Tag: #gratitudelist

Everything You Need

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This is the beginning of the busiest time of life called, the Holiday season.  Menus are being hashed out among family members.

It will be a short work week for most, so they can load up the car and start their journey to be with family Thanksgiving Day. I hope people will pause this week and be thankful. I believe we should pause every day for this.

diary girl hand journal
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The first thing I learned in sobriety was being grateful. Waking up without a hangover was miraculous for me and gratitude began. It was suggested I make a Gratitude List. There were days, looking at my circumstances, I didn’t see much to be grateful for.

This forced me to look within myself and to stop looking at what was happening, or not happening around me.

Waking up and waking up sober was enough for me. Having those two things made everything else possible.

This week people will ponder being thankful.

Accepting where you are and being grateful for everything you have, even if that is just breath in your body; be thankful. It may look not seem like much, but it’s actually everything you need.

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I Get To

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I love being an adult. When you’re a teenager, you are too young for most of what you would like to do and too old for the rest. Being an adult, you can do most anything you want to do, within reason of course.

I’ve started to journal again. It started a couple of weeks ago with a gratitude list and evolved from there.

I’ve had a very quiet season with God the past few months. It’s like He moved us into this house and said, “Wait.” He is moving now, and everyday I see something new. A small thing happens where I can tell we are on the same page. Everything that has occurred this year is starting to make sense now.

I was curled up on my bed with a cup of green tea and this book I want to use as my journal. It made me pause and wonder, how many women get to do this? To curl up in the middle of their bed, in early evening and gaze out the windows and just be.

I get to be an adult and become whatever God wants me to be. My daughter just turned 16 and wants to go to Australia in a couple of years. I’d better enjoy this next couple of years I have with her because they go by too fast. If you are a Mom with more than one child and the only time you get to curl up in bed is for sleep, be encouraged.

It won’t last, so enjoy where you are.

You see, 10 years ago, I put my dreams on hold to be the best Mom I could possibly be. God doesn’t forget the dreams He puts in your heart. He knows what you’re supposed to be and He’s patient.

Today, I am just now starting to see my dreams come back into view. They look a little different, but it’s the same general idea. As a matter of fact, it’s going to be better than ever before. So, I am going to go back to my bed, journal and be grateful that I get to.

A Better Way to Live~Day 1

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I woke up unreasonably early this morning. Usually, I can roll over and fall back to sleep, but not this time. I felt led to go ahead and start typing this up at 4:00 am. If this is your first read, welcome to a season of encouragement! That’s right. I will be right here, encouraging you through the rest of this year! You are just in time for Day One. I am using suggestions from Og Mandino’s book, A Better Way to Live.

Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward toward the life God intended for you…with grace,strength, courage, and confidence.

One of the most powerful tools I utilize is a gratitude list.

Waking up early while the house is still quiet. Grabbing pen, paper, and coffee if desired, I start writing out the first thing that comes from my heart to my mind. It starts off slow and simple, like “I’m grateful for waking up”. The words start flowing, and before long I have listed quite a few words and phrases on a piece of paper. Make note of the date, because it’s fascinating to look back months from now to see where you were.

todolist

If your mornings are crazy busy like mine were when my children were small, take note in your mind while driving to your destination. Even if you can only think of three things, ponder those throughout the day, and feel the gratitude for them.

If you’re reading this, you already have the beginning of your list. You woke up.

 

Quote is from, “A Better Way to Live”, by Og Mandino

Know Who You Are

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This week…I ran myself through a 24 hour detox. This was not on my list of things to do but I’m grateful it happened!

heartbeat

My daughter and I joined a gym and started working out at least 4 days a week. Yesterday, I didn’t have the amount of energy I desired, so into the kitchen I went for experimentation. I discovered a liquid nutritional product that I used to take everyday. Since joining the gym, I had focused on protein and other supplements, and hadn’t taken in it a while. This product reaches you at a cellular level, so I poured a glass and drank it.

A couple of hours later, I poured another tall glass, and drank that too. My daughter and I went out to run some errands and within an hour, every vein in my body was screaming! I started feeling achy all over and having cold chills. We made it back to the house, and I curled up in my favorite chair, with a blanket. My body was taking turns breaking out in cold chills and heating up. The Letting Go Workshops taught me to listen to my body and give it time to heal itself. Lesson Three has you write this out:

My body is a master of healing itself. I now commit to giving my body the time and space it needs to heal each day. I now trust my body to heal.

mistakes

Curled up in the chair, I did a recount of what I did that day that was different. Between working out and drinking the large amount of additional supplements, I had stirred up all the toxins in my body! This reminded me so much of The Letting Go Project I went through. My body was pushing all the toxins through every pore, and the lessons I did each week did something similar. I was able to stir up everything that wasn’t ‘adding’ to my life and physically and mentally release them!

Upon completion of The Letting Go Project, I had a new mind and a new life free from toxins. Just like after the detox, my body seems new and lighter. I encourage you to contact me today if you’re ready to detox your life. I’ll leave one of my favorite quotes for you to ponder:

Do the things you used to talk about doing but never did. Know when to let go and when to hold on tight. Stop rushing. Don’t be intimidated to say it like it is. Stop apologizing all the time. Learn to say no, so your yes has some oomph. Spend time with the friends who lift you up, and cut loose the ones who bring you down. Stop giving your power away. Be more concerned with being interested than being interesting. Be old enough to appreciate your freedom, and young enough to enjoy it. Finally know who you are. -Kristin Armstrong