Friday, November 30, 2012

30 Days of Public Gratitude


I was raised by parents who taught us to count our blessings.  I try to remember to do it daily.  I usually do it multiple times a day.  During the month of American Thanksgiving, I like to share a little of that gratitude more publicly than usual.

11/1
Grateful to be blessed with the opportunity to be a mother to two precious little girls.

11/2
Grateful for a job opportunity that sparked an interest and led to a career with a company filled with great people. It'll be 20 years on 12/17. :-)

11/3
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believ'd!

I am grateful for grace.

11/4
Grateful for friendships, longtime and new. Grateful for how they broadened my horizons, strengthened my resolve, opened my heart and mind, provided me with encouragement and shown me patience and forgiveness (and helped me practice those things). Grateful for the shared experiences both joyful and sad. Grateful for the lessons in the unique sort of love that stems from friendship.

11/5
Grateful for laughter--the sound coming from my little girls, the sore muscle from the belly laughs when I get together with my silly peeps, the inappropriate stifled snickers during church or a corporate meeting, the silent, tears rolling down the cheeks sort of giggle fits, the blasting bahhahas. I love them all and love to hear them and am so very glad there are moments in nearly every day that seem to be filled with them.

11/6
Grateful for the women who came before me to break down the walls and barricades and stupid laws to ensure I can vote today. 
Grateful, too, to live in a republic in which I can freely take part in electing the people I want to represent me and guide the direction of my local and federal government. While it may not feel like my vote always counts, I know that it is more than a right and it is an important responsibility.

11/7
Grateful (always grateful) that no matter how unlovable or even unlikable I have been I have never known a time when I did not have a family that loves me. I am grateful to have grown up surrounded by unconditional love and grateful to know it exists even beyond the safe and known realm of my family.

11/8
Grateful for having my mother for 23 years and 360 days. 
My mother embodied grace, love, kindness, integrity and humility.
A natural teacher with great intelligence, she viewed the world as a place of learning and took every opportunity to expand her horizons and teach her daughters to love learning, particularly through experiencing. 
She had a heart so big that it loved everyone--really. If she could not think of at least one good thing to say about a person, she would simply say, "I just don't know him/her well enough."
She saw the potential for goodness and greatness in everyone. She held her daughters accountable for their behavior, their efforts and their results.
From her I inherited a great deal of my compulsion to create, to DO things and to serve. My goodness, did she know how to serve. In support of my father's military career, she chose the route of stay home mother but that did not mean she stayed home. Girl Scout leader, substitute teacher, camp counselor, PTA officer, Academic Booster Club leader, museum volunteer, OWC, Sunday School teacher, adult literacy teacher, reader for the blind, transcriber for the blind, chaperone, school play costume maker, base Santa Claus and Easter bunny costume maker, bake sale queen, ESL teacher, homeless shelter volunteer...I could go on and on. And while doing all those things, she made our many different homes warm, inviting places, was a loving wife, an engaged mother, a devoted daughter and gracious sister, and a thoughtful and considerate friend to so many people.
From my mother I learned to be grateful for even little things, to forgive even the big things, to make the most of what you have and to never sacrifice quality for quantity. She taught me that doing things well and doing things right were their own reward, so while appreciation and recognition are nice they should never be the motivator nor an expectation.
She was not flashy or loud, clearly I inherited that from another part of our family, but she was strong and brave and confident.
Some folks might think it sad that she left us much too soon, and it is. But for almost 24 years I had that kind of mother and I am keenly aware of how very fortunate I am. I am extremely grateful.

11/9
Grateful for my father, Phil. He is an amazing and incredible human being. He just keeps getting better as person, which is something special since he’s always been a great person. He has simply chosen a path of continuous discovery and with each experience he adapts and grows. 

His childhood was the kind people write books about as case studies about how hard life can be. Yet he still knows how to enjoy things from a child’s perspective—you should see him with his grandchildren. They adore him. He really plays with them, on his hands and knees, hair bows in his hair, foam swords at the ready and surrounded by geo tracks. He is present with them and still connects to the “wonder and fun” of life. And my sister and I have great memories of play and laughter and silliness with our father. Our father’s sense of play and fun and silly definitely has kept him young at heart.

He has led by example, showing integrity, patience, discipline, responsibility and wisdom. He is a wonderfully fun person but he knows when and where to be serious. He has stood up to authority when morality and ethical principles were at stake and did not back down, regardless what it cost him professionally and personally.

Like my mother, he loves learning. He reads with great passion, relishes new experiences and has never let go of the wonder in this world. Their shared devotion to experiencing the world around them is deeply ingrained in their daughters.

From my father I inherited a deep and passionate love of music. Even my very eclectic taste can be attributed to him. And his great love of song and dance can be seen not only in his daughter but in his granddaughters.

He taught me that the coolest of people where the ones who know exactly who they are and embrace that—geek, princess, jock, leader, follower, whatever. And like my mother, he sees the great potential within people.

His heart is enormous and his capacity to heal himself and others with love is powerful to behold.

He showed me what a good husband was supposed to be—devoted and loving and true partner with distinct personality, interests and passions. As a father he was present, engaged and took pleasure helping raise his daughters. And as a grandfather to my children—there is none better.

