Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Woman to Woman: Gratitude


Two great bloggers, Lei and Morning Glory, do a great forum called Woman to Woman. This week’s topic was Gratitude, since today is September 11th. I wonder if we will ever really heal from that terrible day. In an effort to share what is in my heart today, I have come up with 11 things that I am grateful for. They are:

  1. I am grateful that each new day, I get to try again. Like most women, I have my bad days when I fail at keeping my temper, when I snap at my kids or husband, when I am selfish. I am grateful that each day gives me a chance to be better than the day before.
  2. I am grateful for friends and confidants. There are three incredible women in my life who I can tell almost anything to (and I probably do!) One is a sister, one is a neighbor, the other is a friend. With them, I can address the real issues in my life, and I don’t have to worry about them judging me. I can only hope that I have been as good to them as they have been to me.
  3. I am grateful for my husband Shane. He loves me for being who I am. He is my best friend. Shane and I have a lot of differences, one big one being religion, since I am LDS and he isn’t. But he supports me in attending church and fulfilling callings, and even helps me get Thomas and Ben ready to go each Sunday. I am grateful that he loves me despite our differences. It hasn’t always been easy, but we do it together, and that makes all the difference in the world.
  4. I am grateful for naps. They don’t happen very often in my world these days, but I think that there is nothing so luxurious in the world as sneaking off to bed for an hour or two in the day, when everything is quiet.
  5. I am grateful for my kids. I often wonder how I got to be so lucky as to deserve two such sweet little boys. I try each day to do everything I can to deserve the love that they give me.
  6. I am grateful for prayer. Whenever I need Him, my Heavenly Father is there to listen to me and comfort me. I know He knows me, and I am coming to know Him better and trust Him more fully as I encounter new challenges in my life.
  7. I am grateful for books and reading. I love reading books, talking about books, writing about books, buying books, checking out books… I could go on and on for a long time with this one, but I’ll restrain myself.
  8. I am grateful for running. I haven’t always liked to run. When I was young, I hated it, but now it is my one true escape. Shane and I both run, so we have designated days of the week when it is our turn to run. We guard our days fiercely; there is no going back if you miss a day, for the other will show no mercy by giving up their day. Running is as good for my mind as it is for my body; I can think about issues in my life and see them a little differently while I’m on a run. Also, Shane makes dinner on the nights when it is my turn to run! It doesn’t matter what he fixes, at least I didn’t have to make it. Double bonus!
  9. I am grateful to be older. It seems like as you get older, it’s easier to be yourself and stand up for yourself. I am much more likely to say what I am thinking now that I am in my thirties than I was in my teens or twenties. I wish sometimes I could go back and be in certain situations and know what I know now and say what I really wanted to say. I feel like this helps me to be more true to myself, and it just feels so good!
  10. I am grateful for my family. I have three sisters who I love, and they have given me the greatest bunch of nieces and nephews. I am grateful for my parents as well. It feels so great when we are all together, fixing food and chatting and watching the kids play.
  11. I am grateful to have “enough.” We aren’t the richest people in the world. I don’t have the biggest house or live on the most elegant street. But I have a nice home, and cars that I can trust will start in the morning. I can usually buy the things my kids need, and give them a few extra’s that they want, like trips to McDonalds or the Dinosaur Museum. There are so many in this world who go without, and I feel blessed that we have everything we need and a few of the things we want.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

All great things to be thankful for. Blessings on you and your family...

someone else said...

This was such a well-thought-out list. Thank you for sharing your gratitude.

Melanie said...

I love your list. And I am so so grateful for our friendship. I can and do tell you everything, and I never feel judged. Thanks for that.

Tigersue said...

A sweet post, thank you so much.

Anonymous said...

Ohh my sweet Becky.
When you told me about this on the way home yesterday I had to “lurk’ over and read it.
I am very lucky that you would want to hang out with someone like me and I am grateful for that every day. You make me a much better person than I probably could be and you are the best mommy I could hope to give my boys.
I love you!

Susie said...

Your list was wonderfully uplifting Becky! I love reading about young women who are content with their lives. It's so much more important to be grateful for what we do have than to whine about what we don't, isn't it?
:)

K. Bitton said...

What a neat entry. Thanks for the advice on B-days. I like to read your blog and get to know you even better! Thanks for sharing. Love you!

Yvonne said...

Your list is wonderful--I especially loved the last, that you recognize that although you don't have everything you have enough. So often today we seem to always want more. Thank you.

Lei said...

Such a sweet list, Becky! So glad you joined us this week. :)

BAK said...

Thanks to everyone who visited my blog today! I think that it has been such a great day, just because I spent in "counting my blessing" and reading about other's blessings. It really does make life great when you think about all that you have, rather than all that you haven't.

I can't wait for the next Woman to Woman...if there is one thing I love to blog about, its books!

Lucy said...

What a great post, Becky. I've never done a woman to woman but what a great topic to share with others. You are wise to count your blessings:)

Stephanie said...

Thank you so much for reminding me how much I, too have to be grateful for. It's fun, too, to discover how much I have in common with you! Blogging has been a fun way to get to know you a little better. I love the way you write! Thanks for your comment on my blog, too, about those rough parenting days. I'm so glad I'm not alone!

Montserrat said...

Great list! Having enough is such a good one, and of course a supportive husband and sweet children.

Anonymous said...

(Finally getting around to almost-normal life again!) I LOVE your list! And I love that Shane came and left a comment. Kendell never reads my blog! ;) I'm grateful for you, too!