Giving Thanks

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to dedicate this post to gratitude.

I am very thankful for my life, for the hard things, the sad things, the happy things, everything. I believe stopping to be grateful, even when not everything is going your way, is a good tool to continue finding joy in one’s life. So, what am I thankful for?

I am thankful for my job, I love where I work and find the environment encouraging and a positive place to be. I am thankful for my co-workers. For my apartment and location I live. For the decorations in my apartment that make it feel like home. For my cats that welcome me home each day. For my friends, that add so much value to my life. For all of the fun activities I get to go to and enjoy doing.

For my church that provides community and caring people who love and like me for who I am.

But not only these bigger things but also the little things. That sometimes I feel overwhelmed at work, because that means I am needed and have work to do. For the warmer fall we have had this year. But also thankful for the cold weather that is coming, that I will have more time to stay inside and reflect and read, which I enjoy. I am thankful for the food in my fridge that I have grocery stores so close by and new recipes I can easily find and make. That I have so many clothes and am able to choose my own style. That I can dye my hair any color, and change up my look just because I want to.

I am thankful for Pinterest because I love going on there.

I am thankful for books as I love reading and learning. I am thankful for the library that allows me to read books for free, and that there are so many other resources for finding books.

I am thankful for the hard times. I am thankful to my ex-husband for leaving me, as I now have so much freedom and have the opportunity to choose a new life. I am thankful for hard times because it shows people's true characters. I am thankful for challenging situations that allow for personal reflection and an opportunity for growth.

I am thankful for the bible that I am free to read it when I want. I am thankful for the wisdom I have been given, and the peace and hope I have in my life.

I am thankful for the warm weather to be outside. I am thankful for the crisp air in the fall. I am thankful for new growth in the spring that serves as a reminder of new growth and a time of change and renewal.

I am thankful for people that I find annoying, that they are only a reflection of myself and remind me of my own growth to work on.

I am thank for therapy, that I have someone who I can connect with and speak truth and wisdom into my life.

I am thankful for being me. I am thankful that I have my own personality, my own gifts and qualities that I think I can add to the world.

I am thankful. Not because I have to be, but because I choose to be. There are so many tiny things in life that I can choose to be thankful over. And I want to choose that. I never want to get to a place in life, where the tiny things are taken for granted. I want to be thankful for my feet, my hands, my mind, my hair, I want to be thankful for it all.