Five Thankful Things
Sometimes when I'm feeling discouraged, it's super helpful for me to write down some things I'm thankful for. Even though nothing in my circumstances changes when I do this, my outlook changes, and that makes all the difference.
1. Sunshine is coming.
I've been feeling a little bluer than usual lately, and I think part of it is due to the incessant rain that's been falling on the east coast.
It's been cold too, which isn't helping.
BUT.
Sunshine is on the way, along with warmer temperatures, and I am super grateful for that.
2. Lots of people are lovin' on Lisey.
Her two little cousins have brought her flowers and ice cream, another cousin came to keep her company on Saturday, my mom brought her a cute little plant, a friend invited her over to watch a movie (she was dying to get out of the house!), and you all have been so kind to send well-wishes and prayers her way.
3. Our insurance is great now that we met our deductible.
We were paying pretty high prices for the first few months of the year (thank goodness for our flexible spending account!), but now that our family deductible is met, our insurance is fabulous.
Lisey's surgery only cost us $200 out of pocket, and all of her post-op meds have been super affordable too.
We certainly didn't plan it this way, but it's handy to have a surgery like this in a year where you meed your deductible, since that doesn't happen every year.
4. School is ALMOST done.
I mentioned this yesterday, but it deserves to be on my thankful list for today too. 😉
At this point in the year, we are all pretty burnt out and ready for a break, and I'm grateful we just have a small bit of work to finish up.
5. A neighbor helped us out.
I saw some suspicious winged creatures the other day, so I brought one over to show to my neighbor, who treats pests for a living, just to make sure it wasn't a termite.
Fortunately, it wasn't...just a large winged ant. Phew.
After dinner, the same neighbor showed up at the door with an ant treatment and applied it for us, which was so kind!
He wouldn't accept any payment, so I think maybe we will bake something for him.
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I am thankful for:
1. My sweet eleven and a half year old girl who is almost as tall as me. We can now share clothes and shoes, which is super fun (unless she takes the pair of shoes I was hoping to wear!).
2. Spring, summer and fall (sometimes winter!) in Minnesota.
3. Being able to stay home and teach my 3 kids.
4. School being almost over for the year!
5. My kids' imaginations!
1. I have to agree with the sunshine and warmer temperatures...so thankful for that.
2. Super thankful for my husband and little boy.
3. I am very thankful for celebrating my father-in-law's 73rd birthday yesterday.
4. So silly, but my cup of coffee and some quiet time this morning.
5. I'm very thankful for friends who are always there.
I think most of us have heard forever to count our blessings, but don't always remember to do it. However, it really does make a difference in your mood. I'm going to echo back a couple of things on your list. I am thankful that the rain may stop and that Lisey is well enough to go to a friends house to watch a movie.
1. Good homeschool review yesterday.
2. Sunshine today 🙂
3. Baby smiles in the morning.
4. School is almost over.
5. Cheerful children this morning.
1. I too second the change in weather in the mid-Atlantic region. I did mange to get put for walks on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday with only a minimum of wetness but I do look forward to the warmer, sunnier days starting today.
2. I am thankful for modern conveniences: plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, abundant food, transportation.
3. I am thankful for my family, my husband and child, as well as my brothers, sisters, in-laws. Also for friends and volunteer opportunities where I have met many of them.
4. I am thankful that we have a more than adequate income, are able to be generous to others, and that life-style inflation is not for us.
5. I am thankful for good health. That I am able to take good care of myself, with home cooking, exercise, adequate sleep, and access to health and dental care. So many live in food deserts, have a lack of cooking opportunities/skill, live in unsafe neighborhoods, have to work physically damagaing jobs, and lack decent health care/knowledge.
1. Thankful for your post today, which reminded me to focus on gratitude!
2. Thankful for the beautiful weather last night and a lessening of knee pain = a nice twilight walk with my son and our dog.
3. Glad I was able to afford to see a dermatologist about a skin rash - we also have met our deductible so no stress about the bill or the pricey medication.
4. Thankful that I have a new recipe to try - and that cooking something new is a sure mood boost.
5. Glad that God's compassion for me helps me have compassion for myself 🙂
I love your list, Kristen! I, too, find that a little gratitude list like this can make such an enormous difference in my worldview for at least a little bit.
1. Facebook. Sometimes I hate it, but I recently cleaned house and it's nice to see it filled with my friends and their children.
2. My dog, Maya. She is getting older, but she is still sweet and curious and protective and SUPER cuddly.
3. Time this morning to read.
4. My job. I'm a college professor. Even though I don't REALLY get summers off, I do have more flexibility in the summer to work when I want and take time off to play when I want. Those 9 years of graduate school really paid off in those terms!
5. Our lawn guy. It might not seem frugal to some, but it is 100% worth it to us to have someone come every other week to do our yard work. His crew does in 15 minutes what would take me HOURS to do.
I have just recently gotten in the habit of writing in a gratitude journal every day after reading the book, "The Abundant Mama's Guide to Savoring Slow". It's made such a difference in my moods!
