Even when life is not going the way that we planned it, I know that there are many, many things to be grateful for, and when I find a way to express my thankfulness, I find more and more things that I am thankful for in my life. Intentionally expressing and focusing on those things that make my life easier, bring me joy, touch my heart, and so on, I find more and more things, and my heart finds more and more peace. Gratitude is truly a portal to a different way of thinking and feeling, even when life is rough.
So today I will post a gratitude list both here and on my gratitude blog.
This glorious Thanksgiving day I am grateful for:
......the beautiful snow that coats the ground
......the fun that the boys and I had yesterday building a snowman in the front yard
......the large yard and wonderful heat efficiency of this little apartment
I am thankful for....Gonzo's great smile
.......The fact that my beautiful little Tex Mex boy FINALLY enjoys playing in the snow
.......The joy that he finds in small pleasures, like throwing snowballs at trees
.......The enjoyment and satisfaction he get at studying the weather (my little meteorologist, who can always tell you what the wind speeds will be for the day and who LOVES the weather channel and weather.com)
........The way that Josiah's laugh can penetrate even the roughest of days and make people smile
........The fact that he IS learning much of the material presented to him at school, even if he is making life challenging for his teachers. HE is a teacher of flexibility and thinking outside the box, which is good for people even if they do not appreciate the lessons he is teaching them and the growth he is providing.
........His excitement about the snow and his insistence on playing in the snow even though he is not feeling well.
......His love and his enjoyment of life, though damped by this transition to public school, are still a powerful force and gift for him and those of us lucky enough to be around him.
I am also thankful for
........My father, whose brilliance, love of learning and reading, and adaptability have been a marvel to me, and whose ideas of personal freedom and living life without needing the approval of others is an inspiration
........My mother, who is always willing to help in whatever way she can, and whose dreams have never died, even though they have gotten side tracked before, and whose talent she is sharing with the world through her music (check out her CD)
........My step-father Jim, who loves my mother and supports her in pursuing her dreams, and his, and is always ready to lend a helping hand.
........My sister Christine and her husband Patrick and their children Thomas and Sam, who though far away are never far from my thoughts. I am grateful for her perseverance and her ability to rise above the challenges we faced as children. I am grateful for the successful and fulfilling lives that they lead and for the fact that they are happy.
.......My sister Sharon and her husband Rich, and their kids Jessi, Ty, Montana, and Savanna, who have overcome great obstacles and have found an amazing blessings in Ambit Energy, which through Rich's hard work and Sharon unwavering support have catapulted them into a life they never dreamed possible.
.......My sister Alecia and her children Garion and Alex, whose ability to survive is amazing. She has a strength and an inner motivation that has overcome many extremely difficult situations, and though right now she can not see it, her ability to survive through it all is a great blessing. I am grateful for all the good things that are entering her life as she comes through this new hard period. May she be blessed with joy, peace, and understanding.
......My brother Nate, who has as many great ideas as our father and is an amazingly hard worker. I am thankful that he can move forward with a variety of projects and that he is always willing to get up at 3am or 4 am to go to work. I am thankful for his ability and motivation to work hard, and to help our father and his desire to help family and friends.
.......My best friend Kay, whose loyalty and love have never wavered over the nearly 20 years we have known each other. And for whose creativity and insane work ethic have always amazed me.
........My ex-spouse A and A's family, for even though we are no longer together, we both parent the same children, and A is working on getting more stable. A's family has been wonderful and supportive, and even when they have not agreed with my decisions, they are still there for me and the boys, and embrace me as a continuing member of their family just as my family still embraces A as a member of ours.
........My extended family is filled with talented and amazing people. My cousin Paul, whose photography blesses me with its beauty. My cousin Jennifer who is a survivor and has overcome many challenges in her life, and who is someone I think about nearly every day. My other cousins whose lives helped shape my childhood, even though we have grown apart in adulthood.
.........My friends old and new, the many blessed friends I have from childhood who still are close to my heart, my friends from college, many of whom are still significant blessings in my life now, my friends from various jobs and places I have lived...I have been blessed by friends from so many walks of life, so many different perspective and outlooks, so many different beliefs and creeds---I am blessed by the amazing variety of people who have loved me and called me friend. For this variety and for each of those amazing people I am truly and completely grateful.
......I am thankful for my blog and website readers, through whom I can spread my stories, my theories, my ideas, and the knowledge I have gained, so that maybe others can use it in a way that enhanced their life positively.
......I am thankful for the amazing ways we have to keep in touch with old friends and family--facebook, email, websites, telephone, snail mail, and even face to face. So many ways to keep in touch with the people that have been and are parts of our lives.
.......I am thankful for my relationship with the Ever Living God, that Powerful Consciousness that links all of us together, that Source of all Energy from which we all emanate and exist.
......I am thankful for a hopeful future filled with blessings.
No comments:
Post a Comment