Debe Maxwell kicked off November with a Gratitude Challenge. Our goal is to write one gratitude post per week during the month. Unfortunately I missed week number one and number three, so this is my second and final gratitude related post. My first post was about gratitude for our grandchildren. I struggled coming up with just one thing to write about, so this post is about my gratitude for everything that comes my way. For example:
Family
I already shared how wonderful it is to have grandchildren. But I am grateful for all who are now my family. My wonderful husband. We met later in life through the magic of the Internet and I can truly say he is my adventure partner and best friend. My two sons are amazing and have turned into productive and fun adults. My two stepsons who are also fun to be around. My adopted family members which include special friends in my area, and a few from where I used to live. If you needed some help with something and called them, they'd be here. I am thankful to all of them.
Good health
At the moment, I am blessed with good health. I've also worked at staying healthy my entire life. I make sure to get some sort of exercise each day. I make careful decisions about medications. I also prepare my own food on a daily basis, choosing healthy ingredients. That's not to say everything I eat is a vegetable. I am just as grateful for my wine, cheeseburgers, lasagna, and more! Yum.
Nature
There's a reason we chose a mountaintop in Montana as our forever home. We can walk out our door, up the hill behind our house and disappear into hundreds of acres of wilderness. Our driveway is a half mile long up (down) a hill, which gives us plenty of options for hiking. We also have old logging trails all over the property for more walking opportunities. And the wildlife! I've written about this before, but I am blessed to have been able to see deer, elk, moose, turkeys, grouse, bear, wolf, coyote and more right here on our own land. Some might find that frightening, but I think it is amazing. And we also know there is/are mountain lion(s) around since we've seen the prints and my neighbor has seen them on his trail cam. As recently as yesterday.
Four Seasons
I am grateful I live in an area with four distinct seasons. Springtime is when everything turns green and flowers and Morel mushrooms sprout and birds sing. Or Summer when we have two or three straight months of sunny and dry 75-90º days. Then comes Autumn with rain, cooler weather, Shaggy Mane mushrooms and beautifully yellow Larch/Tamarack trees. And Winter, with the quiet beauty of falling snow, easy to see animal tracks, cozy clothes and a nice woodstove sending out heat in the evening.
Curiosity
Other have mentioned this, but I am so grateful to have a mind that is always asking questions and learning. I've been reading books since I was a child and I hope to never stop doing so. I'm constantly asking "why" and then finding out. Or asking "How could I?" and then trying whatever it is. I'm thankful to be able to grow in that way.
Daily Gifts
That first cup of home brewed coffee first thing in the morning. A delicious meal. A phone call from/to someone I haven't talked to in a while. Giving or receiving kindness. Listening to or playing music. Finding old photographs and reminiscing. Getting flowers. Having a plan come through. Planting a seed that turns into a flourishing vegetable. Trying a new recipe that comes out amazingly. A sunset or sunrise that is simply inspiring. Finishing a good book. Learning to do something new. I could go on and on!
Challenges
I am grateful for life's challenges as well. Had I not gone through a divorce with my first husband and parted with specific man friends after that, I never would have been in a position to meet my husband. Had I not been forced to leave one of the first jobs I had, I never would have wound up in a company where I had a 30 year successful career. Had I never spoken up when a boss wanted me to take a specific promotion that I didn't want, I never would have gone on to have the leadership/managerial roles I had. Had I not raised children mostly alone, I might not have the level of patience I currently have. If I hadn't moved to a place where I knew no one, I might not have volunteered to do so many fun things and asked so many strangers to join me for coffee. Which resulted in many new friends.
Summary
I am one of those people who wake up in the morning ready to go, with a list full of gratitude reasons in my head. And therefore, it was impossible to pick just one thing to write about.
And there you have it. To anyone who read this far, I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and blessings galore.
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