As we near the Thanksgiving holiday, it is often an appropriate time to take a very close, detailed look at how blessed we are.
Here is my assessment:
I have several ribbed sweaters and long-sleeved knit tops hanging to dry on my laundry organizer. I am thankful to have warm clothes to wear and a place to hang them to dry. I can never say I'm not warm enough since I can always put on another sweater! I always have what I need to stay toasty and comfortable. :) Therefore I am blessed.
I have pictures in frames of my immediate and extended family hanging on the wall and sitting on the hutch and bookshelf in my office that include my sister, her husband, her two daughters, my Mom and Dad, me, my husband, and our two daughters. I have photos most recent from last Christmas and some from several years ago. I can recollect the history unique to me and my family represented in these photos as I gaze at each visage. I am grateful for the multi-dimensional effect these relationships have had on my personal life, affecting the development of who I am today.
Pinned to a bulletin board to the right of my computer cart is my self-made writing calendar along with an inspirational collage of messages which are next to the developing story board attached to the wall I've created for my novel in progress. I am grateful for the space I have to use these tools and for the imagination and creative spirit I enjoy utilizing in my writing pursuits.
I have a glass-topped L-shaped desk I use primarily for my office managing responsibilities for Bill's Quality Electric, LLC. I also have an adding machine, an electric pencil sharpener, and several organizers to keep my tools handy, along with filing cabinets to keep things in order. I am grateful for the space and for the every day ease with which I can accomplish my tasks.
I have bookshelves that contain my almost 40 volumes of journals I've kept since before I was married (over 20 years worth). They represent the multi-dimensional journey I have trod as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, artist, writer, office manager, and home schooler. I have chronicled almost daily my point of view of the ongoing joys, trials, triumphs, and challenges I have experienced, and decisions I have made along the way. I am grateful for each experience, for every insight, for every relationship, and for all they have taught me about myself, my family, my community, and my God.
Life is always changing. The dimensions breathe and evolve and develop as I become who I am meant to be. I can take this opportunity to acknowledge how I am blessed, and how I can utilize those blessings to benefit the world around me.
The hustle and bustle, the coming and going of every day life can keep us so busy that we, often without realizing it, inhibit ourselves from being conscious of the blessings that are the very substance of our surroundings. Everything in our lives has a history, a purpose, a story that becomes the fiber of who we are and is part of the foundation that reveals how much we are blessed.
Take the time to really look at who and what is around you right in your own home. Consider what each relationship and part represents, how it has affected or benefited you, and how you can utilize those blessings to benefit the world in which you live.
You may find yourself more at peace and contented as a result. Time for gratitude is never wasted.
Have a delightful and fruitful Thanksgiving.
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