Today, I am grateful for...

In the month of November, it was fun to see the wide variety of things my friends were grateful for - they were posting them as their Facebook statuses each day, with the heading "A month of being thankful", in honor of Thanksgiving. Each time I saw one of those, it was a good incentive to pause and take stock of what I am grateful for in my own life. I used to do daily gratitude lists - but as life got busier, I've let them fall by the wayside, and I can feel the difference in my attitude. If I don't take the time to pause, take stock and search out the things in my life that I can be grateful for, I can very quickly turn from having an attitude of "I get to _____" to "I have to ____", and then, resentments can start to pile up as I rush about to check things off of my list of things I "have" to do. Especially this time of year when there's extra pressure to do all of the fun Christmas festivities (they are supposed to be fun and festive, right?!), I can get extra cranky if I am not careful. So, after some reflection, here's what I have for today, in no particular order: Today, I am grateful for.... - A comfortable rocker/recliner in the nursery to take naps in with Diana - The miraculous recovery of my friend J from her aneurysm - Being able to send out a quick email to friends and family to connect/get support and be flooded with it - Discovering three new recipes on Pinterest that my husband and I like enough to add to our repertoire - Coffee, without which I would be falling asleep at work Honestly, I don't feel much better right this second - but I know, from experience, that I will if I stick with this practice. I hope I am motivated enough by that to try again tomorrow!