Gratitude…

So I am one of those people that believe that no matter what, if we look around we will always find things to be grateful for…My Dad who is the ultimate optimist taught us to always look for the silver lining in every cloud…he has always been and continues to be my mentor and best friend and even though I am 40 something (cough cough), when things are tough he is the first person that I call…His voice is calming and no matter what he knows what to do!! Now that we have grown up, my sister Lisa (my only sibling) also fills that role…even though we are not twins we look an awful lot alike and are very alike in many ways including our sense of humor (my elder daughter Gianna has inherited that same ‘special’ sense of humor as well, God help her!).

I don’t know if I chose optimism or it chose me…and there are times when I am tired and cranky and stressed and all I want to do is complain and there have been times when I have had to deal with tough situations that seemed, at the time, as if they would go on forever with no end in sight…situations that bring you to your knees (sometimes literally) and the only silver lining I can find is that I know that ‘this too shall pass’…and it does…

So I say that all to say, that today I am grateful for the following (in no particular order)…

I am grateful that my parents are still with me, grateful that I have a crazy sister who totally gets me and who would give me or our kids or P the shirt off her back. She can turn a horrible day into laughter where I am begging her to stop because I can’t breathe lol…you would be amazed at what laughter can do in the midst of challenging circumstances.

I am grateful for prayer – the ability to talk to God whether for a specific reason (or not) and I am even more grateful that I have learned to be still enough to listen for the answer (which I sometimes don’t like)…

I am grateful for my girls, Gianna and Aria, and when I look at them I am in awe that I was chosen by which every power you chose to believe in to look after them and teach them, guide them, protect them and love them in this existence…I am grateful for P who came into my life at a time when I was totally enjoying my space and single-hood. The connection was instant and since our first date more than 6 years ago, we have been inseparable…I am grateful for my awesome, brilliantly smart, cheeky and handsome step son Noah who has brought so much colour and love to my life (and knowledge, he sometimes reminds me of a walking encyclopedia, in our house we don’t ‘google it’ we ‘Noah it’).

I am grateful for the country of my birth and the country that I have chosen to make my home…for amazing friends who are more like family, both here and all over the world…who totally get me and will listen to me vent and then lovingly but firmly set me on the right path…those are the same friends that are always up for having a glass (or two) to celebrate anything or nothing…the same friends that even though they may not be with me when I see something funny I start laughing anyway because I can picture them cracking up if they had been there experiencing it with me…(this may look strange to onlookers when you start laughing by yourself but sometimes it can’t be helped.)

I am grateful for yoga and meditation, for running and working out and all the people who I have met on this particular journey who continue to guide and encourage me….

I am grateful for food…I am a foodie and I LOVE the fact that P loves to cook…our kitchen is well used and very often our home is filled with friends, laughter and food….oh and of course music…our home is always filled with music and I LOVE that….I love to dance and find it quite difficult to hear music and not move (even in church there is a bit of swaying going on)…

I am grateful for my profession which is one of my passions…I am told that the vast majority of people do not like what they do – I am lucky to say that I LOVE what I do and I can honestly say that I love the team that I work with…

I am grateful for all four of my dogs who give me unconditional love everyday (sometimes a bit too much – especially Xara who could win a gold medal if licking was an Olympic sport)…We got one through adoption when her family moved away and the other three are rescues….part of our family!

I am grateful for the sunrise that I saw this morning (and most mornings) and the fact that I can actually see it every day…what a gift! there are people that I know and love who would give anything to be able to see a sunrise (or anything for that matter)…

I am grateful that the scare we got on Sunday wasn’t as bad as it could have been and that all is well and in true family tradition we can and do laugh about it now…

I am grateful to be able to express myself through the medium of writing – whether its blogging or writing in my journal…another of my passions….

I am very grateful for people and situations that broke my heart and challenged me and confounded me because they were and continue to be my greatest teachers…

I love the fact that every day we can chose to live our lives in a particular way so that we never stop learning, never stop growing…that every day we get the opportunity to make different choices, better ones! Every day we get to forgive ourselves and forgive others and move forward at our own pace (sometimes baby steps is all we can manage but like a friend of mine always says ‘and that’s OK!’)….

 I am grateful for all of you reading this! ❤️