Inspirational Gratitude Quotes & How to Savor Fleeting Autumn Vibes

Where I live, if you blink in mid-November, you’ll swear autumn lasted only five minutes! I guess that’s why folks here revere it and why I am compelled to capture autumn moments. In the few days since I snapped photos for the post, the landscape morphed into something wholly new. An overnight snowfall ushered in a serenely softer mood. Inspirational Gratitude Quotes & How to Savor Fleeting Autumn Vibes invites you to savor orange fallen leaves, to soak in golden beams of Thanksgiving as we inch closer to the holiday.

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Gratitude Quotes as well as Quiet November Morning Autumn Mood.

Inspirational Gratitude Quotes & How to Savor Fleeting Autumn Vibes

Light snowfall in our French inspired courtyard in Northern Illinois with rustic river rock stone walls - Hello Lovely Studio.

The Science of Gratitude

Brené Brown’s research reveals a significant relationship between joy and gratitude. The direction of the causality of joy surprised her, and this is so worth a watch!

Funny quote about November on Hello Lovely Studio. #fallquotes #winterquotes

Oh, sweet dappled sunlight through my autumn hillside trees! You’re more precious than diamonds!

Fall trees in Northern Illinois - Hello Lovely Studio.
Inspirational Gratitude Quotes as well as Quiet November Morning Autumn Mood.

And how can I ever say I can’t live with orange when I CAN and I DO!?!

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

Indeed it’s a privilege to live with these changing seasons.

Brene Brown inspirational quote about gratitude on Hello Lovely Studio. #inspirational #quotes #brenebrown #gratitude

With these birds of the air who feast on the berries just past my windows.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

The Simplest Gratitude Practice

It has been some time since I kept a gratitude journal, and here’s a very simple gratitude practice we can adopt at each day’s end.

Simply write down one thing…the best part of the day…upon a calendar near the bed.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.
Inspirational Gratitude Quotes as well as Quiet November Morning Autumn Mood.

Just think what a blessing it will be at the end of the year to reflect back upon 365 glorious gifts!

Autumn berries in Northern Illinois - Hello Lovely Studio.

It may be a small thing, but I am grateful that at this very moment, I can wiggle my toes without fear or wincing. For weeks on end, the threat of dystonia and ongoing neuropathic issues kept me locked out of such joy.

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Find a similar terra cotta vase here.

I’m thankful for a cozy kitchen in a warm home where I can work, create art, and share life with others.

Inspirational quote about gratitude on Hello Lovely Studio. #gratitude #inspirational #quotes #dorisday

And I’m thankful for nature’s comfort all around…

Fallen leaves and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

how often do I take it all for granted?

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Find resources for our classic white kitchen HERE.

Distract myself with dreams of sandy beaches and ocean waves,

Golden leaves in autumn in Northern Illinois - Hello Lovely Studio.

when there is majesty right here, at my doorstep.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.
Inspirational Gratitude Quotes as well as Quiet November Morning Autumn Mood.

I’m ever grateful for the trees surrounding our property which are home to wild creatures who are presently my only pets.

Fallen leaves and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

Almost every morning, I awaken to the sound of squirrels prancing on the rooftop.

Inspirational quote about fall, autumn, flowers, and nature on Hello Lovely Studio. #inspirationalquote #autumn #nature

From the windows, I watch them chase and feverishly bury black walnuts.

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Words of Thanksgiving as well as glimpses around my home in Fall.

But my favorite is watching how my sweet babies–my busy squirrels–will sit very still in the spot where the branch meets the tree trunk near our bedroom window.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

Once they are comfy in that secure nook of a crook, they may recline for up to an hour, nibbling away, contented, safe, and grateful…well, it looks like gratitude.

Changing leaves on trees in autumn in Northern Illinois - Hello Lovely Studio.

What a privilege to spend time with them as they remain still except for little jaws chewing!

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To notice the beauty of their tiny paws and fluffy tails.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

And what a mess is made with walnuts on the patio below!

Inspirational quote about gratitude on Hello Lovely Studio. #gratitude #inspirational #quotes #eckharttolle

I’m grateful for the mess too…it never fails to make me smile.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

(Psst. The white milk glass candle below has been burning at our house this fall, it’s right here and hard to beat…)

Capri Blue Volcano Jumbo White Candle - Tulips
Volcano Candle…hello atmospheric lovely indeed.

