The Grateful Heart Sits at a Continuous Feast

November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Do you ever feel like there are some years when it is easy to be thankful for the good things in your life and then some years it is not quiet so easy to be cheery and grateful? 2011 was a difficult year for me. Last year was a good, glass-half-full kind of year. And now again, 2013 is more of a challenge.

I sat down to write this post a couple days ago and wasn't in a frame of mind to identify the good in life. I thought about scrapping the whole yearly project and doing a basic OOTD post instead. I almost did it, until I was sitting in silence Tuesday night thinking/praying and running over the quotes about gratitude I had flagged earlier in the day. I realized that precisely because it is harder to see the good is why it's important to take the time to write a 'what I'm thankful for ' post.

What I'm thankful for…

• Morning walks near Lake Michigan, especially in the warm weather. (It's not so wonderful in a foot of snow with a daily high of 5*.)

• Two failed jobs this year. Yes, I know that is a weird thing to say. And yes when the one ended in the early Spring I had a really hard time figuring out how the job I thought would be ideal ended up being so far from that. But as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude." So I'm grateful that those jobs didn't work out because they gave me the final push I needed to try blogging/writing full time. One month in and I'm LOVING it.

• Ridiculous, meaningless group family text conversations. With 8 siblings, of which have smart phones, we get into some seriously silly conversations. And while they might keep me up at night or blow up my phone when I am in the middle of something, these conversations prove again and again, that there is no such thing as distance when we love.

• Hand written letters from friends. I have a couple friends with whom I exchange actual letters. I love seeing something personal in my mailbox – even if it is only a one-sided index card saying hello.

• My parents. They truly are two of the most amazing, grounded, solid, well-rounded people I know. And even if I'm a grown adult now, they are always there when I need to talk something through, need advice, or just need to be set-down a peg. They also managed to raise nine children who are tighter than any other family I've ever met.

• Common sense. The older I get the more I realize that not everyone is gifted with basic common sense. That makes me realize I need to be grateful I have it and understanding with those who don't.

• Good friends. Especially the ones with whom you can go years without seeing and still pick up where you left off. My friend Kristen in St. Louis is one such example. When I visited this summer it had been three years since I last saw her and we had no problem talking for hours.

• Shelley of Still Blonde After All These Years. She is my Fashionista Events blogging partner, but she is so much more than that. She's a sounding board, a teacher, a shoulder to lean on, and, most importantly, a friend.

• Beer. Yeah, weird I know. But I'm dedicated to my challenge of trying 100 new-to-me beers, and as a result I'm learned a lot more about the drink, the things I like, the things I don't. And I may be asking for my own beer-making kit for Christmas. Santa, please!

• All the things I take for granted because I've never been without… food on the table, clothes to wear, a warm house to go home to, a comfy bed with extra pillows to sleep in, money for the things I need (and a few that I want).

• A listening ear. I'm not one who likes to share personal things with others. I know you're thinking um… hello… blogger but I mean the deep-down nitty gritty stuff. Still, I'm beginning to truly appreciate having a friend or two who will lend an ear or a shoulder when I need one.

• Technology, aka my iPhone, MacBook, iPad, etc… Ok, maybe that is materialistic to add these to the list, but one of the reasons I love these most is because of the ease with which they allow me to connect personally and meaningfully with others. Candy Crush isn't bad either.

• Freedom. I recently stumbled upon this Latin phrase that goes something along the lines of "where there is doubt there is freedom." I've spent a lot of time thinking about that lately and truly love it.

 Black Friday, Cyber Monday and all the sales deals aside, what are you truly thankful for this year???

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Source: http://www.modlychic.com/2013/11/the-grateful-heart-sits-at-a-continuous-feast.html

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