Dinner, Brigitte Bardot and Gratitude

Most of my favorite memories involve people, great conversations, and food.
A gathering of aromas and laughter mixed with time and place gloriously inhabiting the air.

In these moments, I feel gratitude, love, and a blessed sense of belonging. (Emotions that, no doubt, contributed to my happiness when painting Déjeuner at the Vineyard, the painting accompanying this post.)

These times cause us to pause. And in those pauses, we find our moments of thankfulness. The gratitude for what we have. The people who love us. This moment shared. The life beautiful.

I am grateful for many, many things.
I am grateful for you.

And with Thanksgiving in the U.S. almost here, I’ll leave you with a couple of quotes befitting these days of gathering with whomever we can, in whatever ways we find:

‘People who love to eat are always the best people.’
~ Julia Child

For sure!! And…

‘One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.’
~ Luciano Pavarotti

Wishing you more bountiful blessings in the coming days than you can hold.

P.S. This is me, at the vineyard in Provence, with a full belly, lots of giggles, and Brigitte Bardot cake still on my lips. Yes, the cake and the company were that good! (Happy memories make for a happy painting!) I’d love to hear some of your best memories—the ones that bring up feelings of gratitude and life beautiful!!
Please share in the comments below!

Déjeuner at the Vineyard, 12 x 16in oil on canvas

The air is different here. A mingling of old roses and woody vines that beckon to let memory and imagination run free…