Faded hydrangea blooms are another favorite of mine in fall…

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I love how their petals cling even as so many oak and beech leaves fly free.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

Oh, how I wish everyone could savor the serenity of a misty fall morning where frost has landed on pumpkins…

My French inspired courtyard in fall with autumn fallen leaves and boxwood - Hello Lovely Studio.

where the soft crunch of leaves underfoot brings back a flood of memories from autumns of childhood.

Inspirational quote about gratitude on Hello Lovely Studio. #gratitude #inspirational #quotes

No matter what the season looks like for you, I wish you eyes to see that what you have is enough.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

Eyes to see nature’s teaching all around.

(My squirrels seem to largely live in a perpetual state of scarcity! They hoard so many more nuts than they can ever consume. Yet how does the earth respond to the inequity? Graciously, intelligently, and with mercy.)

Be Still and Know

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What a joy and blessing to savor SEGRETO impressions!

If you are in a season where it is hard to access a grateful heart, where a lens for gratitude eludes, please know you are not damaged, not broken, not cursed.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

And you are certainly not powerless even though the evidence may point to the contrary.

Inspirational quote about gratitude on Hello Lovely Studio. #gratitude #inspirational #quotes #lionelhampton

It is possible that you have come to the end of your personal resources for seeing which can feel overwhelming and painful. You may feel stripped of your foliage, alone and without protection.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

But at the end of your resources is a very alive spaciousness I would invite you to explore.

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Read about this fire pit we used in fall RIGHT HERE.

It may be time for you to sink your roots deeper. To draw nearer to the earth.

If your knees feel like falling, oh, friend, let them fall.

For there is beauty there which will hold you as you contact the ground.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

There are hidden sources of goodness and nourishment deep in your roots. Life for your weary soul is hidden there even when the season turns.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

If you remember nothing of this post, I hope you will remember this:

Turning leaves in autumn in Northern Illinois - Hello Lovely Studio.

you are just one prayer, one moment, one breath away…from seeking the grace you need.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

Whether it is strength, courage, patience, mercy, forgiveness, or gratitude that you need just now, you are but one breath from seeking the grace for it.

Do not fear that these virtues have dried up or departed for good, that you are locked out of the garden forever.

Be still and know that grace may be sought. That it will find you where you are.

How often do we allow fear to mobilize us to reach for coping mechanisms and self-transformation strategies? Mobilize us to do, buy, drink, consume, scroll, numb…do anything but become still and know.

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Find more info about my bathroom RIGHT HERE.

Sometimes, it can help to build in daily rhythms to encourage stillness and quiet. A warm bath, for example.

I personally like the mornings for quiet, centering time to seek a new heart.

Inspirational quote about gratitude on Hello Lovely Studio. #gratitude #inspirational #quotes #lyubomirsky

The Art of Gratitude

Surely the art of gratitude takes a lifetime of practice.

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Now that half of mine has been spent, I can see all the ways I was blind to gifts that did not at all feel like gifts when they were given. As a result, I could not access gratitude for them.

“Gratitude is good for you. Taking a moment to give thanks can improve your digestion, mental health, and even your emotional health. It doesn’t just make things “feel” better, it actually makes them get better.” -Ocean Robbins

But now!

Detail of my olive tree in rustic European inspired pot with white stones - Hello Lovely Studio.
Recently added this Olive Tree (it’s not real…shhhhh!) which seems perfect in any season.

Now?

Well, if I am honest, I am still mostly blind to the gifts; always judging and weighing and dissecting the joy from the sorrow.

Inspirational quote about gratitude on Hello Lovely Studio. #gratitude #inspirational #quotes #melodybeattie

Which is why I must daily surrender and seek the grace to see beyond my own deeply rooted biases, privileges, entitlements and blind-spots. To see beyond the finite.

Beyond the glare of my wounds and trauma.

Vintage metal watering cans lined up on the stone wall of our French inspired courtyard - Hello Lovely Studio.

Even now, I write these words from a place of deep woundedness and persistent blindness.

