Everywhere you turn, people are saying that gratitude is the way to stay mentally well.
They’re not wrong.
And today I want to share with you something we can ALL be grateful for:
Today we are one day closer to social closeness again.
No matter which side of the news you listen to, or which stats you believe, one thing stands true. This, too, shall pass. Just like other types of flu, we won’t be dealing with it forever.
I’m so sorry for those of you who have lost loved ones to this horrible crisis. I’m also sorry for those of you who have lost people to other types of illnesses already this year.
We lost my sweet mother-in-law to heart failure just a few weeks ago. There’s pain everywhere you turn. This is how life is. When it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go.
That doesn’t mean you should crawl up in a ball and hide under the covers. On the contrary, you should get out there and REALLY LIVE.
Being thankful is a result of counting your blessings. Make a list today of the beauty in your life. Write them out.
Here are 30 things I’m thankful for, just off the top of my head. Though, if I sat down long enough, I could probably come up with at least 100 reasons to be thankful.
?♀️ I am healthy.
?♀️ My husband is healthy.
?♀️ My daughters are healthy.
?♀️ My son-in-law is healthy.
?♀️ My mom, dad, sisters, brothers, and their families are all healthy.
?♀️ I have food in my pantry and frig (and toilet paper, without ever having to hoard it!)
?♀️ I have good friends who want to Zoom-meet with me.
?♀️ I have a job! And I worked from home before this all came down.
?♀️ My husband and daughter (who still lives at home) are both working from home.
?♀️ The sun is shining, and it’s spring where we live.
?♀️ I can use my mind, legs, and arms.
?♀️ I have glasses that help me to see my computer screen.
?♀️ There’s peace in my house.
?♀️ Our dog is the best we’ve ever had, and she’s healthy.
?♀️ We can have food delivered to us in a weekly subscription.
?♀️ I’m actually losing weight during quarantine! 🙂
?♀️ God gives me the creativity to write.
?♀️ My house is warm.
?♀️ We have running water.
?♀️ I have the supplies to keep my house clean.
?♀️ We can watch TV or a movie at night if we want to.
?♀️ Every time I come back from the grocery store, I find that God has protected me.
?♀️ God is good – no matter what goes on around us.
?♀️ I have a fantastic church family.
?♀️ I don’t use as much gas in my car anymore, saving us money.
?♀️ I can still get my McDonalds large, unsweetened iced tea 🙂
?♀️ We have the technology to stay in touch with people.
?♀️ We can live stream church services and some pretty cool freebies out there right now – like the National Aquarium live cam.
?♀️ My daughter received notice that she can forego payments on a student loan until September interest-free.
?♀️ We are not experiencing any extreme weather (tornados, floods, etc.), at least at our house.
Hopefully, this list of gratitude will spur some of your own tributes. Not to downplay what’s going on out in the world, but for your own sanity’s sake, this is an excellent place to hang out for a while today.
Do yourself and others a favor and meditate on what you are thankful for. What comes out of your mouth, as a result, will be more pleasing to others because you won’t focus on so much negativity. You will be amazed at how peaceful your life can become.