Grateful to Be...

A heart of gratitude

2010-02-08T14:19:00.001-05:00

Hello? Does anyone read this gratitude blog? Did anyone notice that on Friday I skipped my "weekly gratitude photo" post?

I also didn't post it on Saturday. Or Sunday.

Because I've decided not to do it anymore.

I feel like gratitude should be something you feel naturally and not something your force yourself to do. And that is exactly what it had turned into for me with the "take a picture every day of something you're grateful for" thing. It was becoming a chore and gratitude should never be a chore.

Today is February 8th. In fifty four days I will be twenty eight. In sixty five days I will celebrate 365 days of being alive. Of survival.

When I started this gratitude journey on January 1, 2009 I never could have predicted how much it would mean to me. Or how much it woould force me to see the joy in my life. Every day. Even when I was in the ICU waking up from a medically induced coma. Even when I had to get all my nutrition from a straw. Even when I was dependent on so many other people just go get through the motions of every day.

Each night I would come here and find something to be grateful for.

Sometimes it was just the simple fact that I loved chocolate so much. And that was a good thing because I drank a LOT of chocolate milkshakes.

It has almost been 10 months since my accident and if I have learned nothing else in that time I have learned how to truly be grateful.

Often all I need on any given day to be happy is the knowledge that I am alive. Each breath is a gift. And I cherish them all.

Life is not perfect by any means, but it's the difficult times that make the good things so much sweeter.

And with that I think it's time to close this blog. I'm not going to delete it. Maybe someday someone will stumble on it and they will be encouraged to start their own gratitude journal. I think it's a good thing to have blogs like this floating along in cyberspace.

I'm also not going to give up on gratitude. I plan on transfering all my gratitude into my main blog. I write about my every day life on there, so it should be a seamless transition. Because every day is a blessing. That is a lesson that everyone deserves to learn.

In parting I'll offer a link to another blog.

Enjoying the Small Things

It was shared on The Nest last week and I haven't been able to get this woman and her family off my mind. I've been reading through some of her archives and a more true heart of gratitude I have neaver seen. She has such a beautiful spirit and reading about her has been a real blessing.

Thank you for traveling this road with me. It's been a real pleasure.

Take a moment to find some joy in your day.

Joanna

Project 365, week 4

2010-01-29T19:36:00.000-05:00

Gratitude week in pictures: January 23-29

Mmm, pecan pie

Baby chubs

My mom and grandma

"Pie weights"

Vintage class ring

Down snow boots

Comfort food at it's finest

Project 365, week 3

2010-01-22T23:03:00.002-05:00

January 16-22

Laundry facilities in our apartment.

A requirement before I would marry Andy

Mac-n-cheese

oh so scrumptious

My flat iron

It makes me suitable for public appearance

Milton the curious bunny

Books

Oh how I love my books

Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies

A little wine with dinner never hurt anybody

Day 365!!!

2010-01-19T23:10:00.000-05:00

Holy crap I made it!

My wonderful husband and his support
My mom & step dad
My grandmother
My extended family
My best friend

Day 364

2010-01-18T23:11:00.001-05:00

Days spent in stretchy pants
Andy had a good night skiing and didn't get hurt
A full pantry
Generous people
41 days 'till March

Day 363

2010-01-17T22:52:00.000-05:00

The dollar menu
Making a successful pork roast. My first!
Funny sales people
MLK weekend is almost over
Sleeping through Andy's alarm clock this morning

Project 365

2010-01-16T22:07:00.000-05:00

Project 365 is being changed to a once a week post on this blog like it is on my other blog. It's just too much to upload and post a photo every day.

Look for a post next Friday for a week's worth of gratitude photos!

Day 362

2010-01-16T22:06:00.000-05:00

My shorter hair, life is just so much simpler
Smaller laundry piles, I don't know how that happened, but I like it
Old friends and reconnecting
Trying new restaurants
I can finally see the pavement on my driveway

Day 361

2010-01-15T22:18:00.000-05:00

For all those that have given in some way to the Hatians (time, money, thoughts, prayers. they all count)
My home
Letting off some steam
Vaseline lip therapy
More warm(ish) weather to come

P365, day 15

2010-01-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Flannel pjs

Day 360

2010-01-14T22:38:00.000-05:00

My retainer (even though I hate wearing it, I can tell it helps my teeth)
This weekend marks half way through the ski season!
Breakfast in bed
Watching the world wake up through our bedroom window
I could actually see today's sunset because there weren't any clouds

P365, day 14

2010-01-14T22:33:00.002-05:00

Magnum is home and back in action!