Serene reading corner with linen egg chair and grisaiile wallpaper - Hello Lovely Studio.

Yet I believe even wounded healers can heal with touch. So I bring these gentle hands.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

Take heart, lovely one. You’ve got a friend here with her face turned skyward, palms open, with an embodied prayer for you and yours.

It may be a simple act of surrender and hope from a blind beggar of a blogger, but simplicity seems to often unlock the key to the infinite.

Inspirational quote about gratitude on Hello Lovely Studio. #gratitude #inspirational #quotes

A Life Devoted to Peace & Gratitude

If you have not seen this (Thich Nhat Hanh was 85 at the time), it is worth your time. TNH can no longer speak after a a stroke not long after this meeting, and I’m so grateful we have access to this amazing teaching.

Are You Still Reading?

Oh, my, these streams of consciousness seem to flow in directions I never see coming!

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

I have told you this many times…I don’t understand the mechanics of these energies swirling within as neurotransmitters transmit and even misfire. I don’t understand much of anything at all.

My serene kitchen with Minuet Viatera quartz counter and Belgian linen chairs - Hello Lovely Studio.

So I share it all quite humbly in a spirit of unknowing.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

From a place of mysterious darkness as I cannot see you or know the realities your day will bring.

Inspirational quote about gratitude on Hello Lovely Studio from Willie Nelson #gratitude #inspirational #quotes

I am learning to trust this mystery and darkness.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.
Words of Thanksgiving as well as glimpses around my home in Fall.

As a seed trusts its weighted blanket of soil.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.

Or a newborn star trusts the cosmic dark-sky tender mother birthing it.

Inspirational quote about gratitude on Hello Lovely Studio from Thornton Wilder. #gratitude #inspirational #quotes

Learning to trust this darkness and stop resisting reality’s reality is the work of a lifetime.

Fallen leaves, autumn trees, and turning colors in my Northern Illinois yard - Hello Lovely Studio.
Words of Thanksgiving as well as glimpses around my home in Fall.

What a gift that we are given so much help on this earth to keep learning and relearning it.

Sweet black and white rescue pup on the window seat in kitchen - Hello Lovely Studio.
She visited last week and had me wrapped around her freckled paw.

I wish you the blessings of darkness on your journey toward more free and courageous living.

Changing colors in a Northern Illinois garden - Hello Lovely Studio.

But mostly I wish you Love with a capital L. Because it will hold during those times you sense the darkness may consume you.

Inspirational quote about gratitude and courage: the most powerful weapon against...#inspirationalquote #quotes #courage #personalgrowth

It will hold.

Thank you for reading. I’m aware of the millions of websites and blogs in existence.

It’s a wonder to me that you choose to visit this one.

I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.

Peace to you right where you are.

-michele

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10 Comments

  1. Kathan Glassman
    November 17, 2019 / 11:08 pm

    Thank you……..I needed this today💕

    • Michele
      Author
      November 18, 2019 / 10:24 am

      Thank you for reading with tenderness and taking the time to connect. Peace to you.

  2. November 17, 2019 / 11:22 pm

    Michele I was looking forward to sitting down and catching up on your blog and this post was so delightful. I really liked seeing glimpses of your home and yard in the full glory of Fall. What a great idea. It’s so personal, I felt like I was right there with you. The beautiful quotes were such a nice backdrop for these photos too. I showed Jim the video of Thich Nhat Hanh with Oprah. That’s one of his favorite interviews of him, I think Jim discovered Thick Nhat Hanh in his late twenties, and it’s me that was late to the Eastern spirituality world. I’m so sad about him being unable to speak after his stroke. When Jim told me that it really affected me, I don’t know why that seems so unfair to me. He has given so much to so many. But what do I know? I also have to tell you how charmed I was by your video! Who took your video? What a doll you are, I only wish I could hear you talking.
    Maybe one day I will when we meet in person. In the meantime thank you Michele for gracing me with your visits to my blog. Honestly, I read your words and I think, if only I could see myself the way you do. Most of the time I feel so broken. Please know how much your words mean, simply because they’re coming from you. My dear wise friend. Sending you love across this screen.

