GRATITUDE: WEEK 5

This is my fifth week to pause, reflect and chronicle my gratitude. I indeed have much for which to be grateful. Certainly, it is easy to be grateful for the things that are obvious-good health, food, shelter and friends. However, truly delving in and going past the surface requires some work. It's easy to just sit back, take things for granted and to bitch when things don't turn out exactly the way we had planned. Gratitude, true gratitude, holds the power to transform us and to make us better in every facet of our lives.

To be perfectly honest, not all things in my life are perfect. I have an estranged relationship with my parents; my home, my brand-new home, has a big hole in the ceiling above my living room, where I accidentally poked my foot through the attic last week. I have friends with whom I’ve lost contact or don’t contact often. My relationship with Parker is in a major rut. Each day I feel we drift a little farther apart.

While I may have estranged familial relationships, mild damage to my home, friends with whom I am not in contact as often as I should and I may not have as happy a home life as I once had, upon reflection, I am reminded that I so have an amazing “family” of friends who love me, listen to me and support me. My home may be damaged, but at least I have a home, and am grateful that the accident was no worse than it was. The mild pain and a few minor bruises I’ve dealt with over the last week are nothing when compared to the sufferings of others. My relationship may be falling apart at home, but I see peace and some sort of resolution coming in the near future.

Here’s my confession: I don't want my blog to become trite or my gratitude to become forced. I want to be honest and sincere and not just be writing for the sake of writing. As I pause for reflection this week, I am so grateful for the blessings this week has brought. All the activities revolving around Christmas were exhausting, yet, the grateful part of that is that I actually was blessed to have had holiday activities in which to participate. I’m grateful for very special people in my life who genuinely love me and accept me for the person I am and for the person I am becoming. Though near or far, my friends are an absolute lifeline to me. I know there are so many who long for just one friend, yet I have been blessed with several. I’m grateful for the medication and encouragement of my dear confidants which have helped me focus on the changes I’m making in my life and for the peace that is coming into my life every single day. Although there have been a few days of set backs in the last couple of weeks, those are only a natural part of the ebb and flow of life. I’m grateful for a future full of hopes and dreams ahead of me and a lifetime of special memories behind me. I am always mindful that in the blink of an eye all that I hold dear could be taken from me. My wish for you this week is that you will pause, reflect on your busy life, and let the power of gratitude transform you!