MY WEEKLY GRATITUDE

This seemed to be an extremely long week, but was nonetheless another week for which I am grateful.

I am so grateful for the clarity I am finding in my life. I see my world through a much more focused and positive light. I'm grateful for my new-found sense of independence, and the insight of those around me who keep propelling me forward.

I'm grateful, as I wrote in my blog yesterday, for the life and memories of my grandmother, who died eight years ago yesterday. She had such a profound effect on my life and I still miss her deeply. There is no doubt that I would not be where I am and who I am today without her influence in my life.

I am grateful for the counseling session I had earlier this week, for the wisdom my counselor provides, for the progress I've made. Sometimes it is hard for me to see the progress I've made until I step back and am able to be truly introspective. When I do, I am truly amazed at how far I have come. I'm truly proud of the person I'm becoming. I've always struggled with my self-esteem, and I'm experiencing a freedom I've never known before and have a healthier self-image than ever before.

Most of you reading this are aware that my relationship with my family is strained. While it had been over two years since I've seen my parents have not spoken to my mother and have only infrequently heard from my father during that time, despite my cards and letters to them, I am grateful for my parents. I've had to come to terms as an adult that they did the best they knew to do in raising me. I'm grateful for that, because, honestly, so many people weren't nearly as blessed or fortunate as I was. Perhaps one day reconciliation will occur. There will be no way of replacing the time we've lost, but as long as we are living, there is hope for resolution.

While I have no relationship with my "family of origin", I am grateful for the extended family I have of friends, who play such an important role in my life. I have so many surrogate moms, dads, brothers and sisters that I am truly grateful to be blessed to gave so many special people on whom I can lean upon and depend, regardless of the situation.

Here's my confession; I am so very grateful for the lessons I've learned in the last few weeks and for the direction my life is heading. It would be easy to wallow on self-pity, but instead, I'm grateful for the force that keeps me going. The dawning of each new day is an opportunity to grow, to live, to become the individual I am supposed to be.

Sometimes it is a struggle to write my gratitude blog, sometimes it is perhaps a little trite, but I write because it is important to me that I express my gratitude so that I am aware of just how richly blessed I am. The truth of the matter is that I have such abundant blessings, and there are many I see whose lot in life is not so rich, and in the simple blink of an eye, I could be right where they are. Keeping that in mind and keeping that focus help me maintain a spirit of gratitude in my daily comings and goings.

The simple truth I've learned this week is that God has blessed me with so many wonderful experiences. And, while going through those experiences, it isn't always easy to understand the meaning or purpose of them, but there is almost always a greater good that comes from them. That, in turn, makes me all the more grateful.