"Gratitude lights up what is already there. You don't necessarily have anything more or different, but suddenly you actually see what is. And because you can see, you no longer take it for granted. You're just standing in your yard, but suddenly you realize, Oh, there's the first flower of spring struggling to emerge from the snow; Oh, there's a deer emerging from the scrub brush; Oh, there's the measuring cup you've been looking for that your daughter was using to make mud pies. It's just your ordinary old backyard, but suddenly you are filled with happiness, thankfulness and joy." ~excerpted from Attitudes of Gratitude, how to receive and give joy every day of your life, by M. J. Ryan
Today I am grateful for the flowers blooming in my yard. I have one a flower garden right out my front door that is a perennial garden which means during the winter not much goes on so I wait for the adjustment of the sun in the spring time that brings my little garden to life, it is just one of those little things that make me happy. Holding babies is another thing that makes me deliriously happy, I am grateful for a job that lets me hold babies!! I tend to live an ordinary life but in that ordinary life many things bring a smile to my face, the way my husband makes me feel when he walks into the room is one, a phone call from a friend in another, even rainy days bring a smile to my face because I know what happens after the rain, my grass is greener and the air is fresher!! Gratitude is a wonderful antidote for negativity. I love the following quote: “Ask yourself, 'How did God bless me today?' If you do that long enough and with faith, you will find yourself remembering blessings. And sometimes, you will have gifts brought to your mind which you failed to notice during the day, but which you will then know were a touch of God’s hand in your life.” –Henry B. Eyring
