GRATEFULNESS
No matter how bad things get and, believe me, I know they can get extremely bad, it's very important that you hold on to your appreciation and gratitude for all the good things big and small.
Even the bad I am grateful for. The lessons learned through the bad are invaluable. Does that mean that I'm glad the bad things happened, or that I wouldn't have had them not have happened if possible? No. But they did happen so I except it, learn from it and move on, again, grateful for the depth of understanding that it provided to me.
There was a time when my three children were very young that, due to circumstances beyond my control, we ended up homeless. Two adults and three children living in a mini van for a month and a half. It was an extremely difficult time to get through. But, we made it. I wouldn't change that experience because it made all of us appreciate things so much more that we just took for granted.
From the mini van, we were taken in by a Russian woman and her three children. Her name was Anna and we barely knew each other. She spoke no English and we communicated through her children. So there were nine of us in a tiny, one bathroom, house. Not that it was easy, or always comfortable but, I was so grateful to be there. We spent a month there until we were able to get our own place which was an extremely small one bedroom apartment.
I was so grateful for that tiny apartment. We were there for a year and a half before, finally, being able to move into something more suitable for a family of five. It wasn't always easy but, I will always remember that time fondly and will always be grateful for the experience.
I try to make it a daily practice to remind myself of the things I am grateful for.
My Children
My Dogs
My Cats
My Health
My House
etc.