His life has not always been easy (sometimes it was downright awful) and he has been handed some thorny branches but he carries not even an ounce of bitterness. For him life is sweet and his vision is as infectious as his laughter.

I am truly blessed and so very grateful to have such a man for my daddy

11/10
Grateful for my stepmother, Grace. 
As a CPA and longtime single mother, she pushed through glass ceilings and helped redefine the role of women and mothers in the workforce. Her skill, work ethic and high standards paved the way for women like me, who could enter the workforce just assuming we belonged there.
She accepts and loves my father the way he deserves to be loved and she let my father love her the way she deserves to be loved and the way he needs to love. 
She is a loving and spoiling (despite herself) grandmother and a supportive and encouraging mother and a great friend.
She is a remarkable woman in a thousand different ways and I am grateful to have her in my life and in my family.

11/11
Grateful for the men and women who served in our armed forces and to their families for the sacrifices made in the defense of peace and our nation.

11/12
Grateful for music--it tames the savage beasts (and the crankiest of my moods), brings joy to heart of many, and is a universal language through which we can all connect.

11/13
Grateful for babies. In them is our future--the next big thing, the next great thing, the opportunity for amazing things. In them, one can see a miracle.

And, today, I'm especially grateful for the arrival of a new baby girl and send love and cheer to her parents.

11/14
Grateful that people who are called to teach answer that call. So pleased to have so many friends who are in this noble and too frequently underappreciated profession

11/15
Grateful for modern medicine and the people who practice medicine!

(yes, the migraine is gone--thoroughly killed by modern meds, client visit a success)

11/16
Grateful for my sister, Casey.
She spent almost 25 years as an only child, not having to share her mother with anyone. She has adapted beautifully to having share her mother with two sisters and our father. She and her husband have provided my girls with cousins they adore. She was even so thoughtful as to have her son born with red hair, so I could delight in someone else in my family sharing my hair color. (My nephew has, since, stubbornly become a towhead and refuses to go red again but now I've got two of my own so I'll forgive him). She's a fun travel companion, guaranteed to go out on the dance floor with you, a source of inspiration and advice and an all-around terrific person. It is a great blessing to have her in my life and my family.
y family sharing my hair color. (My nephew has, since, stubbornly become a towhead and refuses to go red again but now I've got two of my own so I'll forgive him). She's a fun travel companion, guaranteed to go out on the dance floor with you, a source of inspiration and advice and an all around terrific person. It is a great blessing to have her in my life and my family.

11/17
Grateful for miracles big and small and the loving God behind them all

11/18
Grateful for the weird road that led us to northern Alabama. It's a great blessing to live close to family and to make new friends, and it's extra special to make friends who feel like family.

Plus, the weather today 11/18 was sunny, mid 60s. just saying.

11/19
Grateful for a cozy home with climate control and a stocked fridge and pantry.

11/20
Grateful for silly, ol' Facebook letting me connect and reconnect and on various levels share, get to know and/or get a peek in the lives of people who have crossed my path over the years. It doesn't replace face to face contact but it does make a big world a little smaller and I really do appreciate that.

11/21
Grateful for traditions. They connect us with our past while we enjoy our present.

Pass the sweet potato casserole

11/22
Happy Thanksgiving! Grateful for friends and family, food and fun and the fact my dad and Jeffrey are totally in charge of the meal!

11/23
Grateful for extra-long weekends


11/24
Grateful for a creative streak and even happier to see it has been passed on to my children.

11/25
Grateful for the resilience of children. They flourish and thrive despite and in spite of the mistakes and failures of their parents.


11/26
Grateful for an internal clock that woke up on time to get Monday started off properly even though I forgot to set an alarm.

11/27
Eight years ago today, I married my Mister.

Grateful for a husband who can do almost anything--build, cook, fix, hunt, protect, snuggle and so much more. Grateful for a father to my girls who is present in their lives. Grateful for a partner in life and love and parenthood.

11/28
Grateful for all the wonder and magic of the holiday season.

11/29
Grateful to have so much for which I can be grateful that sometimes its hard to decide what should make a post.

11/30
My last installment for the month of Thanksgiving and 30 days of public gratitude:

I am grateful for my baby sister, Elise.


She is amazing. She inspires me, encourages me, raises me up and keeps me grounded all at the same time. She is smarter than I am, but I’m the big sister, so to keep my big sister authority I work hard to have just enough knowledge to be able to offer her useful advice from time to time. I read more just so I can keep up my end of a conversation with her.
Her bravery humbles me. I have an artistic streak, but she has the heart of an artist. She has sacrificed much to be true to that heart and it amazes me what she capable of doing. With all the sacrifice an artist’s life requires, she has never compromised her principles or character. She may sometimes feel small but her heart is enormous. If she had only $5 to her name and you needed $4, she’d give it to you. Never big on material things, she does like to surround herself with beautiful things—primarily art and books. While I may sometimes question her taste in shoes—no one can rock a platform sneaker like her.
She isn’t always easy to get to know but every bit worth the effort. To her nieces and nephews she is fun with legs and arms and a thousand voices for storytelling—they adore her and she showers them with love and affection.
There is no one who is more like me and simultaneously so diametrically different. I am so thankful to have been blessed with a sister like her.
Now, if she’d only move closer so she could babysit and I could borrow her shoes...

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