Monday, May 9, 2016

Big Reminder to Myself - Have an Attitude of Gratitude


Well, once again I have(as they say) "fallen off the horse"....

I've been wanting to start my gratitude journaling again for a few months, but it has been a bumpy beginning. First, family stuff distracted me. Then, the gross weather drug me down, followed by getting started on spring gardening and cleaning. I know none of these are good excuses, but they are the excuses I have used to keep me from sitting down and sharing what I am grateful for.

This is not a new hardship for me...I've tried it before and dropped the ball a number of times. I know...we are all human and we all make mistakes. But this time it has had an obvious affect on my relationships with loved ones. My hubby said just the other day how much he has noticed this and it has definitely not allowed us to be as close as we had been. I know it has affected other relationships, as well.

You see, when I don't count my blessings and in the process have an attitude of gratitude, I end up a negative ninny!! And honestly, who likes being around a negative person? I don't even like being around myself when I get into a negative state of thinking. 

So, once again I am turning in prayer toward God for the strength and ability to stay positive every day! I need to keep up on writing on my gratitude list every week (eventually I hope to list things every day, but I'm taking baby steps, so as not to become too discouraged starting out again.)

Please keep me in your prayers, friends!! I really want to keep it up this time!! I will be also sharing verses and quotes that are reminders to me and anyone else that needs encouragement, that having gratitude is important to our everyday lives.
 "...if joy is a matter of gratitude, and gratitude is a matter of perspective, then giving thanks changes not only your perspective — but also changes your life."
Continuing to list all that I am thankful for:
#1791 - Planting some lovely, colorful flowers in my planter pots.

#1792 - Seeing new life on our lake...a family of Canadian geese.

#1793 - Our pontoon boat that was not running right, is now running much better, after my hubby worked on it for several days.

#1794 - Spending a gorgeous Mother's Day with my mom.

#1795 - My hubby serving us lunch "al fresco" on Mother's Day.

#1796 - Getting a new pergola for our patio area. Putting it partly together with my hubby.

#1797 - Having my step-daugher and her family stop out for Mother's Day with a flower and card.

#1798 - Getting a phone call from my son, who wished me a happy Mother's Day, too!!


#1799 - A cool rain on a Monday morning...God watering all my new flowers!!


"O give thanks to the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endures for ever."

Have a blessed week ahead!!
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5 comments:

  1. Hi Ann,
    Thank you so much for coming by........and for your sweet comments. I enjoyed your post and your thankful list........and I can tell you from experience that I have been doing a thankful Thursday post for 7 yrs. now, and it has totally revolutionized my life.......I was always a positive person, but I am a much more positive person now, I don't seem to see the bad circumstances as much as I used to......which is great! Good for you that you got going again, as it truly makes such a difference.
    Sometimes we fall off the horse, but each time I think we get back on quicker and it takes a longer
    to fall off than the time before!! lol
    Looks like you had a lovely day with your Mom, and your hubby took good care of yall. Sweet!
    Have a great week,
    Blessings, Nellie

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Nellie. I enjoyed reading your blog post, as well. Have a blessed week!

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  2. Ann, first of all I must apologize for not getting back to you about your comment on my blog post last week. You said that you wanted to share my poem about my mother on your FB page. It was a crazy week, and I just got lost in the craziness. No good excuse, but I forgot to let you know that yes, that would be fine. I know it's after Mother's Day now, and I'm sorry that it's taking me until now to contact you. But, you can share it if you want to.

    OK, now on to this beautiful post of yours! By nature, I am a Nervous Nellie and a Negative Nora (I sometimes call them the twins that live inside my head!!) And this year God laid on my heart this word as a *faith theme* for the year - GRATEFUL! Oh, I struggled with it. But He knew that this was just the stretching that I need. Each day I have thought of a word that I want to concentrate on as I think about being grateful. Then I write a little paragraph about it, purposefully finding gratitude in it. Then I look for a verse to accompany my theme.

    I have to admit, I can see where this attitude of gratitude is seeping into my soul. I'm still anxious and tend to be negative, but the discipline of searching for *good* each day is slowly changing my outlook. Prayers of encouragement for you as you look for gratitude, too. You'll find it, and you'll also discover that its twin sister is JOY!

    GOD BLESS!

    (If you're ever interested, I have a page on my sidebar called DAILY GRATEFUL THOUGHTS. This is where I post my words, thoughts, and verses about being GRATEFUL!)

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    1. No worries, Sharon. I totally understand how quickly the week goes by and we just can't keep up. I had to giggle at your definitions of "Nervous Nellie and Negative Nora". Again, I can relate! Love your idea of coming up with a word to concentrate on each week! As long as we continue to pursue the attitude of gratitude, we are going to benefit(as well as will others.) I will make an effort to check out your sidebar button...when we share our gratitude, we bless others too!! Have a blessed week!

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  3. Life can't be perfect really. Even when we try to make it we can get distracted by the things that usually happen. I hope everyone in your family's doing fine by now.

    Stay grateful and positive. You're an inspiration.

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