gratitude. take #4.

 this whole gratitude thing will probably become an ongoing post series, simply because i need the reminder all the time.

i started this post yesterday, but it didn't sound much like gratitude when i read through it, so i scrapped it and now start over.

complaining is easy. yet the easiest thing to do is not often the right thing to do, and is even more rarely the best thing to do.

yes, sometimes we need to call a spade a spade. but other times it's a matter of shifting perspectives.

for instance -  i am not always grateful to be a stay-at-home-mom. to be completely honest, i usually feel like i'm a pretty bad one, but i am grateful for the time i get to spend with my kids in these early years.

i am not always grateful when peter's work takes him away for a few nights. but i am grateful for his job, and the way he provides for us.

i am not always grateful in the moment. i am not usually grateful when things are hard. but growth hurts, and i am thankful for growth.

i am thankful for the time and space to be able to write. even when i have writer's block, and i don't even know what to say, or how to say it. {and even when no one reads it.}

i am thankful for the ebbs and flows of life. i am grateful for this time. right now.

i am grateful for days when i can relax for a bit. when i don't have anything all that pressing to worry about. there are plenty of things i could do. there are some things i probably should do. but today i can take a moment and breathe. and sometimes, that alone is enough to carry gratefulness through an entire day.

because how often does that actually happen? that is one advantage to summer. when it's not crazy, it's pretty calm. of course it's 1000* outside, but we're focusing on being grateful right now, so we'll leave that alone for now.

i'm grateful for the people in my life - for my people. loyal people aren't always the easiest to find, especially since i'm not the easiest person to like or to love. i'm grateful for those who have stuck it out with me.

i give thanks for the coffee in my cup.
for the children who demand breakfast.
for the husband grinding out the work.
for the food on our table.
for the roof over our heads.

for the idyllic moments interspersed with all the crazy ones.

i am grateful.

xoxo