I just thought I would share some quotes that I like about being thankful to end off the year. Enjoy!
Difficulties are opportunities to better things; they are stepping stones to greater experience. Perhaps someday you will be thankful for some temporary failure in a particular direction. When one door closes, another always opens.
-- Author Unknown
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
-- Melody Beattie
Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.
-- Eileen Caddy
It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.
-- Author UnknownNone is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.
-- Fred De Witt Van Amburgh There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.
-- Author Unknown Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.
-- John Wooden
You won't be happy with more until you're happy with what you've got.
-- Viki King
Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. ~G.B. Stern
Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture. ~Kak Sri
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. ~Epictetus
Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, - a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.
~George Herbert
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it” - William Arthur Ward
Friday, December 31, 2010
Day 73: This past year
Hi again,
Today I am thankful for the past year or at least I am trying to be. The year started out poorly but by about February/March it started to look more promising and by about August it really started to go downhill again. During October I feel that I really hit rock bottom which is one of the major reasons I started this blog. I feel I have come a ways since October and I feel that I may be ending off the year in about the same position I was in when I started 2010 albeit a little stronger physically. I am not sure how many people follow this blog other than my mom, but to anyone still reading-it really means a lot to me that you feel it's worth your time. Through the ups and downs of this year, I think I have become a stronger person even though it doesn't feel that way sometimes. With what happened in October, I realized that you never know what is around the corner and even when it seems like you can't go on and it can't get better that it can. I am not saying that I no longer get to points in my life where I feel I can't go on but that I know there is the possibility it can get better. I have also learned to to look out for blessings in my life a lot more than I used to and it makes me feel better emotionally when I am always on the look out for blessings in my life no matter how small they may be. I am very grateful for the roof over my head this year, having enough food to eat, having clothes on my back, and all the other blessings I have mentioned. Sometimes my life can seem really bad because I look at what I don't have or can't do but when I look at what I do have, it really isn't so bad. I may deal with a lot of physical pain and I can't work or live on my own yet but I have a family that loves me and a place to call home and a bed to sleep in and food to eat which is not something a lot of people can say. I am hoping that 2011 is better than 2010. Lately I have looked at 2011 and seen it as another year that I have to make it through but maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe this year I will finally be able to start working again and be able to get back on my feet or begin to. Last year I hoped for the same things which causes me to lose some hope but last year I wasn't where I am now and I hadn't gone through a year like I just did if that makes sense. Maybe knowing what I know now and having experienced what I did in 2010 will help 2011 to go better. Anyways I hope that everyone has a Happy New Year and that 2011 is a great year for you!
Today I am thankful for the past year or at least I am trying to be. The year started out poorly but by about February/March it started to look more promising and by about August it really started to go downhill again. During October I feel that I really hit rock bottom which is one of the major reasons I started this blog. I feel I have come a ways since October and I feel that I may be ending off the year in about the same position I was in when I started 2010 albeit a little stronger physically. I am not sure how many people follow this blog other than my mom, but to anyone still reading-it really means a lot to me that you feel it's worth your time. Through the ups and downs of this year, I think I have become a stronger person even though it doesn't feel that way sometimes. With what happened in October, I realized that you never know what is around the corner and even when it seems like you can't go on and it can't get better that it can. I am not saying that I no longer get to points in my life where I feel I can't go on but that I know there is the possibility it can get better. I have also learned to to look out for blessings in my life a lot more than I used to and it makes me feel better emotionally when I am always on the look out for blessings in my life no matter how small they may be. I am very grateful for the roof over my head this year, having enough food to eat, having clothes on my back, and all the other blessings I have mentioned. Sometimes my life can seem really bad because I look at what I don't have or can't do but when I look at what I do have, it really isn't so bad. I may deal with a lot of physical pain and I can't work or live on my own yet but I have a family that loves me and a place to call home and a bed to sleep in and food to eat which is not something a lot of people can say. I am hoping that 2011 is better than 2010. Lately I have looked at 2011 and seen it as another year that I have to make it through but maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe this year I will finally be able to start working again and be able to get back on my feet or begin to. Last year I hoped for the same things which causes me to lose some hope but last year I wasn't where I am now and I hadn't gone through a year like I just did if that makes sense. Maybe knowing what I know now and having experienced what I did in 2010 will help 2011 to go better. Anyways I hope that everyone has a Happy New Year and that 2011 is a great year for you!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Day 72: Technology advancements
