What are you so grateful for? How did you count your blessings in 2014?
I've written gratitude lists off and on for a few years now. I know that one of the ways to pull myself out of a downward spiral is to step back and look at what I have to be grateful for.
Sometimes I'm good at acknowledging all I have to be grateful for. Sometimes I'm not.
As I was wrapping Christmas gifts late one night this week, I had a temporary moment of feeling sorry for myself. As a single mom the budget is tight. I had been doing pretty good saving ahead for Christmas, but this summer a crisis with one of my kids wiped out that savings in all of 10 minutes. The ensuing bills meant there just wasn't any money left over to save. So I did the best I could and each payday purchased one gift.
Although each of my six kids knew that there would only be two presents a piece under the tree this year, when I saw the gifts all wrapped and ready for the tree I felt sad. And even a little guilty that I couldn't give them more.
But then looking at the 12 gifts sitting on my bedroom floor I realized, wait a minute, this isn't too bad. In fact for the financial hardships I've had this year this is actually pretty good. Each kid was getting what they really wanted! I decided to stop dwelling on what I couldn't do, and instead focus what I had been able to accomplish.
My current gratitude list:
- My six kids whose list of wants is short
- Friends who have stepped up to help me make sure my kids are raised surrounded by love
- Coworkers who have gone from employees, to friends to family
- Health of my family and friends
- The special people in my life who know how to make me smile, make me cry and make me laugh through my tears.
- People there to greet me as I get off an airplane
- Hard, sweaty gym workouts that clear my head any time I need
- Technology that allows texts/calls/emails/chats anytime just to say Hi and I'm thinking of you.
This post is part of #reverb14, a series of daily writing prompts to explore the year passed and to manifest the year ahead. This prompt was found at Project Reverb.
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