The November/December issue of Northern Gardener included a lovely essay by Laura Schwarz on the month of November and garden gratitude. Here are some excerpts to ponder this Thanksgiving Day.

The November gardening lull gives us time for gratitude. Before our fingernails fully return to their original state of cleanliness, let’s walk around our gardens and be grateful (and stick our hands in the dirt a few more times to remember what it feels like before it freezes). It may seem silly at first, but I think even a brief attempt at this exercise can improve your daily outlook. The November gardening lull gives us time for gratitude. Before our fingernails fully return to their original state of cleanliness, let’s walk around our gardens and be grateful (and stick our hands in the dirt a few more times to remember what it feels like before it freezes). It may seem silly at first, but I think even a brief attempt at this exercise can improve your daily outlook. …

Nature is all about cycles: plants live and die and feed other plants with the nutrients from their decomposing cells. Dead trees become trellises that allow climbing plants to reach the light they need to survive. Dormant grasses shelter wildlife from the harsh wind, and fallen leaves compost themselves and enrich the soil for the following year.

Yes, November gardens are mostly physically empty, but they are simultaneously filled with hope for spring and with that pure joy that comes from being alive and having the ability to help other organisms live, too! I like to marvel at the jagged outline of bare tree branches against the autumn sky. They remind me of permanence—and somehow, at the same time, impermanence. Seasons will always change, and lives will always come and go. But right now, I have the privilege of tending and improving my own little part of the world, year after year. That’s something to be grateful for.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our members and friends!