Let’s start this post by complaining, shall we? Life is hard. Life is a challenge. Life is not always sunny days, happy kids, and a clean kitchen. Aches and pains. Sadness and disappointment. A strained relationship. Illness and an unsure future. And hampers full of dirty laundry. Those things are never empty.
On any given day, at any given moment, I can be found stressing about something. Even if I seem peaceful or happy, there could be something nagging at my subconscious. This is my life, but I am not alone. I think everyone lives with their own particular burden, concern, hardship. That is life.
Finding that one thing to be thankful for, even when my insides want to rant and complain, brings me to a place of peace and even a deep abiding joy. It is a humble moment and that is a good place to be. Gratitude has saved me from being buried by anxiety and stress, from spiraling down into a place of darkness and despair. For if we can’t find something to be thankful for, how would we be able to keep going?
So sometimes, I have to dig deep into my heart and say “Thank you” but when I do, I don’t just find one thing, I find a hundred things. And then I am astounded by the blessing and gift of this life I live.
We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder
God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?”
~William A. Ward
Thank you God for this day and for those (seemingly hundreds of) people in my house who wear those clothes that end up in those hampers.
If you would like to share your version of “Thankful Thursday” (photos or text or both) today or in the future, you can link your post to my post on Thursdays in the comments section with the title “Thankful Thursday”.
September 25, 2014 at 6:25 am
“Life is not always sunny days”. So true, that is the reality of life. But through these challenging times, we learn how to appreciate the better days – and basically what we have around us. I love how you take a moment to be thankful for what you have and thank those around you and the powers above – it helps us to focus on others around us and gives us hope to realise that there is a better tomorrow 🙂
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September 27, 2014 at 8:20 pm
Thank you so much Mabel!
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September 25, 2014 at 8:29 am
Lovely post, as always, and beautiful pictures. This is my today’s version: http://celebratingsunshine.com/2014/09/25/gratitude-inspirational-quotes/
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September 25, 2014 at 11:13 am
Great post! Thank you so much for the reminder.
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September 27, 2014 at 8:20 pm
Thank you Amy!
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September 25, 2014 at 12:27 pm
That bit about the laundry hampers made me laugh and nod in agreement.
Here is my offering: https://martha0stout.wordpress.com/2014/09/25/life-happens-thankful-thursday/
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September 27, 2014 at 8:26 pm
🙂 It is so true in my house! Thank you for sharing your Thankful Thursday thoughts!
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September 25, 2014 at 3:23 pm
I agree – thanks for the reminder 🙂
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September 27, 2014 at 8:27 pm
Thank you!
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September 26, 2014 at 11:35 am
Great Post and lovely Photo! 🙂
http://lovehappynotes.com/2014/09/25/enjoying-the-moment/
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September 26, 2014 at 12:09 pm
http://hopebyday.blogspot.com/2014/09/concerts.html
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September 26, 2014 at 12:13 pm
Oh Mar,
You’re so good to jog our minds to the attitude of gratitude. I’m learning to praise God early (most mornings) in song. It sets the tone for the day, certainly. Yet, I can quickly dissolve into grumbling, which is a SIN. I have to remind myself all too often that it is just that. And I don’t have 9 children with all those full hampers – just usually have 3. Nor all the dishes, etc., etc. I’m by nature a messy with papers and mail and . and . and .
I’m trying now to scan an entire Archival album of photos from the 1980s – promised my eldest granddaughter a CD of more of her baby/toddler pics than she’s ever even seen. Doing a page a day helps (5-10 pics), but to make me get back to it, I’ve been leaving it on the floor of my tiny office. After today’s scan session, I picked it up and put away the album. Now I just hope I’ll have the follow-through to get it open and do more each day. 🙂
Thanks for encouraging me to be ever positive as much as possible, by His Grace!
Love, Carleene
_____
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September 26, 2014 at 3:28 pm
That determined little flower surrounded by mulch speaks volumes. Sometimes the smallest things bring joy and gratitude, we just have to open our eyes. Here’s my Thankful Thursday post link:
http://pattisjarrett.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/thankful-thursday-on-friday/
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October 1, 2014 at 10:48 pm
Reblogged this on Alexa – A Simple Life and commented:
I was browsing Thursday Blogs to connect with and found this from a week ago. It ties in well with my last post on being grateful on an ordinary day.
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October 2, 2014 at 12:23 am
Hi, it’s me again. I’m just wondering how the re blog works as I re blogged by using the reblog button but cannot find your post on my blog. Might I have to wait until you authorise it. If so and when done I’ll delete this comment.
Many thanks and apologies for the query.
Alexa
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October 2, 2014 at 12:33 am
I am not really sure. Maybe it’s because your blog is powered by WordPress.org and mine is powered by WordPress.com? I will look into it. Thank you liking my post enough to reblog. 🙂
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October 2, 2014 at 12:45 am
Here are the instructions on how to reblog but it looks like what I suspected earlier. You are hosted by WP.org and I am hosted by WP.com. http://en.support.wordpress.com/reblogs/ I am not sure how else to help other than placing a link to my post or copying and pasting the text and attributing it as my work.
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