Hi again,
Today I got into a conversation with my mom about how far technology has come and how thankful I am for the technology we have today. When I was little we were so excited when we got to go over to someone's house who had a computer because we didn't have one yet and we played games like pac man and thought it was so cool. lol I was talking to my mom remembering the time that my parents had to get a bigger hard drive for their computer that they used for their business and it was a few hundred megabites and that seemed enormous to me and now some external hard drives are over 1Tb. I don't think you can even buy an sd card that is less than a gb anymore. lol It isn't even that long ago really. I am also extremely thankful that we now have mp3 players! I remember when I got my first personal cd player that I had saved up for and I thought that it was portable and I could walk around with it. But cd players had the problem of skipping and the songs not playing correctly but it was so neat to be able to have something portable still. In my lifetime (which isn't actually that long) just with music, we have gone from records and tapes to cds to music on mp3 players. With computers it has been quite drastic also from our old tandy computer with the dos prompt to the computers now that can have over 1tb hard drives and multiple gb of memory. Sorry it just amazes me how much technology has advanced even in the last 20yrs. It also keeps advancing which causes me to wonder what we will have access to in another 10yrs. Sometimes I feel that technology can be a hinderance that it gets in the way of us living our lives because we are able to be connected 24/7 if we want to be and it can cause us to not be as present as we should be with the people physically around us. But most of the time it is quite nice to have what we have now. One last thought before I go-I was looking at photos the other day that I took with a regular film camera about 10yrs ago and was amazed at the quality difference between those photos and the photos I can take with a digital camera now. I thought those photos were clear before but now I have a digital camera that takes MUCH better photos! I am so thankful for that as well!!! So this is why I am thankful for technology advancements. :)
Today I got into a conversation with my mom about how far technology has come and how thankful I am for the technology we have today. When I was little we were so excited when we got to go over to someone's house who had a computer because we didn't have one yet and we played games like pac man and thought it was so cool. lol I was talking to my mom remembering the time that my parents had to get a bigger hard drive for their computer that they used for their business and it was a few hundred megabites and that seemed enormous to me and now some external hard drives are over 1Tb. I don't think you can even buy an sd card that is less than a gb anymore. lol It isn't even that long ago really. I am also extremely thankful that we now have mp3 players! I remember when I got my first personal cd player that I had saved up for and I thought that it was portable and I could walk around with it. But cd players had the problem of skipping and the songs not playing correctly but it was so neat to be able to have something portable still. In my lifetime (which isn't actually that long) just with music, we have gone from records and tapes to cds to music on mp3 players. With computers it has been quite drastic also from our old tandy computer with the dos prompt to the computers now that can have over 1tb hard drives and multiple gb of memory. Sorry it just amazes me how much technology has advanced even in the last 20yrs. It also keeps advancing which causes me to wonder what we will have access to in another 10yrs. Sometimes I feel that technology can be a hinderance that it gets in the way of us living our lives because we are able to be connected 24/7 if we want to be and it can cause us to not be as present as we should be with the people physically around us. But most of the time it is quite nice to have what we have now. One last thought before I go-I was looking at photos the other day that I took with a regular film camera about 10yrs ago and was amazed at the quality difference between those photos and the photos I can take with a digital camera now. I thought those photos were clear before but now I have a digital camera that takes MUCH better photos! I am so thankful for that as well!!! So this is why I am thankful for technology advancements. :)
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Pictures of the Christmas Cactus as promised!
Here are a few photos of the Christmas cactus. the first one is a picture of the one side of the cactus to show how full of flowers it is. This is it's second time blooming this Christmas season(in the last couple of months). The second photo is a closeup of one of the flowers to show how beautiful they are.
