Needing a Gratitude Day

Yesterdays post and made me realize I need a gratitude day. So here goes....

Today I am grateful for...

Having a job, when so many people in the country are jobless. It may not be the most glamourous, and it may cause me stress, but I am very happy that I have a job at all not to mention a good paying job that, for the most part, I enjoy.

The opportunity to be able to go back to school and earn my degree. After all the work I've been through to be able to fix my mess up...I will never take that for granted again.

Being able to find an affordable apartment that is nice, has good emenities, big enough to fit my family comfortably, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. As much as I hate moving...the money I will be saving is totally worth it.

A great family who is willing and happy to support me in what I do, encourage me, talk me through my struggles, and just be a listening ear when needed. Truly, I appreciate every single member of my family. I have said it before and I will never stop saying it...without my family I know I wouldn't be able to accomplish any of what I've done. And I know my boys wouldn't be near as well adjusted as they are with everything I've put them through. so thank you my family...I love you all.

My friends. I have only a small handful, and I'm not the best at keeping up with them with the craziness of my life and theirs, however I count them all as blessings in my life and they are there for me when needed. I hope they all know that if they need me, I'll do my best to be there for them too.

My blog friends. Back in the day, I could probably count the number of readers I had with one hand. But I watch my feedjit and see the different places people view my blog from and I absolutely LOVE it. I'm happy that I can write something that people feel is worth reading and I hope that I can give people laughs, help people see another point of view, or just help someone know that other people have the same struggles and they do.

Gratitude

The talks and lessons in church on Sunday all focused on gratitude, which was no surprise given the holiday. But the relief society lesson was the one that really got me listening. The teacher was talking about being grateful for all that you have of course, which is part of gratitude. But she also mentioned something that got to me.
Be grateful for things that you have instead of focusing on things that you don't have. Which we all know is standard, but instead of saying "Oh I hate doing laundry it never seems to get all the way done" Say instead "I am soo grateful to have these clothes to clean, because it means that I am surrounded by people who love me and care about me" or instead of "I hate exercising, its such a pain" try saying "I am grateful to have a body that allows me to move and function, and I'm grateful I have the ability to keep it strong!"
In the teachers case, she had been struggling with her husband constantly being gone due to work. She had been particularly mad about it one day when she visited some family. Her grandmother had lost her grandfather 8 years ago and it was an eye opener to her because even though her husband is gone alot, she can still call him or text him and know that he will be home soon. In her grandmothers case, she has no way to physically contact him. That experience humbled her quite a bit.
So I'm going to try it. When negative thoughts creep in my mind, I'm going to turn it around and make it positive and see what kinda happy spot I can move into.