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Gratitude Wednesday
Gratitude Wednesday

Gratitude Wednesday

So I’ve decided to do something new. I’m going to start Gratitude Wednesday. Every Wednesday I’m going to post five things I’m grateful for. If you want to participate, leave your link and I’ll add it. I figure, blogs tend to be rants, especially mine, so I’m going to go the other way, just one day a week. ; ) I have so much to be grateful for and I forget that. A lot. So here’s my inaugural Gratitude Wednesday list.

1) I am healthy. In a general sense. Yeah, I’m taking enough drugs to knock over a pony for this sinus infection, but I’m done with those this week (Hallelujah!). I have no over-riding health concerns. No cancer, no debilitating disease…I’m in pretty good shape.

2) I am wealthy. Just by living in the United States, I am wealthier than, what, 95% of the rest of the world? That was really hit home about a year ago. Our church supports an orphanage in Africa. The woman who runs it wants to provide a cup of milk and an egg to each child a week. A WEEK. I can’t imagine that kind of poverty. So we support a young man there. Our church has done wonders supporting this school. They now have animals, and a small farm, and opportunities they didn’t have before. But yes, I am wealthy, although I don’t always feel that way. Affluenza is a nasty social disease and it’s everywhere.

3) I am wise. Ok, maybe not wise, but well-educated. I had the great luck to go to some wonderful schools and have some incredible opportunities. Sometimes I feel that I’m not taking advantage of those opportunities, but this is a gratitude list, so I’m grateful for what I have. I have a Masters degree in music from one of the best graduate music schools in the country. And I earned that A I got in that graduate level music theory class. I have never studied so hard in my life and I earned it.

4) I am loved. I am truly grateful for this. I have a loving family. My parents are truly top-notch. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have them. They were parents to so many of my friends, and my brother’s friends. They made my friends welcome in our house, and as a result, we hung out there a lot. They were always there for me, and still are. My parents are really good friends now, and I love them dearly. My husband is the best man I have ever known. He is a hard worker, a loving man, a dedicated daddy. (Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy). I listen to friends bitch about their spouses, and I realize how good I have it. My brother, although he and I have had our differences, is my friend. He and his wife, who is a wonderful woman and I adore her, are the listed guardians for our sons. My brother and A are so much alike that there are days when I swear I’m raising my brother and that scares the crap out of me. But my brother is a good man and I love him. And then there are my sons. I have learned more about love in the last five years than I ever thought possible. A calls me his “little toggle bolt” (thank you, Magic School Bus). J runs and gives me hugs all the time. I have never felt such love in my life, for someone and from someone. How beautiful is that?

5) I am an American. Ok, this one is a hard one for me to write. Most of the time I am not proud to be an American. We, as a society and as a government, have done very little for me to be proud of. I am especially embarrassed by the current administration for so many reasons I will not go into now. BUT, having said that, I am grateful to be an American and I have been ever since I could remember. Being an American provides me with all the opportunities I mention above. I’m healthy (although health insurance is insanely expensive), I’m wealthy (though I don’t feel it), I’m wise/well-educated, and I’m loved (ok, that one isn’t related to being an American). But I have so many opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise. Our church’s mission statement is “Blessed to be a blessing” and that’s how I feel about being an American. I am able to do so much for others because of my situation and I’m grateful for that.

So it’s up to you. If you want to play, leave me a link and I’ll add you. There’s so much out there to be cynical about, to rant about, to be angry about. But today, and every Wednesday, I’m going to step back and look at my life and be thankful. Wanna join me?

3 Comments

  1. Karin

    Today I am grateful the child and the puppy get along so well. That is a blessing.

    Theory…theory I could do. It was ear training that killed me…lol!

    And one of the blessings of being an American is you can state your disagreements with those in power without fear of repercuussions. 🙂

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