway, I was grateful for the time together, and I am thankful to be home. 

If you missed the quotation up above, or skimmed over it, please . . . take another read. 

I like this concept. I don’t know if I’ve ever taken the time and effort to wrap a present and then not given it to its intended recipient. 

However, it’s easy to think about something, or someone, I am grateful for without ever putting that gratitude into words or action. 

I’m going to take greater notice of this so I can create a shift in my patterning. I want to build my gratitude muscles, and I think I can do this by sharing my gratitude more frequently and freely. 

Let me start right here and now. I am grateful to each one of you. For being in my life and for connecting in this powerful way. Thank you. ✨

With light and love,

~ m