Gratitude Week . . .

Every week should be gratitude week. {Mental note to self: Life would be better if I more regularly took stock of my many blessings.} But this week just happens to be the week I am going to blog about gratitude.

Ask yourself a question: Why in the world would the Dragonfly follow a bunch of preteens into the woods? And even more important, why would she be grateful to do it - we are talking about a cesspool of prepubescent hormonal attitude, you know.

I followed them into the woods so I could look up and see this blue sky through the leafless limbs of the great trees in Virginia.

And I followed them so I could savor the benefits of living in the cradle of American History where sites like this are literally around the corner from my house.

I followed them into the woods to reach the hallowed ground of our nation's third smallest national cemetery which holds the remains of fifty-four soldiers from our country's only civil war.

And I followed them into the woods so I could enter through this crested gate.

I followed them into the woods to look at each individual flag marked tombstone.

I follwed them into the woods to ponder on the fact that of the fifty-four soldiers buried in this cemetary, only ONE was able to be identified.

I followed them into the woods so I could see our beautiful Stars and Strips waving in a gentle Fall breeze against God's gorgeous backdrop.

I also followed them into the woods so I could take a picture of the amazing bark of this "Witness Tree" - a tree that has stood since the Civil War and were it able to talk, could tell me stories of the horrible battle that occured on the very ground I stood upon.

But mostly I followed them into the woods to be with this wonderful boy right here. This boy who loves history. This boy who loves school. This boy, who despite what other kids his age might think of him or their own parents, still wanted his mom to come on the field trip more than anything else. And this boy walked with me {and probably would have held my hand if I'd asked} the entire time.

When I walked out of the woods, my gratitude for this boy and our country was overflowing.