Gratitude Journal

I love this picture. It's just a simple view of the sky from my backyard. It was an Instagram prompt for a photo-a-day challenge in December. I believe the hashtag was #TheSky. Not until later did I realize the ominous clouds hovering over the mountains. Within ten minutes the rain was pouring down and didn't stop for hours. Those rainy days are back, literally and figuratively.

I will be honest. Some days, especially lately, I don't feel very grateful. I want to dwell on the negative. And there are times I give myself 5 or 10 minutes to go down that road. But I always try to bring myself back. I wholeheartedly believe there is always a reason to give thanks, even if it's simply life. In the end, all the negative stuff is only circumstance. It doesn't have to control your mood, attitude, or life. As quickly as the bad happens, something more positive replaces it.

There is an urban legend in the military community. It says, "If something bad is going to happen, it will happen during deployment". Based on my current experience, I would believe the legend is true. I've had a car troubles, my clothes dryer stopped working, and yesterday I had a "minor" incident with the grill and an out of control grease fire. Last night, I felt defeated. This morning my stepmom called me bright and early to remind me it's my "gratitude day"! 

"Yeah, yeah". I responded. 

"What are you grateful for today?"

"I'm breathing". It was too early for real thinking.

The truth is I am thankful:

... the fire wasn't worse. I'm glad it didn't reach the propane tank. I'm so very grateful my neighbor was home. I'm glad he got it under control and put it out.  I'm thankful it had been raining and the grass was wet. It helped put out the fire from one of the grease pans. If it were dry, like most days, then the fire could have lit up the grass. I'm so thankful.

I am grateful my clothes dryer broke instead of my washer. I can hang things to dry but I cannot wash things by hand. Or should I say, I will not wash four people's laundry by hand! It's temporary until the repair man visits or we buy a new one. 

I am thankful for a great weekend with my kids. A cold rainy weekend kept us indoors. We watched movies, crafted, kids choreographed a Pitch Perfect routine (adorable!), went to the gym, and our favorite diner.

I am thankful for Google chats two nights in a row. The changes of connecting both days are slim. However, they did and my days are so much better

I am thankful for my son's happy attitude. He is so good-natured. He loves to laugh and make people laugh. Is there anything better than someone laughing at your jokes/silliness or at least joining in on the fun? I agree!