Gratitude Attitude

-
altar ego at Reverent Irreverence started this, the idea of daily posts, following the alphabet, of what one is grateful for. You can find her offering at the link above or in my sidebar.

Here is mine:

Attitude. Attitude has a lot to do with gratitude. With an open heart any number of things, ideas, experiences can stir up gratitude. Whereas with a closed heart these same things may glide by unrecognized, not experienced. Like most people I have had long stretches of time when life has been a tremendous challenge. When living felt like moving through thick shades of gray.Just getting out of bed felt beyond my ability, so dire was my life, so little did I want to face the bleakness of the day. During those times I had to find the little things to be grateful for - the kind word of a friend, a hug, lunch out with someone I enjoy being with, one of my cats curled up in my lap, a walk with my dogs.

When life has turned around and felt full and colorful again, I have much more obvious things to be grateful for. But even then, it is often the little things that catch me giving thanks. The song of a bird on a crisp morning. A glorious sunset. A rainstorm. A wonderful conversation with a newly forming friendship.

Doing an alphabet meme on gratitude seems to me to be an opportunity to look at the little things in daily life for which one can be grateful, and then offer them up with thanksgiving.

Comments

Diane M. Roth said…
thanks, much food for thought.
7/20/2009 1:49 PM
altar ego said…
I could have written this post, though I confess my "gray" period is still ongoing. Or maybe I should say that it's a partly sunny experience, because there are definitely moments of brightness, peace, contentment and satisfaction. Even though most days are a slog, however, I have perpetual hope, and that goes a long way toward greasing the skids. Glad your life is colorful again.
7/20/2009 4:38 PM
Sherry said…
Oh my such a lovely post. I try to remember all my gratefulness each morning on my walk. Shepherding 2 dogs and 2 cats most mornings is a hoot as the pheasants fly, the bunnies race, and the killdeer squawk and race alone. I stop to say hello to the birds perched above me yelling at me for disturbing the day with my motley crew. Thanks again.
7/20/2009 5:03 PM
Barbara B. said…
"Attitude" is a great way to start off the gratitude posts!
7/20/2009 11:48 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Bleeding-heart: a poem by Mary Oliver

-
Image
I know a bleeding-heart plant that has thrived for sixty years if not more, and has never missed a spring without rising and spreading itself into a grassy bush, with many small red hearts dangling. Don't you think that deserves a little thought? The woman who planted it has been gone for a long time, and everyone who saw it in that time has also died or moved away and so, like so many stories, this one can't get finished properly. Most things that are important, have you noticed, lack a certain neatness. More delicious, anyway is to remember my grandmother's pleasure when the dissolve of winter was over and the green knobs appeared and began to rise, and to cre- ate their many hearts. One would say she was a simple woman, made happy by simple things. I think this was true. And more than once, in my long life, I have wished to be her.
Read more

A Funeral Sermon: Healed by Love

-
Image
There a few elements of life common to all people. Basically they include living, loving, suffering, and dying. All of us experience these aspects of life. The quality of them we may describe as good or not so good. Regardless these elements of life form who we are in deep and profound ways. Gathered here today we celebrate all of these. We celebrate the life of Lynn, wife, mother, sister, daughter, niece, cousin, friend. We come her today to honor all the ways she lived and you knew her in life. We remember her love. We are relieved that her suffering has ended. And we mourn her death. What I know about you all as a family is that you will do this well. Today and in the days ahead you will celebrate Lynn’s life with funny stories and laughter, with tears and sorrow. You will grieve her loss and you will rejoice that you knew her. In life we all suffer times of great sorrow. Our lives are peculiar. For just when we think everything is great, life is wonderful, something happens. An ill
Read more

Luke: A Mary Oliver Poem

-
Image
I had a dog who loved flowers. Briskly she went through the fields, yet paused for the honeysuckle or the rose, her dark head and her wet nose touching the face of every one with its petals of silk with its fragrance rising into the air where the bees, their bodies heavy with pollen hovered - and easily she adored every blossom not in the serious careful way that we choose this blossom or that blossom the way we praise or don't praise - the way we love or don't love - but the way we long to be - that happy in the heaven of earth - that wild, that loving. poem from "Red Bird" photos from my personal file of my dog and a rose from one of our bushes
Read more