Living Gratitude

Today I'm grateful, just filled with so much gratitude.

I want to write it all down, 

all of my thankful things,

so that I'll always remember ...  

but where do I even begin?

I'm grateful for my God, my family and my friends.

I'm grateful for health and hope.

I'm grateful for a job and for joy.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to share strategies

through assignment writing for Free Spirit.

Check out this post on processing anger using mindfulness strategies by clicking the image. 

I'm grateful to be a school counselor, for every chance I get to show a kindness, 

to be the umbrella in someone's storm.

I'm grateful for this shirt from the PALs, not so much because I needed another shirt, but because it was kind of them to share with me. 

I'm grateful for the thoughtfulness of others.

I'm thankful that these counselors from our neighboring district

would not only carve out time for a morning Counselor Chat yesterday, but also let me treat. Don't get me wrong; they didn't want to. Each one of them said, "Oh, that's sweet, but I can get it." I know that we can all buy our own, but it feels good to show my gratitude by treating them. I'm so grateful to belong with them.

I'm grateful for an eye doctor with perseverance.

My eyes are tricky.

Like really, really hard. 

But this persistent young man is working

really, really hard to figure them out.

I'm grateful for cyberspace connections. I've never even met author Maria Dismondy in person, but I feel like we're forever friends. Maria featured our Thanksgiving Trek story on her blog a few summers ago, and we chatted about empathy on an interview last February. Click the image below to listen in.

Most notably, when my publisher and distributor both closed their doors, Maria came to the rescue and shipped all of my extra books (24 cases) from Michigan to Texas with love. Can you see why I feel so grateful for a friend like Maria? When Joshua went off to college and we became empty nesters, it was Maria who wrote me a note, just to connect and comfort me. And then look at what came in the mail from MI today; you might recognize the characters on these notecards from some of her wonderful storybooks.

Watch for Maria's newest treasure, The Fruit Salad Friend, in April.

I'm also grateful for my Bales school family.

I'm grateful for my cat and my car.

I'm grateful for food, clothing, and shelter.

I'm grateful to be able to read.

And for the passionate people who are willing to write, like Sara from Compassion It. Did you see her post about 25 ways to practice gratitude?

Are you a writer? Videographer? Photographer?

You might want to enter the Kind Bars #moreKIND contest

to try to win $10,000 for your favorite charity.

They want to know what the difference between nice and kind is.

I'm grateful for phone calls and texts and emails,

for people who reach out to share 

their heartbeats,

their hurdles, 

their hopes.

I'm grateful for music.

For singing and dancing. 

Every day.

Click {here} for a gratitude playlist and turn it up.

What song would you add to that list?

I'm grateful for time to rest, 

for relaxation, restoration,

rejuvenation, refreshment, and revitalization.

And that's only the beginning

of what living gratitude looks like to me.

Writing it down to name and claim it is important, but going out there and making it a verb? That is what gives it wings.

May you be blessed as you bless.

Never underestimate the extent of your reach,

the strength of your smile,

and the power you possess to generate love and light.

Happy Thanks and Giving, dear reader and friend.
I am grateful for you, too.