Day 359

2010-01-13T22:39:00.000-05:00

Pot luck dinners
Having a good time and still making it home by ten thirty
Not being single anymore
No snow in the forecast (at least for five days)
Getting paid

P365, day 13

2010-01-13T21:00:00.000-05:00

My scrapbooks and that I took the time to put them together

Day 358

2010-01-12T22:23:00.000-05:00

My support system
Cashing in the change bowl
Andy is off tomorrow, so we can spend a little time together
We picked up the truck today
Wine with dinner

P365, day 12

2010-01-12T21:00:00.001-05:00

For my sinus troubles

Day 357

2010-01-11T20:34:00.000-05:00

Julie is finally reading all the Twilight books
The seventh Outlander book is waiting on me
Andy has something to take his mind off work (even if it means six lonely Mondays for me)
The truck is finally fixed. We are a one car family no more
Goodreads

P365, day 11

2010-01-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

We are close to Andy's work and winter play place.

So when he isn't home he's not far away.

Day 356

2010-01-10T22:55:00.001-05:00

Andy's ability in the kitchen
A full tummy
Finally a day without snow
And not a cloud in the sky
Book discussions

P365, day 10

2010-01-10T22:50:00.003-05:00

My new favorite cookbook!

It's even pretty without the cover.

Day 355

2010-01-09T23:18:00.002-05:00

Meeting new people
We finally made a good wine selection (by ourselves)
Our house guest bailed so I didn't have to "deep clean" my house
I finished book #3 on my list tonight (& I liked it)
Cheese & crackers (a simple snack that is oh, so good)

P365, day 9

2010-01-09T23:13:00.002-05:00

My first ever (successful) apple pie

Day 354

2010-01-08T20:44:00.000-05:00

I didn't set foot outside today
Monday's forecast is sunny & (kind of) warm
My little digital camera
Dinner parties
Having a someone to vent to

P365, day 8

2010-01-08T20:43:00.001-05:00

Lifesaver

Day 353

2010-01-07T21:40:00.002-05:00

New recipes
Andy's giant down coat (I like to wear it around the apartment if I get cold)
Today we saw a temp above freezing (only one degree, but who's counting?)
Days that Andy closes so we can sleep in and then make brunch together
My cell phone

P365, day 7

2010-01-07T21:38:00.002-05:00

Handy little electricity saver

Day 352

2010-01-06T22:33:00.003-05:00

The clearance book section (even if it did make me break part of my new year's resolution)
Milton never gives up. Ever.
Blogs. I love reading about other people
The peace that winter brings
Lunch dates

P365, day 6

2010-01-06T22:28:00.003-05:00

Day 351

2010-01-05T22:25:00.002-05:00

Stepping out of my box to try new things
I didn't hurt myself today trying to xc ski across ice
My sweet husband, he makes me laugh
I spent most the night reading
Working water and heat

P365, day 5

2010-01-05T22:23:00.002-05:00

These two brighten my day, every day

Day 350

2010-01-04T21:56:00.000-05:00

Date night (and day!)
Finally having my speeding ticket taken care of
Ice cream even though it's 5 degrees out
The snow we're getting is light and fluffy instead of wet
I got home today before the storm hit

P365, day 4

2010-01-04T21:54:00.001-05:00

For keeping me clean when our water's out

Day 349

2010-01-03T22:25:00.000-05:00

Restaurant gift cards
Getting all the Christmas decorations in one box
Putting the house back in order
Grocery shopping in a nearly empty store
A tourist free week ahead

P365, day 3

2010-01-03T22:21:00.002-05:00

Day 348

2010-01-02T21:22:00.001-05:00

Milk chocolate
Comfort food and Andy's willingness to eat late
The ability to get around safely in the bad weather
My mother
Sun at the end of the day, even if it was really, really cold still

P365, day 2

2010-01-02T21:20:00.001-05:00

For his patience

Day 347

2010-01-01T22:33:00.001-05:00

Film cameras
An empty laundry basket
Beginning new things and stepping out of my comfort zone
2009 is over
Ball point pens

P-365, day 1

2010-01-01T18:18:00.004-05:00

The past year has been such a challenge for me and this blog was a serious source of inspiration. It also has helped me keep things in perspective. In general I'm a high strung sort of personality and taking the time out every day to realize just how blessed I am has helped a lot. So I'm not ready to give this up.

