Photo Blogging Challenge (November 2024): Gratitude

It turns out “gratitude” isn’t so easy to capture in photos.

Words, sure. I think any one of us could express in words what we have gratitude for. Alas, when snapping photos, I don’t always think that way.

Obviously there’s a certain subject I have a lot of gratitude for.

I also feel as though gratitude as a whole can be tough to capture in photos, so I’ve done the best I can with that.

As I write this, I can see snow outside. And despite it being a few weeks still until Christmas, I know I’ll have some gratitude if we get it white on that day. My area hasn’t had a white Christmas in a few years and it kind of stinks. It’s the one time of year that snow will make me smile and be happy!

And as I get older, the things I have gratitude for change. It’s not all of the materialistic things that one may accumulate (though, not going to lie, I am pretty happy with my new recliner …), rather the people you surround yourself with and the memories you make and the good times you have.

I also have gratitude for those of you who hang on with this challenge. I know my timelines isn’t as good as it should be, but the truth is I often forget. What I need to do is kick myself in the ass and try and post 4-5 times a month and then I’d remember that this has to be done as well.

I hope you all have a wonderful December and close out 2024 in a great way!

Anyway, onward. Here’s my five for November.

1-2. Four seasons

I definitely have gratitude for living in an area where we — usually — get to experience four seasons. While it’s true that the seasons may not last as long as they once did and we’ll get wonky weather in all of them, we do get to experience them. And in November we got to have a wonderful fall, but also the start of winter! Harper likes those two seasons!

3. Family

I’m lucky in a lot of ways with family. And it’s nice to have them close by, for the most part. Though over the past several years the family has gotten smaller as some have passed on, the reality is I think most of us have embraced family a lot more and tried to make sure we see one another more often. This photo is of Harper and my mother on a nice fall day out for a walk.

4. Friends

I’m blessed to still be able to call several people good friends. Despite everybody having different life experiences and schedules and everything else, I keep in contact with close friends. We all age and things change. Some people get married and have kids; some don’t. Some people move away; some don’t. But in the end, you know who you can count on. I don’t have a photo to capture my own friendships, however, I also have so much gratitude for Harper’s pals. And I am sure she would have gratitude as well. This is of a royal rumble between Harper and her friend Lucy during the first big snow we got.

5. My best friend

Gratitude can’t be larger than with Harper. I knew that having a dog was a big commitment, but I had no idea about a lot of things. And having a shadow dog, such as Harper — I’m not sure how I would have dealt with it when I was in my 30s. But now? It’s the best thing going. To have this pup who shows unconditional love and is my companion through it all… I can’t express enough gratitude. I can’t believe she’ll be four years old in April. (I also do more selfies now with Harper than I ever would have in the past).

BONUS PHOTO

I really like this one, too. This is another of my mother and Harper during our one walk.

There’s my five (plus bonus) and let’s see what you came up with! If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for June. Make sure you drop your link there.

OK, so it’s time to keep on moving! And just like that, it’s November! And our theme for the month? Holly Jolly! Interpret as you see fit!! I hope you all have fun with this theme! Remember to come back on (hopefully) November 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month! I’ve set a calendar reminder for me, so let’s see if that works!

Photo Blogging Challenge: November 2024 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook!