Happy Thanksgiving...
So, it hasn't been a great year. There's been a lot of conflict and stress and worry; money's tight, times are lean, I have a teenager...et cetera et cetera. Sometimes I've been okay and been able to shake it off and remember what's important and other times I've let it get me down. I hate it when I do that.
A lot of people in my life, a lot of people on my friend's list, are struggling right now...with money, with job situations, with relationships, with family, with teenagers. And most of them are having a harder/scarier/more frustrating time than I could imagine and most of them, in the midst of it, have expressed gratitude for what is right, instead of complaining about what is wrong.
Sometimes it's hard to remember to be grateful when something I perceive as bad happens. But the truth is, no matter how bad things are I still have so much to be thankful for. If I'm upright, if my child is safe and healthy, if I have a roof over my head, if I have food on the table, if I'm breathing, I have reason to be grateful. No, I don't have a lot of money; no, I'm not losing weight; no, I don't have a new job. But I wouldn't trade what I DO have for any of that.
And I am grateful.
My heroes, as most of you know, are euqort and Just_jeff...they face more challenges in a week than most of us face in an entire lifetime and they meet them with humor and grace and an unfailing, unflinching love for their family and friends. When I see one of Tonie's Yay!/Boo posts, I am reminded of the complete nature of life...I remember what the teller at the bank told me a year or two ago about everything, "It's either a blessin' or a lesson."
And I am grateful.
smacky30 has people in her life that make me want to go to Georgia and pistol-whip some sense into them. losingntrnslatn lives with pain every single day and still is one of the busiest, most giving, most committed people I know. Yet, these two women look beyond what they have going on in their lives and spend part of everyday giving me grief and making me smile.
And I am grateful.
Not too long ago, alicat713 sent me a plaque with a quote from Dumbo on it. It reads "The very things that held you down are going to carry you up." And I've been thinking about that...how every difficult thing in my life has resulted in growth, how letting go of something made room for something better, how every great pain has led, eventually, to great joy. That doesn't mean I want bad things to happen, but it does mean it's a little easier to remember that I'm here to grow, to become a better person, to learn to love without reservation or condition or judgment.
And I am grateful.
It's not always easy to remember to be grateful, especially when things aren't going perfectly. But when do things ever go perfectly? Yet, despite this annoying lack of perfection, I am more fortunate and more blessed than most of the people on the planet. I don't want to repeat last year's post but it all still holds true.
And I am grateful.
Not sure if I've ever linked this here, but this is amazing and a great reminder that gratitude is the key to love and happiness.
And I am grateful.
Please know I am grateful for each and every one of you. Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I hope you all have a day filled with things to be grateful for.
As for me? My cup runneth over.
Peace.
A lot of people in my life, a lot of people on my friend's list, are struggling right now...with money, with job situations, with relationships, with family, with teenagers. And most of them are having a harder/scarier/more frustrating time than I could imagine and most of them, in the midst of it, have expressed gratitude for what is right, instead of complaining about what is wrong.
Sometimes it's hard to remember to be grateful when something I perceive as bad happens. But the truth is, no matter how bad things are I still have so much to be thankful for. If I'm upright, if my child is safe and healthy, if I have a roof over my head, if I have food on the table, if I'm breathing, I have reason to be grateful. No, I don't have a lot of money; no, I'm not losing weight; no, I don't have a new job. But I wouldn't trade what I DO have for any of that.
And I am grateful.
My heroes, as most of you know, are euqort and Just_jeff...they face more challenges in a week than most of us face in an entire lifetime and they meet them with humor and grace and an unfailing, unflinching love for their family and friends. When I see one of Tonie's Yay!/Boo posts, I am reminded of the complete nature of life...I remember what the teller at the bank told me a year or two ago about everything, "It's either a blessin' or a lesson."
And I am grateful.
smacky30 has people in her life that make me want to go to Georgia and pistol-whip some sense into them. losingntrnslatn lives with pain every single day and still is one of the busiest, most giving, most committed people I know. Yet, these two women look beyond what they have going on in their lives and spend part of everyday giving me grief and making me smile.
And I am grateful.
Not too long ago, alicat713 sent me a plaque with a quote from Dumbo on it. It reads "The very things that held you down are going to carry you up." And I've been thinking about that...how every difficult thing in my life has resulted in growth, how letting go of something made room for something better, how every great pain has led, eventually, to great joy. That doesn't mean I want bad things to happen, but it does mean it's a little easier to remember that I'm here to grow, to become a better person, to learn to love without reservation or condition or judgment.
And I am grateful.
It's not always easy to remember to be grateful, especially when things aren't going perfectly. But when do things ever go perfectly? Yet, despite this annoying lack of perfection, I am more fortunate and more blessed than most of the people on the planet. I don't want to repeat last year's post but it all still holds true.
And I am grateful.
Not sure if I've ever linked this here, but this is amazing and a great reminder that gratitude is the key to love and happiness.
And I am grateful.
Please know I am grateful for each and every one of you. Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I hope you all have a day filled with things to be grateful for.
As for me? My cup runneth over.
Peace.