1. My 2.5 year old daughter has woken up the last few days in a great mood. This makes for a much smoother morning routine for us.
2. I was finally given the go ahead to hire an assistant at work - this well dramatically reduce my stress!
3. I meal planned this week and have every intention of sticking to it.
4. We are ending the month right on budget - which is an accomplishment for us in our journey to be debt free!
5. Open windows and fresh air. We finally got a reprieve from the rain. I opened all of the windows in the house yesterday and it was so cool and beautiful!
1- School is out here. The last day was Friday. I'm super thankful for that.
2. Seeing my kids catch up on much needed rest after a busy last week of school.
3. So thankful that my kids enjoy each others' company.
4. A relaxed schedule for a while.
5. Temps warm enough for the pool.
1. I adore my team at work. We care about what we do and we care about each other.
2. The sweetness and fun that are my nieces and nephews.
3. School wraps up this week, snd the dramatically reduced traffic will cut at least 10 minutes from my morning commute.
4. We have a much-needed vacation next month.
5. The hubs and I both have great Moms and we don't have MIL drama. I've seen how awful that can be and it makes my heart sing when the hubs and my mother chat on the phone, or when my MIL and I go shopping when we go up there.
A bonus #6, I'm very glad not to be flying - or waiting and waiting and hoping to fly. Atlanta's airport is a TSA nightmare and I'm very glad to not be there.
I needed to remember to be thankful, so I am .....
1. Thankful that this post reminds me to be thankful!
2. Thankful I have a job. My officemate was laid off last week due to the slowdown at work.
3. Thankful for having a house. We used to live in a mobile home, which is so unsafe in hurricane country.
4. Thankful for my family and church.
5. Thankful that my auto-immune disease has been in remission for a few years now. What a blessing that has been.
1. School is ALMOST done! I will be home this summer too after working full time for a while!
2. It's daylight when I wake up in the morning.
3.I walk with a friend in my neighborhood 2 days a week.
4. There's a robin in a nest right outside my front window that my daughter and I are watching! Babies coming soon! There are 3 eggs in the nest!
5. I am looking forward to planning fun activities with my daughter this summer!
1. We have a white squirrel that lives in our yard. He is beautiful.
2. Reading outside in the afternoon sunshine.
3. My husband of 35 years.
4. Spring Oreos with the yellow filling.
5. A sense of humor.
I am frequently grateful for hot showers. Having a cascade of hot water pouring down over my head, whenever I want it, is an amazing thing and feels wonderful. It also implies a great deal of engineering that is also amazing: running water, plumbing, abundant fuel, waste water treatment, even privacy. I've traveled enough to know not to take these things for granted.
One of the many downsides to the persistent cool wet weather in the Mid-Atlantic is the ants get flooded out of their homes, and go visit yours instead. Very glad to hear it wasn't a termite.
1. Sense of humor. I've needed it the last couple of months.
2. An awesome spouse of 42 years, yes he does drive me crazy
3. The resources to help our grown children when they need it.
4. Time and talents to assist others
5. Health and the ability to make it better.
I am thankful for....
1. My perfectly imperfect home. It, like me, has lots of little quirks and flaws but it serves my family well.
2. My kids.. they one of the reasons I get out of bed on the days I don't really want to. They force me to be a better person, make better choices when I would rather take an easier path, and even step out of my comfort zone sometimes to show them a better way. I am sometimes uncomfortable meeting new people but just this past weekend I introduced myself to a family that was camping nearby to see if their children would come play with mine. Extending the olive branch to show my kids how.
3. My health.. I have a pretty tough back injury that put me in the hospital and unable to move for awhile so I will be forever grateful for each day that I am able to put my feet on the floor. I am also thankful for the health of my body even though I don't always eat/drink the right things and the wisdom to know when my body has had enough bad food.
4. My family doesn't struggle with money. I have struggled in the past and made lots of mistakes so I have learned a lot and we can now relax a bit. My 7 year old daughter almost died when she was 9 months old from complications from brain surgery. This gave me a whole new perspective on life and a heaping mailbox full of bills that my insurance didn't cover in excess of $30, 000! This catastrophic event was crippling. I ran out of paid time off at work and couldn't even afford to buy myself a meal. Thank God, yes I said it, God, for the Ronald McDonald house and numerous donations of food from surrounding churches and organizations or we would have starved..
5. On a lighter note..school being out. I enjoy my kids getting to stay up a little later, less frequent baths, easy wardrobe of sundresses with flipflops for my girls, sleepovers with friends on weekdays, and most of all-NOT PACKING LUNCHES!!
**I need one more which should probably be at the top! My husband and all the things he does for our family. Even though he has a terminal illness he is still able to work each and every day. We are taking each day one at a time and I'm thankful for that too. Great post, Kristen! I wish Lisey continued healing and am glad things seems to be going well.
