It is amazing that I have touched so many of you. Thank you for sharing, for carrying the torch and adding your own list of gratitude, for writing to a soldier and thanking them for their service and for sending this to others that would appreciate the message. I am also receiving messages back from people who are having a hard time looking for the positive elements in their lives. If this is you, start with being grateful for breathing.
So for Tuesday, December 9th, this is what I am Grateful for:
I am grateful for opportunities. I come across them every day and realize that sometimes I don't even recognize them. Whether it's opening the door for a mom with a stroller or showing an elderly person where the aluminum foil is at the grocery store, these are moments when I can display kindness. It might have been the only positive gesture they received that day.
I am grateful for the $20 I had in my wallet yesterday. It was raining and I was driving and while stopped there was the lone guy with a sign that said he would work for food. I reached for my wallet and didn't realize I was handing him my last $20 until it was already moving toward his cold and wet fingers. He thanked me with a surprised look but also asked me about a job. I told him I was searching too, and I wished him well as the light turned green. I hope he at least got a hot meal and would be able to spend an hour eating it somewhere safe and warm.
I am grateful for my mom who shared a funny story with me yesterday. It was in the 70's when my hip, cool, independent and newly divorced mom was going up to Campbell Hot Springs in Northern California and learning to let go. She was expanding her growth and enlightenment which became the springboard of the wise woman she is today. She has taught me to be equally independent and strong. The lessons that she learned then are what I'm finally understanding now.
I am grateful because I can enjoy other people's pleasure. I don't have to feel sorry for myself because I didn't receive the same gifts. The smile and happiness they radiate from such thoughtfulness effects me for days.
I am grateful for the gray hairs that I cover up with dye. It means I have wisdom from years on this planet and examples to teach others.
I am grateful for the 15 pounds I have lost. I forget to be grateful when I only have 1 pair of jeans that fit and can't afford another. Isn't that silly?
I am grateful that there's a break in the rain and the hills beckon me to walk. My dog Klauss beckons to me, too! I am so blessed to live in a country setting and have acres to access. There will be that fresh smell of woods, the streams will be a little fuller and the birds will be singing.
I am grateful for the fun and laughter I shared with my husband Dewey yesterday when we went mud wheel'n. Amidst puddles and fallen branches we jumped in his jeep and tore through paths he created, climbing hills and throwing mud from the back tires. It was such great fun and a much needed break from the worry of finances.
I am grateful that my daughter Laura and her husband Kevin, who are in Spokane, can experience record breaking temperatures of 3 degrees from a warm apartment and a car with a heater.
I am grateful that I'm starting to pay more attention to what I'm grateful for, than what I have to be worried about. Thank you for giving me the platform to see what is always right in front of me.
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