By nature, I am an avid journal writer. It is my release. So when I go at lengths without writing, it begins to eat at me, telling me I’m falling out of balance. This has been the case lately, so tonight I picked up my journal and began writing. This is how it went:
“I am not going to fulfill one of my goals tonight.”
As I wrote about my goal of publishing a new blog entry before every Wednesday morning, I listed all of the excuses I had to allow myself to fail. It was already late Tuesday evening, I didn’t have some of the content I needed yet for my post, my thoughts and ideas weren’t entirely organized etc. The list went on and on, but as I wrote the very last excuse, that I like my entries to be rooted in gratitude but was having a hard time feeling that tonight, I froze in shame. Shame on me for not taking the time to see the beauty around me, for not counting my blessings. There are so many! To counter this poor spirit, I began writing out things in which I can take gratitude.
So here are a five things I am grateful for today:
1, Safe Travels. I drive Nevada’s lonely highways often. At times, I will go for an hour or more without seeing another vehicle. There are long stretches where cell phone service is unavailable. So anytime I can make these trips safely, I am grateful!
2, The sweet innocence of children. I love how carefree they can be. As I watch my four year old smile and laugh and bounce in my lap without a care in the world, I am filled with gratitude that God has allowed me to be a mother. Ever since I was a teenager, I knew it would be the most important job I would ever do. I didn’t know it would be as difficult as it is, but I also didn’t know the immense love that would grow within me from it, either. So grateful for all that it encompasses.
3, The wide open spaces of the West. I find peace in the solitude of our vast deserts. Daydreaming of the discoveries that could be made by trekking on foot across them is my favorite driving past time. Grateful for that peace they bring.
4, The support of family. We are structured in families intentionally. Family members can help us to feel love and give us opportunities to offer love. It is meant to be a safe learning environment. I am grateful for the family members I have and their acceptance and support of me. I don’t know what I would do without them.
5, God’s love. When I look for it, I see it everywhere! It is in those wide open spaces and safe travels. It is in our families and the laughter of a child. I see it in learning something new, in hard work. I see it in friendships and in helping someone out. I see it in the new sprouts of a garden or in the harvest of an orchard. He has provided us with so much opportunity for joy! So grateful for His constant, unwavering love for us all.
Daily living can be busy. Let’s not allow it to be too busy to find our gratitude in it. Be grateful.