Thursday, January 11, 2018

10 Things I Am Grateful For ♥

I had big plans for this new year, yet a mere eleven days in and I'm finding myself in a slump that's hard to unslump myself from (catch the Dr. Suess reference there). The weather has been absolutely awful here the past few days and even today, the brightest day, there is a fog that just won't shift.

January is probably the hardest month for me. As an outdoor lover, the bad weather makes it almost impossible to go anywhere or do anything which I so wish. Also, the lack of money after Christmas is severely prominent to me and just inhibits my plans even further.

However, these past few days I've been reading stories online about other people's hardships and all the horrible things they're going through. These stories have been incredibly humbling for me and are teaching me a lesson in gratefulness. This picture of a grandfather wailing beside his terminally ill granddaughters hospital bed really hit home for me. That's a sadness I never want to experience and I feel so much empathy for that family and what they're going through. I can't even imagine...

There I was, a mother trying to raise her sons to be grateful for all they have in life, not realising that I too had to show gratitude for all that I am blessed with. Now don't get me wrong, it's perfectly okay to get bogged down by the trials and tribulations of life sometimes, but learning to focus on the positives rather than negatives has been one of the hardest but best lessons I've had to learn in life.

After I read Holly Butcher's letter, something just clicked for me. She was a woman my age (a mere 27) who sadly lost her battle with cancer, but not before sharing some inspirational and valuable insight with the world. This lady was the same age as me, yet possessed far more wisdom than I do at this age. Perhaps that wisdom came with the realisation that her life was about to end, but I'm happy that she shared her thoughts with the world and made me think differently about a lot of things.

Holly was right when she stated - "It (life) is fragile, precious and unpredictable and each day is a gift, not a given right". This is why I'm making a change and not wasting any more time. Yes the days can be hard, long and boring, but finding just one little spark of happiness with each passing day makes it all worthwhile.

These are the things I am grateful for in life:

1. My two healthy babies. Wild, loud, happy, determined, beautiful, lovable, babyish, imaginative and crazy, they fill me with joy every single day. They made me what I always wanted to be - a mother.

2. A partner who is my best friend. Yes he drives me up the wall sometimes, but he will forever be my best friend. I love him.

3. A roof over my head. Far enough this current roof is only available to us until July and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared about the prospect of our impending homelessness, but until then I'll enjoy this roof over our heads and be grateful that we're not sleeping on the streets.

4. My health. Last year my health took a bit of a dive due to my gallbladder issues, but since surgery I have been flying it, recovering quickly and getting back to normal. It's a relief to not have to feel scared anytime I eat anymore.

5. Nature. My goodness, I can't even explain how much I love nature. I guess my passion and love for it was always there, but it wasn't until the last few years that I really began to embrace it, want to learn more about it and be surrounded by it constantly. I'm even considering changing my religion because of it.

6. Sunny days. Few and far between here in Ireland but when they are here, they are the best gift anyone can ask for. They make for the perfect excuse to go adventuring, make everyone instantly happier and simple things such as being able to hang the washing out on the line now fill me with happiness - a sign I'm getting old surely?!

7. Laughter. I'm a joker by nature and having laughter in my life is essential. I love hearing people laugh, knowing they're having a good time and all the happiness laughter can bring to the soul.

8. My camera. How grateful I am to be able to capture all of our memories on camera. To be able to see how my children (and I) have grown over the years. To revisit all of the places we've been to through the pictures I've taken and to remember, fondly, all the adventures we've had.

9. Friendship. I'm sadly not blessed by a whole host of friends, but the ones I do have are godsends and to have people like that in my life is something I am incredibly grateful for. They think of me always, even if we haven't spoken properly in awhile and when we do get to catch up it's as if we were never apart.

10. My parents. The fact that I'm still able to call them up and speak to them on a daily basis is something I'm incredibly grateful for. We haven't always gotten on or seen eye to eye, but since having my own children I realise completely what they have done for me and I'm so thankful for that.

I will continue to learn the art of gratefulness, to appreciate both the big and the simple things in life and to take each day as it comes, being thankful that I'm able to spend it with those I love, doing the things I love.
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2 comments

  1. Awh this is beautiful. It is definitely something we don't stop to think about often but well worth it to do it x

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Laura. No, we don’t, we’ll I didn’t anyway until I read Holly’s words. They really made me think differently about things x

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