Certain things got in my way this past year and I won't be finished with 365 Days of Grace until January 19th.

But I have started another 365 day challenge to see me through 2010 and I plan on letting it spill over into this daily gratitude blog. Go here and here for a little more information (if you don't read my other blog)

The basic idea of the new challenge is that you take one picture a day for a year. In order to tie this new challenge to my old one I'm going to continue this blog by posting a photo of something I'm grateful for every day. There won't be five things, but pictures will certainly be more interesting than a list every day. Enjoy and join in if you like.

Making breakfast with Andy

*Since I'm not quite done with Grace in Small Things there will be two daily posts for a while.

Day 346

2009-12-31T23:17:00.002-05:00

Over the counter flu medication, I'm gonna need it
Staying home on New Years
Fresh produce
Long sleeved t-shirts
The internet

Day 345

2009-12-30T21:46:00.001-05:00

Making some reachable goals for 2010
My new haircut
Having someone cut my hair who listens to me
One day left of 2009
My soft warm bed

Day 344

2009-12-29T23:00:00.002-05:00

Other people who will make decisions for me
My laundry pile is considerably smaller than it was this morning
T-minus thirteen hours until I get a haircut
I haven't gotten Andy's cold (yet, knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder and all that jazz)
Getting presents in the mail

Day 343

2009-12-28T22:37:00.002-05:00

My favorite Mexican restaraunt re-opened with the same menu, but a new name
2009 is coming to a close; welcome 2010
I have a hair appointment day after tomorrow; not a moment too soon
Scarves, hats and gloves
Extra strength lotion

Day 342

2009-12-27T22:35:00.002-05:00

Lazy holiday weekends
Not cooking
Gift cards
Books!
Pants with elastic waistbands

Day 341

2009-12-26T22:27:00.002-05:00

Finally getting to spend some time with my family
New DVD movies!
Coming home with leftovers
After Christmas sales
Having nothing in particular to do tomorrow

Day 340

2009-12-25T23:06:00.001-05:00

Spending some time with Andy on Christmas day
Having our power back
Having running water back
Our fireplace, the only source of heat we had for most of the day
Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny

Day 339

2009-12-24T21:25:00.001-05:00

Christmas Eve dinner
Exchanging presents
A mountain of homemade sweets
Being inside where it's nice and warm when there is an ice storm headed our way
Wonderful Christmas surprises

Day 338

2009-12-23T22:47:00.003-05:00

Coming home after a long day
Not getting the cold everyone else has (so far)
Seeing people I haven't seen in a long time
Christmas celebrations begin tomorrow night (weather permitting)
Having my family with me for the holidays

Day 337

2009-12-22T23:07:00.002-05:00

Holiday baking and it's rewards
My new homemade table runner
Three days 'till Christmas
Sunshine and a (slightly) warm day
Extra thick body lotion

Day 336

2009-12-21T22:20:00.001-05:00

Andy's job (sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm grateful for this because I'd like him to quit)
Making cookies over several days. There isn't less mess, but not all the mess comes at once
Early Christmas presents
Getting Christmas cards in the mail
Bedtime

Day 335

2009-12-20T23:10:00.001-05:00

Being proactive and planning ahead
Holiday parties!
Sugar cookies!
Four wheel drive vehicles
Snuggling

Day 334

2009-12-19T23:20:00.001-05:00

So far no one has crashed too bad in the snow
My family and their health
Down vests, coats and boots
House guests
The holiday spirit

Day 333

2009-12-18T21:22:00.000-05:00

Being safe at home
All the beautiful snow
Heat!
Our fireplace and putting it to good use
Comfort food

Day 332

2009-12-17T23:08:00.001-05:00

The possibility of a white Christmas
All the shopping is done
My menu is planned
Christmas is one week away
I'm not working in retail this year!

Day 331

2009-12-16T22:20:00.001-05:00

Quiet dinners at home
Doing holiday stuff all day at home
Our big picture window and the sun coming through it all day
Re-purposing old Christmas cards
Andy getting to enjoy most of his day off

Day 330

2009-12-15T22:52:00.001-05:00

Being done with Christmas shopping
Fun wrapping paper
Cooking at home and not eating out a lot
Dancing around the apartment
Small Christmases

Day 329

2009-12-14T21:44:00.000-05:00

Today is over
My water goblets. They make me happy.
French dip sandwiches
Frozen veggies
Getting mail

Day 328

2009-12-13T20:35:00.001-05:00

Meeting online friends in real life
Getting back home safely
The Hulk didn't break down this weekend
My sweet husband let me take a nap this afternoon
There are less than 2 weeks until Christmas!

