Gratitude has been a part of my life, but has become more prevalent. Life experiences and life on the journey, provides greater appreciation for the people and experiences in our lives. Day to day responsibilities and the times when things don’t go exactly as we planned, can deter us from gratefulness.
Recently, I have been focusing on the word gratitude. Gratitude is usually thought of at Thanksgiving, as we gather and ponder our blessings. As I get older, gratitude seems to be a daily occurrence of reflection for myself. When I drive to work in the morning, I cross the Missouri River. As I look at the sunrise over the bridge, there is gratitude. Gratitude for the beauty of the colors of the rays. Appreciation for a job that I love. Gratitude for a new day.
Other things I am grateful for: my boys, my husband, friends, family, bacon, pie, creating, sunsets, rainbows, laughter, music, traveling, writing, comfy clothes, binge watching tv shows, coffee shops and books.
Not long ago, I was sharing with Matt how grateful I am for my circle of friends. Each friend serves a purpose and each friendship is unique. Gratitude for the connections and authenticity on this day to journey. My circle of friends bring much gratefulness. In this season of life, the friends I have encourage, laugh with and sit alongside. These friendships are the strongest I have over the years. Some friends have been for many years, while others are more recent. It’s interesting how paths cross. Some friends I have met on my career path. Other friends came about through friends of friends. Friends that came through life circumstances. Some friends are nearby, while others live some distance away.
One of my favorite quotes says, “A group of close friends who: go to each other the second they have good or bad news, have a group chat on social media, send each other everything, roast each other but also pray for each other and hype each other up. That’s what I want.” (Alli Worthington)
In my contacts on my phone, I code each contact with a code name that speaks to that person’s personality or characteristic. For example, I have my friend listed as Kim Troy (because she lives in the city Troy). My friend Kim Washington is listed as that (because she lives in Washington.) Sometimes I laugh when I send an email to my friend Kim Washington, because it always comes returned. (Since that is not her real email name and I am used to using her code name!)
We are all living in the day to day of responsibilities, goals and dreams.. My friend Gale’s map hangs in my creative space and I ponder the saying often. The map says, “You don’t have to have it figured out to move forward.”
Gratitude causes us to reflect and appreciate what we have. It keeps us focused on the present. Aesop says, ”Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”
Most importantly, may we appreciate our daily blessings. Appreciate those who are in our circles and show gratitude for them. Receive and give the gift of friendship. Above all, may we see the gift of gratitude in each day