    • Michele
      Author
      November 18, 2019 / 10:22 am

      Always so happy to hear from you, Leslie. When I watch TNH at age 85 in that interview, I have to keep reminding myself he is not a boy…I have never seen an adult embody a childlike wonder and disposition as this teacher of love! The whole time I am thinking, what a miracle to be so enlightened as to become a timeless, ageless, vessel for mercy and wisdom to flow in and out. I feel like Oprah is also radiant and plugged into the same wonderment…her heart open and permeable to this teacher’s glory. I need a new video – hahahaha. That was a friend helping me out, and there was a 3 minute version of him interviewing me that I deleted because it opened me up to bullies, trolls, and extortionists on the internet. I mean, I sang an exerpt of a Justin Bieber song in that version…cray cray and just being silly and real. I blew it up with 2/3 of my blog more than a year ago to lessen the vulnerability. Things were easier online in 2010. 🙂 I think when we feel broken (and I mostly do) it is because we are…but maybe we’re being broken into love…into a more fluid state to flow. It’s the weak becoming strong, the poor in spirit becoming blessed, the holy paradox and mystery glowing in all the reflective shards. Thank you for the love. For your courage and light ever finding its way into my world and enriching it. You’re so lovely.

  3. Cynthia S Dahl
    November 18, 2019 / 12:01 pm

    Peace be to you, Michele, and Thank You!

    • Michele
      Author
      November 18, 2019 / 2:33 pm

      Thanks for the peace, friend – so happy you’re here.

  4. Amy
    November 18, 2019 / 3:02 pm

    So beautiful around your home at this time of year…all the colors ablaze! I did the same thing recently around the property we live on, and it is amazing all the blessings there are to take in from a leisurely walk in nature noticing all the details and changes from one season to the next. God’s creation is truly amazing. Love the gratitude quotes throughout…all so powerful and true! Thanks for your example of gratitude and enjoying the simple pleasure of life all around us! Your posts are always such a treat to read and always full of so many golden nuggets of wisdom, creativity, inspiration, and hope that we all yearn for and need. Thanks for all you put into each post.

    • Michele
      Author
      November 18, 2019 / 3:29 pm

      It’s my pleasure – and such a joy to share the simple glimpses. I’m so inspired by the trees who are my teachers! Peace to you on this new work week.

  5. Rebecca
    November 20, 2019 / 8:00 am

    I am grateful that I came upon your post this morning.

    I will save it and refer to it.

    Today as I sit in an easy chair, I am grateful that I can look out on this misty day and see the earth filled with wonder.

    • Michele
      Author
      November 20, 2019 / 9:20 am

      What a wonderful state of gratitude in which to be – thank you for sharing the blessing with us and the reminder to be still. xox

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SHOP MY HOME!
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Deconstructed Wingback Bed
French Farmhouse Dining Table
Milagro Heart
Slipcovered Dining Chair
Rustic Farmhouse Stool
Edgecombe End Table
Parisian Style Iron Table Lamp  33.5″
Black or Bronze Accent Table
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Marble Subway Mosaic Tile
Rattan Basket With Lid
White Ruffle Bedding
Seagrass Basket Set
Schumacher Wild Things Wallpaper
Slipcovered Sofa
Upholstered Dining Arm Chair
Shop My Breakfast Nook
White Matelasse Quilt
Tree Mural Wallpaper
Faux Potted French Lavender
Shaw Daybed
Distressed White French Country Chandelier
French Country Headboard
Oval Back Counter Stool, Set of 2
Antique Brass Pharmacy Floor Lamp
Round French Tufted Ottoman
Kinston Wood Bench
Italian Candelabra Chandelier
Slipcovered Linen Chair
Warner Upholstered Bench
Rustic Country French Dresser
Laurel Wreath Mirror
Round Farmhouse Dining Table
Reclaimed Wood Dresser
Louis Upholstered Bench
Pardon My French Doormat
Stripe Turkish Towel Throw
Pamela Arm Chair
Sweater Weave Basket
French Carved Wood Chandelier
Terracotta Pots & Basket
French Country Wood Chandelier
French Linen Dining Chair
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French Farmhouse Dining Table
Bar Stool
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Rattan Armchair
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Cross Back Dining Chair
French Country Candle Holder
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