It finally hit me......gratitude

I read a lot of law of attraction books & articles and listen to a lot of interviews and lessons. And I get the whole gratitude thing. Changing my focus, remembering to be grateful, looking for new things to be grateful for.

I even keep gratitude journals.....currently I'm keeping one that is devoted solely to the reasons that I love my husband. I'm doing it for a year and will give it to him on our anniversary next year. It keeps me focused on his good qualities, which means that I don't start focusing on the things that drive me crazy.

I get it.

So this morning I realize that even though I think 'I get it', I didn't realize just how valuable and important gratitude really is. And just how little of it I am actually giving.

Here's how my Ah-Ha moment happened:

My children's birthday is today. So, for a good part of the week I've been running around like a crazy person trying to make sure that things are ready for their birthday......not to mention all of the running around that also happens at this time of year because Thanksgiving is next week and then the day after that my husband and I leave town for work and will be gone for 10 days. There's so much to do at home and the office......so I've been busy to say the least. Going to bed late, getting up a couple hours before anyone else, and trying to squeeze things in where I can.

Last night I wanted to blow up balloons so that I could sneak them into the kids' rooms so that their floors would be covered this morning when they woke up. Well, as it turned out, I didn't get 5 minutes to myself last night to get anything done. There were cupcakes to be made and frosted (two of them promised to bring them to one of their classes) along with dinner and other things....and I'm fighting getting the crud that my daughter had that kept her sick for over a week.

This morning when I got up I blew up as many balloons as I had time to but it didn't amount to much so I just put them in the hallway that all of their rooms open onto. I also had to get their presents wrapped, cookies baked for their lunches, and breakfast made.

Because one of our daughters will be out of town starting right after school today, birthday festivities had to happen this morning before school. That made things even more frantic. But, I'm getting it all handled.........and then someone complained. And then another. They weren't big complaints, mind you, but they cut me to the core.

As I was getting all of the cupcakes into the box to be transported to school, I was thinking about all of the craziness I had been through while everyone else was relaxing or sleeping. How I had gotten up early in order to keep the presents a secret (some of them I made) and how I had not once run anyone off when I could have been working on the other stuff. I thought about how I had put them before my own needs and desires because I wanted them to be happy.

I wondered if it was too much to ask that one of them say thank you.

You see, all I wanted was a little GRATITUDE.

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks!!

If I wanted to be recognized and appreciated for the little bit (in the whole scheme of things) that I had done, what must our Creator think about our lack of gratitude for the unending things that have been and are being done for us? How must it hurt that we, as a population in general, aren't grateful? The thought of it in that context is just heartbreaking. I don't want to contribute to that kind of numbed thinking and ungrateful expectation anymore!

So, now that I have this different perspective, gratitude and the giving of it has taken on a whole new meaning. If I think that I need appreciation for what I've done, then I owe so much more appreciation to other people for what they've done. But, even more than that, I owe a world of gratitude to the Creator.....for this world!

A Quick Read

Lets get this week started off on a high note.

Here's a resource for a quick little read called The Come Back. It's only 15 pages and it's yours for free - no commitments or anything. :0)

I read through it and then re-read some parts.  I find that when I read something like this, certain things stand out for me. I think it's answers/inspiration for things that I'm currently trying to work through. And, later when I re-read it something different will stand out that I hadn't taken any notice of in the prior reading. I'm always grateful that one source can hold so many lessons. Then when I realize just how many sources are available it's just mind boggling.

So, I am sharing with you this short article. It is me giving, from right where I am, and I hope that it brings great things for you and for the person from whom I received it. So go. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Have a wonderful and prosperous week!