Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Gratitude

This is something I've been struggling with lately.

Although I have pretty much everything I could wish for.

I have great health, live in a beautiful country, am happily married. I'm mother to three lovely small children and have good family and friends. I have interesting work as well.

Sure, not everything is the way I would like it to be, but hey, that's life. I have it pretty good.

So when I'm feeling as discombobulated (for want of a better word) as I have the past few weeks, my Catholic guilt kicks in and tells me I should be grateful for all that I have and all the promise that I know the future holds. I should be 'counting my blessings'.

Count your blessings.

I really don't like that phrase, the way it sounds like an imperative in my head. It makes me feel small and petulant, because I know I should do it, but what if I don't feel like it?

But now I think there's something shifting in me. Maybe it's this glorious autumn weather.

Maybe it's reading about tragic situations other people are going through.

Maybe it's the phone call from my friend, inviting herself to dinner tomorrow night.

Maybe it's the way my little boy laughed until he was breathless when I blew raspberries on his stomach.

I don't know why, because today is no different to any other day, and tomorrow I might be back to a little bit grumpy. But right now, I am grateful.

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3 comments:

  1. Try and hold on to those happy feelings! Gratitude is so important, to feel it and to show it to those people who deserve it. I have been trying to feel it more lately, and now it is time to show it.

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  2. You're right. Thanks for your comment, and for coming by today!

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  3. I try to walk the line between being appreciative of all I do have and taking the time to be present in the moment and enjoy it - and not squashing my feelings down into the pit of my stomach because I'm lucky and 'shouldn't' feel sad/grumpy/lost or whatever else may come up. Sometimes it works well - other times not so much

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