GRATITUDE 08.24.12

GRATITUDE 08.24.12 I cannot believe it has been nearly a year since my last blog post. It’s time to set aside the laziness and fatigue and start writing again. What a better way to dust off the ol’ blog than to start with my weekly gratitude blog! Of all the blessings I have in my life, I have to say that I am most grateful for a loving, supportive group of friends. They ARE my family. I am grateful for people who accept me as I am, with my flaws, my lack of a filter and my quirky idiosyncrasies and give me love in spite of myself. Over the last year there has been a myriad of changes in my life—perhaps the biggest is that my temporary position ended and I began a permanent position with the same company. While that has been a major change in my schedule and my income (not necessarily for the better), I constantly remind myself that I am blessed to have a place to go each day to work. I am grateful to have a few people I work with who make the job bearable, and while sometimes feel defeated and discouraged, I take comfort in knowing that I am apparently where I am supposed to be at this point in my life. There is a lesson to be learned, and I’m grateful for the journey. Music continues to be the balm that heals my soul, and the one thing about myself for which I am most proud. I’m grateful for the focus, skill and improvement I’ve made as a pianist in the last few months. I played for a wedding in July, and I felt the pressure (self-imposed) to step up my game. I learned new music and was even told by someone that I played the best in the six years they have known me. My piano is my pride and joy. I’m grateful for the challenges I’ve placed before myself. I am grateful for an opportunity I also had in July to visit with people I have not seen in well over 20 years. I attended the 20th High School reunion of the class I was part of from grades 2 through 9, before leaving for 10th grade at another school (from which I graduated). While I’ve been connected to many of my classmates through facebook, the time I spent with these people meant so very much to me. I was not the popular kid in elementary school or junior high, but it’s wonderful how well everyone is as an adults. Becoming reacquainted with some people I haven’t seen in all those years is definitely something for which I am most grateful, but the reunion itself stands out as one of the greatest nights of my life. I felt so alive, so comfortable in my own skin—and THAT is worth celebrating. Here’s my confession: I’ve missed writing this blog. I’m grateful for the love and encouragement of the people who read it. My life holds a lot of promise right now, and I am searching, endeavoring each day for ways to create myself anew. I’m grateful for friends who offer so much love and support. I’m grateful for my tomorrows because I see a lot of promise coming my way. Hopefully you’ll be reading more about my journey into myself as I continue to write. Know that if you are reading this, you are among a specially chosen group of people I love deeply, and for you, for the gifts you bring into my life, I am humbled and deeply grateful. Thank You.