Reading MessyMimi's Ten Things of Thankful post this morning put me in a great frame of mind. She was talking about it being "easy to be thankful", and I didn't have to think very hard or long to realize how right she is. Even on the difficult days when I tend to focus on grumbling far more than gratitude, I realize how very blessed I am, and then it truly is easy to be thankful. The coolest thing about being thankful is that the more you adopt an attitude of gratitude, the more you'll find you have to be grateful for! Here's just some of the ways I've been blessed this week...
I am over the moon happy with and thankful for the great response we're having to the new TToT blog. It's really nice to see everyone reconnecting there! I am grateful for Lizzi's behind the scenes support which made this possible. She created the atmosphere of caring and sharing which we've come to love.
I am thankful for new folks coming to join in at the TToT. I tell everyone what a friendly, supportive group of people it is, and I know they will discover I'm right if they give it a try. I want everyone to feel comfortable there, whether they're already blog friends with other TToT members or are meeting us for the very first time. Diversity is a cause for celebration!
I am thankful for the gorgeous sunsets I've seen here this week. One night the sky was painted in amazing shades of pink and purple that my phone camera couldn't do justice. West Texas is a flat, dusty, most often brown place, but God makes it amazingly beautiful every morning and evening when He paints the sky. Because it is so very flat the horizon extends forever!
I am thankful for having sufficient resources to obtain good food for our table, and for never going hungry. There's not a time that I walk through the grocery store or set down to eat a meal that I'm not acutely aware of how many people in our country and in the world exist in a state of perpetual hunger.
I am thankful for my husband's limitless patience with me. I've been a little moody/grumpy/stressed this week, and he never responds in kind, but rather always with kindness and encouragement. He is amazing! If I could clone him I would be a millionaire!
On the same subject of how I handle things, I came to a realization this week that I don't cope as well as I'd like. There are many reasons/excuses I can give for that, but the bottom line is that I'm going to focus more energy on remaining calm and positive, being an example of what to do instead of what not to do. I am thankful for self-awareness.
I am thankful for the wonderfully mild winter we've had. When you get older, fear of falling on slippery patches of ice is very real, and I haven't had to contend with that at all. I do have to admit that the unseasonably warm weather we've had here, not to mention my family in Midwest, conjures up legitimate concerns about global warming though.
I am thankful for the renewed enjoyment I am finding in crocheting. I'm making good progress on the Spring wreath I'm crocheting and hope to share a picture of it completed in the next week or two. Along with a few other things I loved doing, I stopped crocheting about ten years ago when my life was in critical survival mode. One by one I'm reclaiming the things that I love. I am proud to be a survivor, but I want more than that, I want to celebrate being alive!
I am thankful for the antics of my furkids that never fail to entertain us. We laughed watching one of them taste-test a bite of something sweet we were eating the other night by tapping her paw in it and then licking her paw, repeatedly. I guess she couldn't quite make up her mind if she wanted to eat it or not. :-)
I am thankful that, if all goes right, our small tax refund will make a road-trip vacation possible at the beginning of April. I love road-trips, especially to places I have never been!
I am thankful for new folks coming to join in at the TToT. I tell everyone what a friendly, supportive group of people it is, and I know they will discover I'm right if they give it a try. I want everyone to feel comfortable there, whether they're already blog friends with other TToT members or are meeting us for the very first time. Diversity is a cause for celebration!
I am thankful for the gorgeous sunsets I've seen here this week. One night the sky was painted in amazing shades of pink and purple that my phone camera couldn't do justice. West Texas is a flat, dusty, most often brown place, but God makes it amazingly beautiful every morning and evening when He paints the sky. Because it is so very flat the horizon extends forever!
I am thankful for having sufficient resources to obtain good food for our table, and for never going hungry. There's not a time that I walk through the grocery store or set down to eat a meal that I'm not acutely aware of how many people in our country and in the world exist in a state of perpetual hunger.
I am thankful for my husband's limitless patience with me. I've been a little moody/grumpy/stressed this week, and he never responds in kind, but rather always with kindness and encouragement. He is amazing! If I could clone him I would be a millionaire!
On the same subject of how I handle things, I came to a realization this week that I don't cope as well as I'd like. There are many reasons/excuses I can give for that, but the bottom line is that I'm going to focus more energy on remaining calm and positive, being an example of what to do instead of what not to do. I am thankful for self-awareness.
I am thankful for the wonderfully mild winter we've had. When you get older, fear of falling on slippery patches of ice is very real, and I haven't had to contend with that at all. I do have to admit that the unseasonably warm weather we've had here, not to mention my family in Midwest, conjures up legitimate concerns about global warming though.
I am thankful for the renewed enjoyment I am finding in crocheting. I'm making good progress on the Spring wreath I'm crocheting and hope to share a picture of it completed in the next week or two. Along with a few other things I loved doing, I stopped crocheting about ten years ago when my life was in critical survival mode. One by one I'm reclaiming the things that I love. I am proud to be a survivor, but I want more than that, I want to celebrate being alive!
I am thankful for the antics of my furkids that never fail to entertain us. We laughed watching one of them taste-test a bite of something sweet we were eating the other night by tapping her paw in it and then licking her paw, repeatedly. I guess she couldn't quite make up her mind if she wanted to eat it or not. :-)
I am thankful that, if all goes right, our small tax refund will make a road-trip vacation possible at the beginning of April. I love road-trips, especially to places I have never been!
Peace and blessings to you in the week ahead! Please stop by as many of the TToT linked-up blogs as you can, everyone appreciates comments!
