Two weekends ago, while my husband and I were sitting on the beach in Rhode Island, we were reminiscing of his parents and times past. They had both been buried at sea a few years ago, right off of the coast where we were sitting. Little did we know, that at that exact moment, as we watched the sun dance on the water and the waves crash against passing boats, we had another family member passing. Another family member who we would later spend time reminiscing about.
It's funny how death brings about gratitude. When you lose someone it suddenly shakes you into realizing how much you really have and how grateful you are for it. It puts a speed bump smack dab into the middle of your day, stopping you from running on autopilot so you have time to look around.
So that you make time to look around.
That's what last weekend taught me. I have, over the past few months, been caught up in the whirlwind of life and have completely forgotten about practicing gratitude regularly. Saying "thank you" for each day's gifts regardless of the cards I've been dealt that day.
Take a minute-breathe-focus-live in the moment-and feel grateful.
You see it's easy to focus on how you wish things were. I certainly fall into this - I wish my old carpet were replaced with hardwood, and my bathroom was finished, I wish I had more time during the week and my garden were weeded, etc. It takes more effort to focus on what you have. And it's only through gratitude that we can bring more of that goodness we desire into our lives.
I am working on a daily practice of being grateful for extraordinary things on ordinary days.
Some of the things I'm grateful for on this ordinary day are:
- Our dogs Oliver and Emerson
- Our home - it's small, old, and full of charm
- Fall slowly making it's entrance
- Anything pumpkin
- Family
- Our cats Jackson and Cait {and all of Jack's crazy antics}
- Our garden which provided us with extreme bounty despite being severely neglected
- Slow-roasted meals on cold evenings
- The Coop Girls and the eggs they leave us daily
- Fall flowers
- Our health
- Our business and all the wonderful people we've met through it
- Sunday mornings for it's slow pace after a busy week
- Hot coffee on cold mornings
- Sweaters and jeans
- The warmth of the pellet stove
- Friends
- A good book
- Day trips to Rhode Island
- My husband
- Daily laughter
- The cucumbers that just keep growing in the garden, despite the cooler temps
- Sleeping in {it doesn't happen often, but when it does it's a wonderful thing!}
What about you?
What extraordinary things that may seem ordinary are you grateful for today?
This post is being featured as part of the Bella Grace blog hop which I am honored to have been asked to be a part of. Bella Grace is a new magazine by Somerset and is devoted to "discovering magic in the ordinary". Right up my alley. It's a magazine filled with beautiful images and amazing writing.
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