Being Grateful - Nov 27th

 

This November, I have taken on the challenge of pondering blessings that I commonly overlook. Things I would certainly miss if they were gone, yet scarcely give much thought. My goal is to share daily one typically-ignored blessing for which I am truly thankful.



Nov. 27th:

I have a voice. With my throat and mouth, I can form audible sounds—words, laughter, melodies, and other noises. I can speak to an audience, argue with a colleague, giggle with my girlfriends, sing in a choir, yodel, whistle, cheer, and roar. It is wonderful to have a voice. 

I love using my voice to talk over the phone. My closest friend lives many miles from my house, so we spend many hours on the phone, often reading books to each other. My friend is talented at character voices, both male and female, which makes the stories come to life. It is incredible how a single voice can be altered to create such a wide range of sounds! 

I am grateful to have a voice with which to communicate and entertain, and I am grateful to hear so many wonderful voices chatting, singing, and laughing all around me.

November 28th

Being Grateful - Nov 26th

 

This November, I have taken on the challenge of pondering blessings that I commonly overlook. Things I would certainly miss if they were gone, yet scarcely give much thought. My goal is to share daily one typically-ignored blessing for which I am truly thankful.



Nov. 26th:

My family just celebrated Thanksgiving, and my oh my did I use my hands a lot! I chopped a lot of vegetables, stirred thickened sauces, sliced a whole turkey, whisked and spooned and peeled and buttered and scrubbed... oh yes, my hands were very busy! 

Now that Thanksgiving is over, my kids are spending time together playing card games (busy with their hands) and I am writing this blog about how grateful I am for the hands I take for granted. I write, I draw, I paint, I play piano (a little) I cook, I clean, I type (for hours at work.) It is amazing how useful and used my hands are, yet I seldom stop to appreciate the miracle they are. I am very grateful to have two, healthy, able hands.

November 27th

Being Grateful - Nov 25th

 

This November, I have taken on the challenge of pondering blessings that I commonly overlook. Things I would certainly miss if they were gone, yet scarcely give much thought. My goal is to share daily one typically-ignored blessing for which I am truly thankful.



Nov. 25th:

I was blessed to grow up in the same house, in the same city, same schools, with the same friends for most of my childhood life. I had parents who established healthy routines and habits that lasted throughout those years. The stability I experienced as a result was comforting. It gave me an anchor I often needed when other areas of life gave way to every shift in the wind, as the world is prone to do. Even at a young age, I recognized and appreciated the security that existed in a stable home. It was a sure thing on which I could rely.

When I grew to be a parent, stability for my own children became a priority. I wanted to raise my kids in one house, a place they could call home no matter how drastically things changed outside. I was granted that blessing, and my kids grew up in the same house, the same city, same schools, having many of the same friends for most of their childhood. 

Even if they don’t realize it, that constant in their lives created stability, which has real benefits. Some of them include better health, a reduction in stress, deeper friendships, better habits, feelings of control, feelings of security, and less uncertainty about life. I am grateful my kids grew up with roots in a house and a hometown. I am grateful for the stability I too experienced growing up.

November 26th