Day 71: Surveys
Hi again,
Today I feel thankful for so many blessings but all of which are things I have already mentioned. I am thankful for a nice warm house because it is so cold outside today, a nice soft bed, food to eat, a heated home, a woodstove, etc. Aside from this, I have been having another rough day physically so it took some time for me to be able to come up with something to write about. I don't want to write about anything silly but something with real meaning but sometimes it seems as though it is all I can come up with. Today I came up with something that may or may not have much meaning or may seem silly to some but I am thankful for surveys. What I mean by this is that I am thankful for the ability to voice our opinion and to have our opinion counted and to affect the outcome of something. I am part of Ipsos Reid and the Angus Reid poll and these may or may not sound familiar but they are companies that do surveys for others (companies or whoever) that need the public's input. I think how it works is they select people from their members that may fit certain criteria needed to give an accurate opinion like a certain age group or people that like certain activities pertaining to the product that is part of the survey. Not that long ago, I did a survey where it was asking about pennies and whether I felt they should be taken out of circulation and then today the results were posted and it is really neat to be a part of that. I am not sure if the results will have much impact on the decision made on whether to keep pennies in circulation or not but it might. I just like the thought that my opinion matters and I can help companies (or the government) create products or services that better suit our needs or wants. It also isn't just my opinion but the opinion of many people so it is a good representation of how the general public feels. Sometimes I may not be on the side of how the majority of Canadians feel but none the less it helps give companies a better understanding what Canadians like or want to see. As you can tell, I love being able to give my opinion. lol So this is why I am thankful for surveys.
Today I feel thankful for so many blessings but all of which are things I have already mentioned. I am thankful for a nice warm house because it is so cold outside today, a nice soft bed, food to eat, a heated home, a woodstove, etc. Aside from this, I have been having another rough day physically so it took some time for me to be able to come up with something to write about. I don't want to write about anything silly but something with real meaning but sometimes it seems as though it is all I can come up with. Today I came up with something that may or may not have much meaning or may seem silly to some but I am thankful for surveys. What I mean by this is that I am thankful for the ability to voice our opinion and to have our opinion counted and to affect the outcome of something. I am part of Ipsos Reid and the Angus Reid poll and these may or may not sound familiar but they are companies that do surveys for others (companies or whoever) that need the public's input. I think how it works is they select people from their members that may fit certain criteria needed to give an accurate opinion like a certain age group or people that like certain activities pertaining to the product that is part of the survey. Not that long ago, I did a survey where it was asking about pennies and whether I felt they should be taken out of circulation and then today the results were posted and it is really neat to be a part of that. I am not sure if the results will have much impact on the decision made on whether to keep pennies in circulation or not but it might. I just like the thought that my opinion matters and I can help companies (or the government) create products or services that better suit our needs or wants. It also isn't just my opinion but the opinion of many people so it is a good representation of how the general public feels. Sometimes I may not be on the side of how the majority of Canadians feel but none the less it helps give companies a better understanding what Canadians like or want to see. As you can tell, I love being able to give my opinion. lol So this is why I am thankful for surveys.
Day 70: Weather forcasts
Hi again,
This post is for yesterday. To be honest I actually was so distracted by some great deals I got that I sort of forgot to post on here. Anyways yesterday I wanted to post that I am thankful for weather forcasts. Actually I am more thankful for accurate forcasts and yesterday made me think of this because it wasn't accurate. lol Weather is unpredictable at best it seems so it is pretty amazing that the forcasts are as accurate as they are. Then there are a few weather people who are more accurate than the rest and that makes my life even easier. The reason I am thankful for this is because weather greatly affects what we do here in Alberta and elsewhere, especially during the winter months. It is funny how much I plan what I am going to do based on what the weather will be doing. lol In the winter there are storms that greatly affect the the road conditions which can cause us to be stuck at home. If we know a bad storm is coming we can prepare and then stay home and stay off the roads to avoid an accident or getting stuck. During the rest of the year, it is very helpful to know if a day will be overcast and raining to know if you can plan to do stuff outside or not. Here in Alberta, forcasts are especially helpful because the weather can change so quickly that it isn't always useful to just look outside and think that it will stay that way. There is the famous saying around here "if you don't like the weather wait 5minutes" and people who visit here have told me that the weather can change very quickly. So as you can see, weather forcasts are very important and something to be very thankful for to avoid bad weather and also be able to enjoy the good weather. This is why I am thankful for weather forcasts and weatherpeople who take on the job of forcasting weather!
