Embracing Gratitude

brick building painted bright red, neon sign above the door reads Lucky's

Earlier this week I was having a little mental downtime and playing on Pinterest, when I came across a pin that led me to this blog.  I started reading through her posts, and as is most often the case in life, it was exactly what I needed at exactly the right moment.  Her weekly Things I Love Thursday posts are something I’ve been thinking about doing here, and this post of hers pushed me over the edge.  I’ve spent the last several months dealing with a lot of stuff that presented me with a lot of opportunity to sink into despair.  But, everything also presented me with so many opportunities to recognize the blessings in it.  I’ve been a huge proponent of expressing gratitude daily for a long time – so much so that I end every post on my other blog with a gratitude statement.  And I’ve been doing that since I started the blog.  I love that others have started doing this now too!  But, lately, it’s been hard for me to find the gratitude.  It’s been so easy to find the excuses, the poor me’s, and the why are you kicking me when I’m down mentality.  But, I know that it has to stop.  My life is so good, and I’m blessed beyond measure, and I need to recognize it with every breath.

So my promise to myself is that I’ll start embracing the gratitude here every week.

And to start TILT off with a bang, here are some things I’m loving today:

black kitten laying on a wool plaid blanket
Thutmose
black kitten leaning against a wool plaid blanket
Ramses

They are two little black kittens (16 weeks old now) that we adopted almost three weeks ago.  They are brothers from a litter of five and they are just the sweetest things.  They’ve brought a lot of joy into our home, and it’s been quite an adventure becoming a “new mom” again.

I’m also grateful for:

  • the funeral I attended on Saturday, where I saw how a life well-lived could be so impactful to those around you.  That living a life serving is so important.  Where you ask “how can I help you?”  Where you celebrate during scarcity and celebrate during abundance equally.  So many lessons to be learned here.
  • the inspiration I received being in the presence of women who live a healthy lifestyle and seeing what it looks like to eat mindfully and exercise joyfully
  • the opportunity to travel for work and run a high visibility meeting
  • getting some uninterrupted reading time on the plane
  • a co-worker breaking into Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” in the Wichita airport
  • a co-worker bringing me a book on Hieronymous Bosch leading to a little bonus art history conversation
  • a great blog post that reminded me to surround myself with beauty and things that I truly love (a perfect read on a Monday morning!)
  • Finally finally getting in touch with my doctor
  • a text from a friend with photos of her new garden outside her front door – knowing how much joy it will bring her
  • qualifying for my healthy lifestyle discount at work
  • signposts that when I’m paying attention show me I’m on the right path – literally and figuratively
  • the first day of Summer

It’s a big list!  Who knew?!

And finally one last thing I’m loving on Thursday…

fried green tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes.  Eric made these Tuesday night with dinner and it’s the first time I’ve ever had them.  They are soooo good!  Yum!

2 thoughts on “Embracing Gratitude”

  1. Wonderful!! Wonderful post! GREAT idea on TILT! LOVE it! And I absolutely LOVE Fried Green Tomatoes! YUM is right! Have a great day, Michelle! :o)

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