Month: January 2015

Journey to Gratitude: Day 6

Today – for whatever reasons – I’m feeling a little “extra” grateful & appreciative, so I have TWO things for today!

ONE, I am thankful for the sun, who has made very few and very brief appearances in the past month or so. For someone like myself who struggles with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), the sun is a very welcomed sight among the frigid temps and cloudy days of winter.

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TWO, I am thankful for the opportunity to write. I love writing, and have since I was able to string sentences together in about second or third grade. It has always been very therapeutic for me, and I have missed it in the past year that I took a break to focus on work and life in general. Beginning with these daily gratitude posts and now continuing back into business advice with a post today, I am reminded of what a joy it can be. Additionally, I am reminded of the gift that I possess. I don’t say that to be boastful or prideful, but rather an acknowledgement that I have a gift to share with others. I am often reminded of my gift when I do it regularly enough for folks to see it, and I am blessed with feedback of how my writing helped someone. Maybe it was the dose of humor they needed for the day, or maybe I touched their heart in a way that made them feel as though they were not alone in whatever struggle they were enduring. We should all be sharing our unique gifts and talents with others, for why else would the Lord grant us with these gifts? So when I am not writing, I am withholding that gift and not letting it shine. Perhaps one day I will even get back around to completing my book about out little Bristol. 🙂

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Journey to Gratitude: Day 5

As the holiday season has been boxed up once again and “life” begins to return to normal, I am thankful today for a regular schedule. Of course, the given with that then is appreciation for each of us having jobs to go to for steady, solid income, and Bella having a good daycare to go to so that we can both hold jobs. It also means we can return to a healthier menu within our home, and hopefully get active again, so that we can hopefully shed at least some of this extra weight we’ve been carrying around.

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Journey to Gratitude: Day 3

Today I am thankful for date nights.

Blaine and I rarely schedule date nights for ourselves – usually because our schedules are so crazy and we can’t justify spending money “just because”. So when we actually take a date night, it’s a pretty big deal and makes them even more special.

Tonight’s date night was even a surprise, which made it even more magical. Blaine knew that I might have a little trouble with this day, as a year ago on this day my mom had her tragic fall. So he arranged for our sitter to come spend time with Bella so that he and I could go have fun. What a guy! I can only hope that Bella one day finds a partner as good as her dad!

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Journey to Gratitude: Day 2

Today, I am thankful for….leftovers! While I do enjoy cooking to an extent, I do not enjoy doing it daily. Plus, I’m the type of person who feels that, if I’m going to put that much effort into something, I want to be able to enjoy it for a while. So when I cook, I make double or triple batches of things so that we can eat on it for at least two dinners, with possibly enough leftover after that for a lunch or two.

So tonight, I enjoy being able to spend more time with my family because all I have to do is reheat leftovers for dinner. 🙂

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On the menu tonight, homemade beef enchiladas with black beans and corn.

Journey to Gratitude: Day 1

Not much in my life has been easy. In fact, my journey has been so difficult that I thought I had really seen it all and that nothing could knock me down again, because what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Then Dec 2012 happened; I got pre-eclampsia at 25 weeks with my twin girls, and ended up delivering them 3 weeks later. But the knocks kept coming: 9 weeks of a roller coaster I n NICU, loss of Bristol, Blaine’s stepmom was diagnosed with lung cancer, my mom had a tragic fall and subsequently passed, and then Blaine’s stepmom lost her battle with the lung cancer.

My spirit is beaten and bruised, and my soul is beyond sad.

In an effort to heal and move onward again, I have decided to challenge myself to a Journey to Gratitude: 365 Days of Gratitude. When you are faced with so much grief and sorrow, it is easy to get swept up in a downward spiral of negativity. Meanwhile, life is passing you by and you are missing the gems that life has to offer. This journey is my attempt to pull myself out of the sorrow and take note of the good things around me.

Today on Day One, I am ever-so-thankful for my little family. They are my everything. When you have no parents or grandparents left, you cling to those who are still left. I am so blessed to have a supportive husband and partner (who is also an amazing father), a beautiful and smart child who has already beat so many odds in her two short years on earth, and two of the best lap dogs anyone could ask for.

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Not only am I challenging myself to post at least one thing I am thankful for on a daily basis for a year, but I am challenging myself to not post the same thing twice – which will force me to find things that I might not otherwise notice. Here’s to my 2015 Journey to Gratitude!