Day 327

2009-12-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas cookies!
Tacky sweaters!
My internet friends
Getting to introduce Julie to new people
Twinkling Christmas lights

Day 326

2009-12-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

Julie
Mina
Frank
Shopping with my BFF
My internal alarm clock

Day 325

2009-12-10T21:39:00.001-05:00

Homemade food
Good TV night with Andy
Getting out of the arctic tundra we live in for a few days
Flannel pajamas
New book smell

Day 324

2009-12-09T22:50:00.000-05:00

My momma
GLEE!
"Muddy Buddy" holiday candy
Getting our Christmas cards done
A fun weekend ahead!

Day 323

2009-12-08T22:13:00.001-05:00

Rainbow colored sharpie pens
Craft stores
Chocolate ice cream
Children's books
Old Christmas ornaments

Day 322

2009-12-07T23:14:00.001-05:00

Successfully writing a cookie recipe
My friends
Andy is willing to vacuum
I finally know how to spell vacuum correctly
I get to see Julie this weekend!

Day 321

2009-12-06T23:04:00.001-05:00

Snow!
All my decorations are out
Crockpot meals
Harry Potter movies on TV
Being at home

Day 320

2009-12-05T23:13:00.001-05:00

Live Christmas trees and the way they smell
Heat
Finally getting the lights on the tree
Taking my time while shopping even though everyone around me is grumpy and in a hurry
The bunnies are eternal optimists

Day 319

2009-12-04T23:33:00.000-05:00

Andy's patience with my decoration mania
Planning on a low-key Christmas
Speakers for my ipod
Living in a small town
Thick hand lotion

Day 318

2009-12-03T22:11:00.002-05:00

Christmas decorations
My mantle
Milton didn't misbehave today
Getting a good nap when I needed it
Christmas baking

Day 317

2009-12-02T22:10:00.001-05:00

Not having to go outside on a windy, rainy day
The sunset today that bathed everything in gold
Being able to laugh at myself
Chicken noodle soup
Sweet tea

Day 316

2009-12-01T23:32:00.001-05:00

The frozen and canned food aisles
Fancy hair bows
Waking up while Andy is still in bed
Icing
Holiday magazine issues

Day 315

2009-11-30T23:17:00.002-05:00

My relationship with Andy
Swearing off Thanksgiving leftovers to give my stomach a much needed break
Christmas music a la Bing Crosby
Learning new things
Watching the snow come down from my sofa

Day 314

2009-11-29T21:52:00.001-05:00

Reading days
Getting the laundry done
Food induced naps
Holiday weekends
Andy

Day 313

2009-11-28T22:41:00.001-05:00

Helpful sales people
Date night
Old music
I'm not sick of leftovers yet
Sunshine

Day 312

2009-11-27T22:19:00.001-05:00

Leftover Thanksgiving food. It's better the next day.
Andy working so close to home
Not shopping today. At all.
The ski slope finally opened
Getting a free Christmas tree

Day 311

2009-11-26T21:51:00.001-05:00

A successful Thanksgiving meal
Lots of left overs
My family (I could say this all 365 days and it wouldn't be enough)
My wonderful husband
My inlaws

Day 310

2009-11-25T23:04:00.000-05:00

Cooking all day
Being done with all day cooking
Crawling in my bed after a long day of domesticity
The shuffle feature on my ipod
A little bit of bourbon to take the edge off

Day 309

2009-11-24T23:25:00.001-05:00

Giant chocolate chip cookies
Good books
Andy's job
Thin shirts for dressing in layers
Our fireplace

Day 308

2009-11-23T22:40:00.001-05:00

Getting Thanksgiving groceries for less than budgeted
I get to make pie!
Hosting my family for the first time at Thanksgiving
Being organized
Andy is definitely off work on Thanksgiving!

Day 307

2009-11-22T22:41:00.001-05:00

Going to see New Moon twice this weekend
Andy had a safe trip for work today
Now he's back home with me where he belongs
The weather finally seems to be cooperating with the time of year
Breakfast. It's good any time, day or night.

