Let’s Reclaim Our Sense of Wonder

Posted on November 24, 2025 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week

It’s been a hard year. This week, Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving. Yet in truth, many will wonder what there is to be thankful for. But they’ll be wondering about the wrong things, wondering about what’s lost, instead of what can never be lost. Pet your dog. Look up at the sky. Touch that “dead” but soon-to-be-reborn tree. Touch your skin. Everyday miracles. It’s time to reclaim our sense of wonder. Because every moment of every day of every year the universe is filled with wonder. Are we?

“You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down.” ~Charlie Chaplin

“Look at everything always as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time: Thus is your time on earth filled with glory.” ~Betty Smith

“Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.” ~Walt Whitman

“(When you’re) wondering ‘bout the big things and asking ‘bout the big things, you learn about the little ones, almost by accident. But you never know nothing more about the big things than you start out with. The more I wonder, the more I love.” ~The Color Purple (Alice Walker)

It’s time to reclaim our sense of wonder.

∞

About mitchteemley

Writer, Filmmaker, Humorist, Thinker-about-stuffer
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53 Responses to Let’s Reclaim Our Sense of Wonder

  1. Caroll says:
    November 24, 2025 at 10:03 am

    YES! A quote attributed to Einstein is: “Either everything is a miracle or nothing is.” I choose EVERYTHING! Happy Thanksgiving, Mitch.

    Reply
  2. L.G. says:
    November 24, 2025 at 10:04 am

    Yes sir

    Reply
  3. KikiFikar says:
    November 24, 2025 at 10:35 am

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Reply
  4. joyroses13 says:
    November 24, 2025 at 10:46 am

    AMEN!! Always something to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

    Reply
  6. insanitybytes22 says:
    November 24, 2025 at 11:19 am

    Happy Thanksgiving, Mitch!

    Reply
  7. dovalpage says:
    November 24, 2025 at 12:07 pm

    Lovely. Happy Thanksgiving!

    Reply
  8. Chris says:
    November 24, 2025 at 12:14 pm

    Thank you for the good post. I wish you and your family a peaceful and blessed Thanksgiving!

    Reply
  9. ibarynt says:
    November 24, 2025 at 12:36 pm

    I keep coming back to this, in our wandering and wondering…

    Reply
  10. Madeline Bialecki says:
    November 24, 2025 at 1:50 pm

    We had the most spectacular sunset yesterday, we I was like a kid looking at it and exclaiming, “Wow.” Today, several people shared pictures with me. It was wonderful to look in amazement at the beauty of nature.

    Reply
  11. stockdalewolfe says:
    November 24, 2025 at 2:13 pm

    Happy Thanksgiving, Mitch! Thanks for stopping by Moonside and for your comment about the birch trees and color contrast. I miss that. Somehow I lost your comment and am very sorry I couldn’t answer it. I appreciated it!

    Reply
  12. Nancy Homlitas says:
    November 24, 2025 at 2:47 pm

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Mitch. 🙂

    Reply
  13. jboelhower says:
    November 24, 2025 at 3:06 pm

    It is important to have this sense of wonder in our daily lives. Even if it is is scheduled, like when you walk… to walk with inquiry of the world around you. Or even going to a museum with the intent to learn. We can foster wonder in our lives…

    Reply
  14. Andrew McDowell says:
    November 24, 2025 at 3:23 pm

    Well said, Mitch.

    Reply
  15. C.A. Peterson says:
    November 24, 2025 at 4:57 pm

    A Jim Elliff quote for Thanxgiving:
    “Try this mental exercise this Thanksgiving when you are feasting on turkey and dressing and enjoying a warm and comfortable home or apartment. Stop for a moment and look around you at the abundance, the family, the nice clothes you have and all you enjoy, and then say to yourself, ‘B-b-but… I deserve hell.’ Repeat it several times and believe it because it is true. Then thank God for even the next breath you are given.”

    Reply
  16. Ab says:
    November 24, 2025 at 6:47 pm

    This is a lovely message, Mitch. It’s always helpful to think big picture and when we realize how small we really are, and our problems, and the larger universe reveals itself and all its wonder. Happy Thanksgiving!

    Reply
  17. harythegr8 says:
    November 24, 2025 at 7:18 pm

    This is simply magnificent, my friend!
    Your words remind us that even in hard years, wonder is never lost—it only waits to be noticed.
    The way you wove everyday miracles with timeless quotes is superb, inspiring us to lift our eyes and hearts.
    Fantastic writing—filled with light, depth, and gratitude.

    I would be honored if you could also visit my blog and share your thoughts there.
    Your perspective would add immense value, and it would be wonderful to continue this exchange of inspiration together.

    Reply
  18. Lokesh says:
    November 24, 2025 at 9:27 pm

    Wonderful!💫✨

    Reply
  19. Terry says:
    November 25, 2025 at 7:48 am

    Excellent, true, and meaningful post, Mitch! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

    Reply
  20. Norma says:
    November 25, 2025 at 8:00 am

    Así es, cada día es un regalo de Dios para ser vivido a plenitud y agradecer. Bendiciones del Señor 🎁

    Reply
  21. Nancy Ruegg says:
    November 25, 2025 at 11:31 am

    Not long ago Steve and I read Living in Wonder by Rod Dreher. (Great book, btw.) He reminds us to “lean hard into beauty–the moral beauty of good and holy people and the aesthetic beauty of art, music, and architecture, as well as the natural world–is a portal through which enchantment passes to us. . . [Beauty] is also a bridge to the world of the transcendent and ultimately to God” (p. 255). Living in Wonder is a sublime way to live!

    Reply
  22. thesimlux says:
    November 25, 2025 at 12:18 pm

    Mitch, this is it exactly. There’s wonder and magic all around us. We blind ourselves with artificial distractions. Face to face interactions, human touch, positivity, togetherness, and a more analog lifestyle are good for the spirit. Let’s be thankful we made it this far because we have so much further to go, so let’s go forth with wonderlust! Happy Thanksgiving!

    Reply
  23. keithpetersen80 says:
    November 26, 2025 at 11:39 am

    Amen, Mitch. So many of our teens have gotten jaded. My favorite antidote for jadedness is going out into nature; there’s wonder everywhere!

    Regarding what there is to be thankful for: yesterday I wrote about what I am most thankful for this year; “stop by” if you’re interested.

    Reply
  25. Anonymous says:
    November 26, 2025 at 4:23 pm

    YES! That has been such a gift for me during my struggle with Alzheimer’s. Moment’s of thick darkness, but so many more of delight and joy. It’s amazing. So thankful.

    Reply

  26. Pingback: Let’s Reclaim Our Sense of Wonder – QuietMomentsWithGod

  27. peggywritesblog says:
    November 28, 2025 at 4:11 pm

    Beautiful, Mitch, and so very true! We need to be more like children and rediscover the wonders around us everyday!! 😊

    Reply

  28. Pingback: Professor Albert Einstein's Advice for 2026 - Mitch TeemleyMitch Teemley

  29. George Raymond says:
    March 26, 2026 at 2:15 am

    Some nights I’ll go to the WordPress search and type in ‘Charlie Chaplin’ and see what I find. I found you, Mitch. Good job, old boy! The quote was taken from the lyrics to his song, “Swing Little Girl” from The Circus.

    Reply

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