1. SUNSHINE 2. 2 more days of school 3. Vacation is coming in one week! 4. My kids have done great with their school work. 5. My hubby has been a huge blessing during a busy week.
1. The farm that makes the apple almond granola I had for breakfast with my yogurt today. It's so delicious!
2. My husband who gets up with me to set out my breakfast each day even though he works at home and could choose to sleep later.
3. The app I use to meditate. It has a meditation you can do while commuting which makes my ride to work more pleasant.
4. Blueberries!
5. The plants in my office. They bring nature indoors and clean the air.
Good timing! We've had sick kids here for two and half weeks (different kids, different illnesses)
1) Ibuprofen.... Freaky high temperatures (like 104 or 105) for a one year old defintely call for some medicine. Thank God the medicine brought it down and that he is staying fairly cheerful and hydrated!
2) My past experiences with ridiculously high temperatures. I am betting that this is just roseola.
3) Nurse hotlines! (Because kids get sick after hours and weekends) and figuring out asthma, or pneumonia, or discovering amoxicillin allergies on your own is scary.
4) My husband and his nicer work schedule! He's been able to help so much, which was not always possible with his past job of rotating days and nights.
5) God's Providence. In spite of this being a very hard month, so much has still fallen in to place!
* I am very thankful that myself and everyone that I love are all in good health. For me this is #1.
* I am thankful for my 2 wonderful daughters and a loving husband
* I am thankful for good jobs for hubby and I, with good pay, great schedules that allow a lot of family time, and health benefits
* I am thankful for my home. We bought it a year ago and I am still completely in love with it.
* I am thankful for my good friend Melanie. She lives far right now (5 hours away) but she's talking about moving back home in a couple of months/years to start her family. I am keeping my fingers cross on that one.
* I have way more than 5.... so, in bulk, I am thankful for : living in a country that treats woman (generally) right, my old reliable cheap-to-maintain car, loving in-laws, a good school and good daycare for my daughters, being able to buy a variety of fruits and veggies at the grocery store, a farmer that's sells me organic eggs for 3,50$/dozen, my aquafit classes, the sun outside right now, etc, etc, etc.
I love my life and I feel lucky to be able to live it!
1. My husband, who nursed me through a two and a half year bed-ridden illness with good humor and frequent reminders that this was the for worse part of for better or worse and would eventually pass. Plus he did all the cleaning and cooking and errands, always without complaint. Now we can finally do things together again---I will never be as good as I was but at least I am alive.
2. Like many others, we had huge medical bills despite good insurance (can you believe a motorized wheelchair cost $26,000!! More than a car!). I am thankful we had enough in savings to pay for most of it and are now back to rebuilding that savings account.
3. Two wonderful, crazy-making dogs. (One of whom, unnoticed by me, was standing by my side and eating each strawberry plant as I transplanted it into the ground this weekend.)
4. Good weather
5. A library that lets me reserve books and extend the due dates, all by email. They even remind me by email when a book is close to being overdue. And it is small enough that they noticed that I had difficulty with mobility and offered to have the book mobile deliver my books to my house. I need to move around even when it is painful and a hassle so I declined but I am still thankful there is a service like that and that an employee took the time to care about my needs. Librarians rock!
He ate all of your strawberry plants? Oh no!
I have to work diligently at improving my gratitude attitude. I am improving so.
1. After all the doctor appointments and tests that have been needed of late I am grateful that nothing sinister has been found.
2. Modern pain relievers have brought a little less pain stress into the house. This means that I am happier at least.
3. While you anxiously await warmer and drier weather and I am celebrating much cooler nights that mean no air conditioning.
4. Freedom
5. My family.
Many big picture things (health, family, freedom) but I'll comment on the small things today.
1. Grateful that I'm up with a baby only because she's teething. This too shall pass.
2. Grateful for rain finally here in MA. Hadn't any in almost two weeks. It washed the pollen out of the air and watered a very dry garden.
3. Grateful that we have a stocked freezer and pantry so the fact that we missed a grocery shopping trip this weekend was no big deal and we still could feed a guest.
4. Grateful for the little bit of me time that comes with a cup of coffee in a haired day.
5. Grateful for friends and family who are happy to share part of their day with my girls and share the challenges of overtired kids.
1) Summer (3 kids home now)
2) Road trip/next week NC beach! (visiting parents, Dad's birthday #70! (my birthday same day!
3) More time with Husband (truck driver)
4) Warmer weather (finally!) lol
5) Jesus, at my side....always
I am most grateful for The Great Almighty God that has intervened in my life and saved my marriage, so that my husband and I ended up in church instead of in a divorce court. And I am grateful to have found your post, I am humbled by it, and also blessed, so I thank you and all those that have replied. I thank God for my husband and my children and grandchildren. I thank Him for my life, and pray that through Him, I have somehow helped others to know Him better. I am grateful for people like you, Kristen, who take time to help others, and I pray that He will Bless you, and all that have added what they are grateful for, and all that happen upon this post.