Day 306

2009-11-21T23:41:00.002-05:00

My family
My teenage cousins (and going to the movies with them)
Thanksgiving food
Leftover Thanksgiving food
Being around for the holidays

Day 305

2009-11-20T22:12:00.001-05:00

Elevators and escalators
Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow
Book discussions
Fresh cut flowers
Candles

Day 304

2009-11-19T21:39:00.002-05:00

Andy's sense of humor
Photo updates of Mina
Talking on the phone to Mina
Early Thanksgiving with my family in two days
The post office finally got it together and opened out mail box

Day 303

2009-11-18T21:50:00.002-05:00

Soundtracks
Andy is going to be off work for Thanksgiving
Fuzzy blankets
Homemade pizza dough
My spoiled, sassy bunnies

Day 302

2009-11-17T21:22:00.001-05:00

Buttermilk biscuits
The Nest
Andy might be off on Thanksgiving
I have my meal plan finalized for Thanksgiving
We each have a car to drive (even if they aren't always the most reliable)

Day 301

2009-11-16T23:45:00.002-05:00

Eternal optimists
After nearly 10 years Andy willingly watches romantic comedies with no strings attached
Late night junk food runs
Warm days and cool evenings
Snowman sheets

Day 300

2009-11-15T21:35:00.002-05:00

Wow! 300 days of gratitude!

New Moon comes out this week! (go ahead and judge me)
Andy doesn't mind to eat the same thing for three meals
The ski shop hasn't opened just yet. It might still be closed on Thanksgiving.
Free sweatshirts
Having a washer and dryer in our apartment

Day 299

2009-11-14T22:33:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving specials on Food network
Cuddling with Andy in our nice warm bed
Looking through recipes and planning my turkey day menu
Homemade tortillas
Having a sunny day after all the rain

Day 298

2009-11-13T23:07:00.000-05:00

Butterball turkey (on sale!)
No more bugs flying around the apartment
Lunch dates
Flannel sheet weather
Upcoming holiday parties

Day 297

2009-11-12T22:17:00.002-05:00

Christmas lists
Brightly colored paper
Bug spray
Thanksgiving photo cards
Chips & salsa

Day 296

2009-11-11T23:09:00.002-05:00

Watching Andy wage war on the flies in our apartment
Getting half my groceries for free
Our fireplace & mantle
Office extras on the DVD's
Rainy days when I wear my pajamas all day

Day 295

2009-11-10T23:33:00.001-05:00

Sleeping in on rainy mornings
Watching the bunnies run laps around the living room
New photos on my fridge
Rain shoes
Hooded sweatshirts

Day 294

2009-11-09T20:34:00.001-05:00

My zebra print flip flops
Mild temperatures in November
Auto cell phone chargers
"Clean out the fridge" dinner night
Brownies!!

Day 293

2009-11-08T22:50:00.001-05:00

Reading two books at once so if I get bored I can switch
Cuppycakes
Being lazy at home all day
Owning a season of The Office
Yeast rolls

Day 292

2009-11-07T23:03:00.000-05:00

The shower was a success!
The shower is over
Frank, Julie and Mina
Bonnie for helping me host and letting us use her house
My parents

Day 291

2009-11-06T22:37:00.002-05:00

Today is over
Tomorrow is the shower
I get to see Julie and Mina in less than 24 hours
All the stuff I've made had turned out better than I'd imagined
I can sleep in without stress tomorrow

Day 290

2009-11-05T23:33:00.002-05:00

I get to see Julie and Mina in two days
The baby shower of the year is finally here!
The favors I made are way better than I'd hoped
If Andy is even the slightest bit hungry I can talk in into going to get just about anything for us to snack on
Coffee, to warm me up and give me some energy

Day 289

2009-11-05T00:19:00.001-05:00

I haven't had to cook in two weeks
My ability to make a pack of scrapbook paper go a lot further than it should
Being thrifty
My creativity
Things turning out ok

Day 288

2009-11-03T23:11:00.002-05:00

My old dinosaur desktop computer
Looking at people's photos on facebook
Other people's blogs
Doing stuff to get ready for the baby shower this weekend! It's finally here!
Going to bed tonight, it's been a long day

Day 287

2009-11-02T21:59:00.001-05:00

Unexpected naps
Quiet evenings at home
Getting geared up for Thanksgiving
Dancing around my house
itunes

Day 286

2009-11-01T22:19:00.002-05:00

That I'm not a parent yet
Andy is patient with my need to dress up the bunnies
They bunnies are patient with my need to dress them up
I can rant and Andy just lets me get it out of my system
We finally got cheeseburgers tonight

Day 285

2009-10-31T22:07:00.000-04:00

Romantic comedies
Batman movies
Andy finally seams as fed up with his job as I am
Gaining an hour of sleep tonight
Chapstick