This post is for yesterday. To be honest I actually was so distracted by some great deals I got that I sort of forgot to post on here. Anyways yesterday I wanted to post that I am thankful for weather forcasts. Actually I am more thankful for accurate forcasts and yesterday made me think of this because it wasn't accurate. lol Weather is unpredictable at best it seems so it is pretty amazing that the forcasts are as accurate as they are. Then there are a few weather people who are more accurate than the rest and that makes my life even easier. The reason I am thankful for this is because weather greatly affects what we do here in Alberta and elsewhere, especially during the winter months. It is funny how much I plan what I am going to do based on what the weather will be doing. lol In the winter there are storms that greatly affect the the road conditions which can cause us to be stuck at home. If we know a bad storm is coming we can prepare and then stay home and stay off the roads to avoid an accident or getting stuck. During the rest of the year, it is very helpful to know if a day will be overcast and raining to know if you can plan to do stuff outside or not. Here in Alberta, forcasts are especially helpful because the weather can change so quickly that it isn't always useful to just look outside and think that it will stay that way. There is the famous saying around here "if you don't like the weather wait 5minutes" and people who visit here have told me that the weather can change very quickly. So as you can see, weather forcasts are very important and something to be very thankful for to avoid bad weather and also be able to enjoy the good weather. This is why I am thankful for weather forcasts and weatherpeople who take on the job of forcasting weather!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Day 69: Footprints Poem
To be honest, today was a pretty rough day physically so I was unable to do much today and it makes it hard sometimes to be positive when you can not move around too much. But there is always something to be thankful for and with my day the way it has been, I thought of the Footprints Poem :) I have always loved that poem because I feel I can relate to the author where I feel as if I am walking alone when things get really tough. Sometimes where people are concerned, I do basically walk by myself (my family is there for me) but it is a comfort to know that God is there even if I don't see Him or feel Him and especially at the times when I need God the most. I would like to share the poem now for anyone who is unfamiliar with it or maybe hasn't read it in awhile.
Footprints
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the shy flashed scenes of his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord you said that once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most, You would leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
Author unknown
I would like to mention that when I googled the poem, I noticed there is controversy over who actually wrote this poem and so I thought I would write Author unknown as it says on my poster. I would love to give credit to the author but I don't want to give credit to the wrong person. I also understand there is some controversy over what the poem says but to me I just feel it reminds me that I am not alone and I am thankful for this poem to remind me of that. Too many times, people let me down and I am left feeling as though I am going through stuff practically on my own (my family is there for me still) when I need support the most but God will never leave me and I can count on Him. I know that doesn't mean God will make everything better but He is there to help me through it. I am also thankful to my mom for giving me this poem many years ago when I felt I was going through bad stuff alone and needed to know that I wasn't. Thanks for reading this post.
Footprints
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the shy flashed scenes of his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord you said that once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most, You would leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
Author unknown
I would like to mention that when I googled the poem, I noticed there is controversy over who actually wrote this poem and so I thought I would write Author unknown as it says on my poster. I would love to give credit to the author but I don't want to give credit to the wrong person. I also understand there is some controversy over what the poem says but to me I just feel it reminds me that I am not alone and I am thankful for this poem to remind me of that. Too many times, people let me down and I am left feeling as though I am going through stuff practically on my own (my family is there for me still) when I need support the most but God will never leave me and I can count on Him. I know that doesn't mean God will make everything better but He is there to help me through it. I am also thankful to my mom for giving me this poem many years ago when I felt I was going through bad stuff alone and needed to know that I wasn't. Thanks for reading this post.
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