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Friday, November 4, 2016

A Grateful Life



"There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle."  -  Albert Einstein



I believe living a grateful life is more than saying grace at dinner, or whispering a thank you at a green light.  Those thank yous are important, but to me living gratefully is walking through the world knowing that I am blessed and continually acknowledging those blessings, no matter how small they may seem.  

It is not about waiting for marvelous things to enter my life, like winning the lottery or getting a new car.  It is about being grateful right now.  Appreciating every moment for what it is, even when it isn't exactly how I feel it should be.


Being grateful is my choice to make.

What I look for I will find.  I can look for prejudice and find prejudice.  I can look for violence and find violence.  I can look for hate and find hate.  But I choose to look for blessings to be grateful for, and find countless blessings in my life and the world, many of which can be easily missed if I am not paying attention.

Before my daughter decided she wanted a Jeep Wrangler, I didn't see many around.  But after she made the decision we saw them everywhere!  I couldn't leave the house and not see a Jeep.  Jeeps just weren't on my radar before then.  That is how it is with gratitude.  I put it on my radar and now I hear bleeps of gratitude all the time, a short line at the grocery store, a smile of a friendly neighbor, the warm sun on my face...

Do I always feel grateful?  No.  I can be grumpy, just ask my husband. :)  I do the best I can, and try not to get mad at myself when I fall off the gratitude train.  I just hope as time goes on, I can continue to shorten the lag time between grumpy and grateful.  

Today I am grateful for Fall: the glorious colors, the crunching of leaves under my feet, unseasonably warm temperatures, sitting outside hearing the birds calling and bugs buzzing, a crackling and glowing bonfire,  sharing the fire with family and friends, smores with jumbo marshmallows, Halloween costumes...

and you. :)

I am joining in on Michelle GD's Gratitude Week today, a little late.  You can take a look over HERE.

Thank you so much for stopping by!        
Have a great day!

Michelle



7 comments:

  1. ah, Michelle. so beautifully said.
    yes and yes and yes. and yes again.
    with you in this practice. xo
    (and gorgeous photos!) (and thank you for joining in Gratitude Week)

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  2. Amen sister! Beautiful shots!

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  3. A lovely pst in every way, Michelle, and a good reminder. We do find what we look for - good or bad. I, too, try to focus on gratitude.

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  4. So beautifully said Michelle...perfectly said actually. This will be a post to keep, not only in November but every month. You are right, it is a practice to be mindful of. Love your autumn leaves. Have a very blessed month!!

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  5. You are so right that you get what you look for. I prefer to see things in a positive light and I think positivity manifests itself in my life. I know people who are always complaining that things never go their way. But they put out such negative vibes into the universe. Look for the happy.

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  6. So lovely Michelle, that top leaf image should be titled Graceful as well as grateful. So darn beautiful. Agree also with your words. So nice to read this morning.

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  7. Such a great post, Michelle, wonderful photos and words !
    So many things to be grateful for !
    Have a nice week,
    Sylvia

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