I never put my phone on silent at night when I go to sleep. I have a daughter that lives on the other side of the world, a mother that lives alone a couple of hours away, a son and daughter-in-law in another State and two other adult children that don't always live with us. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, as I was going to bed, my phone made a sound. An email was coming in. As I was reminding myself why I cannot turn the phone off, I realized that ALL the people who could be needing me in the middle of the night were sleeping under my roof that night. And I was filled with immense gratitude.
Right before Thanksgiving, on November 21st I read this post by my favorite author, Kate DiCamillo, on her Facebook page:
So I was on a mission to find my three little things to be grateful for. At first I thought the fact that I could go to sleep one night with the phone on silent was a little thing but in reality it was a big thing. To have my kids, my mother, my brother all in good health together and with me, is not a little thing.
Since then, I have been on the hunt for other little big things to be grateful for. I got another one on my birthday when my daughter gave me a Nespresso, one of those milk frothing machines. My mornings have been transformed by this small enhancement of my coffee experience. The big thing about it though is the thoughtfulness of my daughter who had told me of her goal to become a good gift giver. My advise to her was to listen. And she had listened to me!
How wonderful it would be if I could live every moment of every day in this state of gratefulness. What if more often, I could find the big thing in the little things of life? It takes practice. So I will start right now. As I sit in my living room writing these words, I challenge myself to look at the objects around me and find the grace and blessing in each one them:
The watercolor I did at that class I took with my brother a couple of summers ago - grateful for the chance to spend the weekend with my brother, thankful for my always generous husband who supported me spending money on an art class.
A shelf full of old Disney VHS tapes - grateful for the years I spent watching them with my four kids as I took care of them full time.
A small bottle of essential oils given to me when I commented on a health issue one of my children was struggling with - blessed by friends who care for me and my loved ones.
This could become a habit!
What little thing is a symbol of a big thing you are grateful for?
1. A text from my partners in life... I am reminded of all of the women who know me on different levels and accept me just as I am but are always consciously and unconsciously helping me to be a better, more full version of myself.
ReplyDelete2. My bed full of pillows, 12 to be exact. I am grateful for a pretty place to lay my head every night, next to the love of my life who cuddles with me even if I snore.
3. The distraction of the internet. Like when I read a good book, I can step out from the everydayness of my own life and peek into other people's, especially people I know. And I almost always leave a page smiling about some joy or victory in another's life.