Being Grateful

 As Autumn is in its mid season, colors we have welcomed will slowly begin to fade into another year's memory how beautiful this time is for all. Reflection of the year comes to mind. For me, I love everything about this season. The colors, the scents of burning wood from fireplace to apple butter cooking in the kettle.
The joy of children carving pumpkins around Halloween, now those pumpkins are ready to hit the oven for pies this Thanksgiving.

 I wish to share a something I posted a few years ago about gratitude. I wish to share this with you. It means more around this time of year - even though I practice gratitude everyday of my life now.

The leaves, remind me of people - as we come and go in each others life. 
We never know where we will land, who we will meet when we venture out.
This excites me.

Some of us stick around for a short time - some of us get to ride along the journey of life together for years. 
                                                                             No matter how long, It's been a life's adventure knowing you. Even if you are
just stopping by here to read this for
the very first time. 
I welcome your visit,
and hope you come back again and again. 

 So here's  nostalgic re-post from my journals almost 20 years ago:

I remember one precious lesson I learned from my mentor, counselor and now dear friend who helped me with wise tools so I can pull myself out of depression years ago. She said " as you keep a journal of your journey,  I want you to write Five things you are grateful for."
WHAT? I couldn't think of one at the time I was so fed up with life at that time.
Go home and write them down. I want you to "feel" and not "think". So I made the effort. It was me and the page. I wrote how I felt every time and sometimes I just thought... but I had to write how I felt. That triggered a volcano about to erupt... well I wrote about that too.
Months of therapy and several journals pouring my guts... I finally admitted I was grateful for... 1. Spilling  my guts 2. not to be afraid of me 3. love myself
4.never say I can't  and 5. grateful for believing in me.
I became a journal writer at 40 - even though I kept journals since a child. But at 40 my life changed for the better because I believed in myself. I worked very hard to clean my soul of bad memories.
Now I maybe going through some hardship but if I didn't care what happened to me to learn what I am grateful for and the other tools I learned from my friend, I wouldn't be alive today to tell you it was worth listening to someone who gave me the simple tools to really see I am a person of value to myself.
And because I am of value to myself, I have the spiritual strength that eternal pilot light that continues to burn after my physical body pulls me down
with pain. The road maybe bumpy, but I'm still hanging on for the long ride to a smooth surface.
I can write a thousand things or more of what I am grateful for... but my best to me is... I am grateful to breathe.

 I hope you find gratitude in your everyday living. Life is so much more rewarding that way, it really is.

I am grateful to all I have come to know.
Even though I have no family of my own,
I will spend this Thanksgiving with those I do call family - and that's as good as it gets, good food and great fellowship!

When you sit around the table and look at those around you - think how wonderful it would be to be grateful everyday, for the rest of your life!

Wouldn't it be....NICE!

I love you, K'