After four years of writing to you here each Sunday, I have learned an important lesson in story-telling. Stories have a life of their own and you have to let them go where they may. That is certainly the case with last week’s Thanksgiving post. It did not go where I had planned when I started typing away. The story was challenging to write and not as light as most of my Sunday missives. Typically I will write about a place, photo or experience from the previous week and that week I had visited the World Press Photo Exhibit in downtown Toronto. The very nature of photo journalism in areas of conflict means that the subject matter will be tough to view but more importantly, it will necessarily challenge, shift or enlighten your world view. This is important. It made me feel grateful for living in Canada and gratitude is also an important notion.

Which leads me to today’s story. Please think of it as Thanksgiving Part Two (or the story I intended to tell). I wanted to explore the notion of gratitude and Irving Berlin’s quote is probably closest to my current feelings on the subject. The entire quote goes like this: “Got no check books, got no banks. Still I’d like to express my thanks. I’ve got sun in the mornin’ and the moon at night.” In a year blessed (and yes, I mean blessed) by challenges I have learned an important lesson in gratitude. Despite my new retirement plan I like to call “Freedom 95,” this half year of searching for my next place to lend my talents has gifted me with time to reflect on what counts in life, and also to realize that “work” can come in many shapes and sizes. I am grateful for simple things like the ability to take a friend’s photo for the ever-more important profile pic for social and professional networks. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to take original photos for TVO’s new on-line course on World Cultures. The experience has made me a much better photographer, or at least a much more adventurous one. Now I know that taking photos of people CAN be fun and rewarding! Out of this experience has come speaking engagements and workshop opportunities that I never would have had if I did not have the time this summer to take on the TVO project. And my now 20 years in the publishing industry has afforded me the experience and knowledge to allow me to consult on the trends and future of educational publishing both within and beyond my peer group. Lastly, my experience has also given me the opportunity to help out several self-published authors by providing strategies and tools to engage their audiences. Even though my retirement fund has hit a road block, I am grateful for the experience that time has given me.

And who is my sun in the mornin’ and my moon at night? We come to the crux of this post. You see, I have the best friends and family a gal could wish for! Everyone needs a support system, in good times and in bad.  I have learned this year that I am blessed with dear folk who cheer me on when I soar and help me up when I stumble. Thank you everyone!! I must say thank you here to my “Publishing Gals” friends Kelly and Cara who knew I needed a shot in the arm recently and took me to not only one hockey game but two! My Leafs and Marlies adventures were the highlight of my year and I cannot thank you two enough!

Thanks as always for visiting me here at Vagabond Photography. I am grateful for the time you spend here with me!

Oh yes, the photo above. Last weekend my friend Kelly and I enjoyed a Thanksgiving hiking adventure on the Ganaraska Trail north of Barrie. This branch of the trail takes you through the Copeland Forest just below Mount St. Louis Moonstone. If you would like to see a few more autumn shots, please visit my photo website. Just click on the gallery called The Great Autumn Barn Adventure 2013. Cheers!