Today I am thankful for:
Time with my sister. Her visit was a lesson in gratitude. Honestly, I struggled a little bit with my gratitude practice. I have known for several months that she was coming. I wanted to create a peaceful weekend together with crafts, games, and plenty of chats… you know… “chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”
Well, in reality my life is not all that quiet and peaceful. My days were filled with taxi driving to middle school and high school, helping with the youth group fundraiser, Christmas parties, birthday parties, work, and feeding a household of my favorite people. A whole big jumble of noise, fun, life, laughter, stress, yawns, grocery stores, and traffic.
I felt disappointed because I tried so hard to make space. Needless to say, my expectations were “a little” unrealistic.
Then, it dawned on me. Right in the very middle of unmet expectations is where gratitude is hanging out.
Life is full of complications AND it is also full of little surprises we may not see when we place our focus on what is missing. Life is abundance and lack all wrapped into one messy, beautiful, complicated package. I still have much to learn and much to practice.
So, what might I have missed without a gratitude practice?
- A scrumptious lunch at one of our favorite little Italian bistros:
- My sister and daughter creating delightful Christmas tree skirts together:
- Christmas music and gift wrapping:
- A charming little lunch at the Hobbit Cafe… while we reminisced the adventure of watching The Hobbit together.
- Hot chocolate, silly Christmas songs, awesome donuts, British imports, long walks, and much more…
We made a lovely little imperfectly life-filled memory.
What are the little surprises in your day today?
Gratitude 