Hope you have a beautiful weekend, and get to go on that trip!
ReplyDeleteI am having a really nice, relaxing weekend, Mimi. I love watching TToT posts come in and seeing what blessings people have to share. We are tentatively making plans for a the trip, which will be fun!
DeleteI cannot imagine what it would be like to not know when or where your next meal will come from. I know I take for granted the blessing of a full belly. I don't always cope well. Most times I do but then there will be that one last thing and I head for bed and feel sorry for myself until I can no longer stand my self pitying self. Then I get up and say thank you Lord for your patience with me and off we go. Keep on keepin' on and doing what you love.
ReplyDeleteChildren and elders who go to bed hungry in this wealthy country make my heart hurt Patricia. It doesn't have to be that way if we would all be caretakers of each other. I tend to let that one last thing unravel my calm and make me a little crazy, I am learning to pray at times like that, to refocus on the source of peace. I do not want to be impulsive and erratic, it's not what we were meant to be! I am doing more of what I love these days, and it feels good!
DeleteYes, do clone Papa Bear. To have a friend/soulmate as a husband, one who understands you and cares for everything you feel and do is a blessing indeed. I'm sure the beautiful colors of your sunsets like the one shown in the meme for the TTOT (or is it a big sky Texas sunrise?) are inspiring each evening that the sky is painted with beautiful colors. I think the desire for self-growth is a statement in itself, striving to be a better person is admirable. I think you are pretty good, just the way you are and better is like the hot fudge on a sundae. ;)
ReplyDeletePapa Bear is a rare treasure, such a sharp contrast to what my life used to be! I totally forgot about my sunset photo in the header and our new logo button... yes, that's one of the beautiful one's I've tried to capture here! The sunrises are just as lovely, though more pastel. I don't think we ever grow too old to find ways to be better people, reflecting more of who we want to be. Thank you for the sweet compliment, hot-fudge is always a bonus! :-) XOXO
DeleteI was over at Mimi's TToT yesterday and thought the same thing. What a positive attitude:)
ReplyDeleteThis is exciting. I'm so glad that you have taken the baton from Lizzi. I look forward to participating on a more regular basis and reading and meeting new folks.
I've never been to Texas and can't imagine the expanse that is the horizon there. That must make those painted on sunsets all the more gorgeous.
Who does not love a road trip?!! I hope time flies until April and then stops on a dime. For your trip :D
Thank you! I am so thankful that previous TToT participants are returning to share again and that we have new people joining in too! This has to be the happiest blog exercise of the week! The wide horizon here is amazing for watching sunrises, sunsets, and storms rolling in. When we sit out in our hot tub at night the canopy of stars overhead seems huge! It makes up for the rather drab appearance of things in the daytime. Our planned road trip is now just a little over a month away, and we're having fun looking at possible stops along the way. Life is always good when you have something to look forward to! :-)
DeleteI love Ttot group. They inspire me.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.carinsgratitude.com/2017/02/id-like-to-thank.html
I do too, Carin, I look forward to the weekend and seeing what everyone shares so much. It always leaves me feeling upbeat for the week ahead! When I know people are having a difficult week and still show up with a post it reminds me that I can find good things too!
Deletetotally with you on the weather grat! We have enjoyed a mild winter up here (southern New England) and, if nothing else, the lack of snow helps make the not-so-cold temperatures even more bearable!
ReplyDeletealso the new participants... the life of any bloghop is always measured in the number of new 'faces'... if for no other reason than it shows that the welcome mat is totally out.
(I have a permanent grat for Finish the Sentence Friday, as it was my first foray into bloghops and it is, through my welcome there, that I came to meet the people that remain friends to this day...
I agree, Clark, cold is more bearable when you aren't dealing with snow or ice. I am really happy to see new faces joining in, and old ones returning too! Many of the people in this group have become like family, and that makes the sharing all the more fun! I'm hoping new people will find the same kind of friendliness and acceptance!
DeleteI've not been to Mimi's yet, but I'm working my way around. AT this point, likely tomorrow until I finish reading all.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the food thing. I am often painfully aware of how blessed we are and how others struggle. And I absolutely hate that we live in a world where that kind of disparity is even possible.
Was just reading over at Girlie's blog and saw your conversation about names. I agree that Josie suits you most. :D It just fits.
It takes awhile to read all the TToT posts, and that's a good thing, it means people are participating! :-) I agree about the hunger disparity, and often people around them are shocked to discover there are hungry people in their midst, i.e. the Pine Ridge Reservation. I think most tend to live in denial, that way they don't feel obligated to help do something about it.
DeleteYes, Josie fits me to a J! :-))
I'm glad you've been able to invite others to join in the TToT. It really is a wonderful exercise, and the community can't be beat!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Kristi, it's such an uplifting thing to participate in, that it's fun to see new people making an initial effort to share a list with us. It's a wonderful group of people that focus on positives, and we know all the good things that leads to!
DeleteI have always been anxious about slipping on icy spots, but global warming makes me anxious too.
ReplyDeleteI think road trips are the best. Exciting that you've got one in your near future.
Yes, diversity is a thing of beauty, something to be celebrated for sure.
I can imagine how much more scary those icy spots are for you, Kerry! I love my Yak Trax when walking on ice and snow. We don't need them often here, but they are a godsend when we do! Road trips are wonderfully fun, we don't set a schedule so that we can take our time and stop wherever and whenever we please along the way! Diversity is like a garden of flowers... so much more wonderful if there is a vast array of colors, shapes, sizes, and scents! If we all looked the same, acted the same, and thought the same it would be a boring world indeed!
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