Give Thanks - Tumblr Posts

Gratitude list:

2 weeks of isolation before Thanksgiving thus reducing chances of spreading COVID during the actual event

I learned a new thing about a very quiet coworker

I just received a very large raise

I finished work and was able to leave before 4pm today -- a personal best this year

I now have no teacher work for the rest of the Thanksgiving break besides one mandatory training

I am much less stressed than at the beginning of the school year and even one month ago

I have co-workers who care

I have friends who care

I have a close knit family

I get to be with my family

My hip has not hurt once since I've begun Noom

I have returned to my pre-pandemic weight

I like my face

I have clothes that fit and food I like

I am making good and healthy changes

My mask keeps my nose warm when I'm outside walking

My roommate comes on walks with me so I can get my step count in

I get to read the word of God daily

I have a watch that keeps really good track of my steps each day

I have a God who loves me and wants me to do well

There is a prophet on the Earth who speaks for God just as there was in Biblical times

There are still some still-alive flowers

It is warm enough to sit outside at the temple even though it's early evening

The temple grounds are open even if I cannot go inside without a living ordinance appointment

Thanksgiving gives me an opportunity to give thanks

Gratitude list day 2 or How to Hunt a Christmas Tree

Go Tree Hunting with some of your sisters and their kiddos.

Miss the turn off covered in snow and find an actual parking lot down the way instead.

Have the kiddies bound out of the car and attack the first length of snow without any winter gear of any kind.

Laugh with them as you make sure each child (4) is properly attired and that the adults have walkie talkies.

Bring a sled that the children can ride in.

Drag the empty sled down the path. The children enjoy walking and you enjoy watching them.:-)

Find the most Christmassy Christmas tree to ever have grown.

Have the nephew (5) Cut Down the Tree (with some help from the Brother-in-law).

Record his joy for the siblings and cousins who couldn't make it.

While dragging it back have the same nephew Find A Teepee. Not a real teepee, just a bunch of sticks stacked together in the shape of one.

The teepee is the Most Exciting Find until you learn that

The niece (2) Finds Snow. And then More Snow. AND THEN MORE SNOW. And then she finds a puddle.

Say only ridiculous things with the walkie talkies. After all, you are using a public line and anyone listening in must be entertained.

Make sure each child knows how to use the walkie talkies and does. Their conversations are far more entertaining than the adults'.

Haul the tree onto the Brother-in-law's car and wrap it tightly. You don't want to make more than one stop to make sure it hasn't been sliding off the roof.

Say good-bye, but keep the walkie talkies. The nephew (5) and niece (2) still have beautiful conversation to do.

Gratitude day 4

All my life I've wanted to be a person who goes on walks every day. I figured that healthy, thin people did that and I have always wanted to be thin and healthy.

Recently, and on the very persuasive recommendation of my sister, I started a weight loss program called Noom. It encourages (among many other healthy habits) daily exercise and meeting the recommended 10,000 daily steps.

I started going on walks. I don't always get a walk in, or even hit my daily step goal, but I have started to be a person who goes on regular walks. I even rather like going on these walks. My anxiety levels have decreased. I feel better about myself. I'm able to walk more without being in or worrying about being in pain.

And that is something I'm really grateful for.

Gratitude List Day 5

Today I cried.

Last year, when my brother-in-law was going to have 4 months (4!!?) of paternity leave, he decided to audition for A Christmas Carol. He was chosen as a supporting cast member and did an excellent job. I loved watching that play.

This year, due to COVID, we weren't sure if any plays were going to happen, but the theater called him up and asked if he would be willing to reprise his role: no audition required. He jumped at the chance and began preparing.

He wanted as many family members as could come to come see it and was given several tickets for the dress rehearsal nights. He passed them out carefully, taking into account who had been able to go last year and who had missed it due to an unfortunate accident and standstill on the freeway.

At the end of passing out the tickets, there happened to be one left for me! What excitement!

The play was earlier tonight. I laughed and clapped. During the broom duel, one of the broomheads went flying across the stage! Ebenezer Scrooge picked it up and used it to add to his astonishment at an earlier Christmas. Later, when Bob Cratchett was sent by a reformed Scrooge to fill up the coal pail, he tripped over it, promoting Scrooge to say, "Now don't you kick the bucket, Bob!" Almost at the end, when the turkey is bought to be sent to the Cratchett home, the butcher came in with his mask on. Like, his COVID mask. He tore it off his face and stuffed it out of sight, but it was too late. The audience had seen it. And the audience LOVED it.

I cried watching this play. At least four times, I cried. There is healing that comes with that emotional release and that was something I needed.

This play, by the way, is going to be recorded a lá Hamilton and released in Megaplex theaters on Dec. 10. I think it'll also be on some sort of streaming service for Broadway plays, but I can't recall the name of it.

How exciting it is to be Christmas time again.

Gratitude Journal

My 1 year old nephew has hair: towhead blond wisps enough to make a fauxhawk when he’s fresh from the wash. For the first six months of his life he was sick. He was born with a cold, and just as he got over it, his whole family got whooping cough (turns out you need to update your vaccine on that one). He doesn’t have a voice box. Instead, he has the kind of squeaker toy you squeeze to make sound. Whenever he needs something, he points and squeaks. The rest of the time he is quiet and his sisters (3 and 5) make enough sound to fill two houses.

My nephew has a favorite toy which he knows is his. It’s an orange and white binky chain with his name on it. The binky chain is patterned after The Forbidden Toy (another binky chain belonging to a different nephew who is 8 months younger than he).

He can crawl and is not yet quite confident enough to walk. He knows (instinctively or through repeated denials) he is not to climb the stairs without an adult present.

This is why, on Thanksgiving last, when the food had been eaten and a sort of post-feast calmness filled the house, he climbed up only 3 stairs before backing down them again.

I laid on the floor next to the stairs watching him with half an eye and focusing mostly on that day’s book (Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson). His mom (my sister), sisters, and cousins played merrily in the basement. His dad (my brother-in-law) sat at the half-cleared table playing LIFE with various uncles, aunts, and cousins.

My nephew climbed 3 stairs and looks at me. He climbed down 3 stairs and looked at me.

I smiled at him and said, “Hello, Baby Lem!”

He grinned, too, and climbed 3 stairs and looked at me.

I repeated my greeting and went back to my book.

He climbed down three stairs and looked at me.

He waited only a few more repetitions fore me to understand what it was he wanted.

I dragged myself from the floor and used my finger as a bookmark. Then I joined him on the stairs where he giggle-squeaked and continued upward. 

Every two or three steps he would pause and look back to make sure I was following, before continuing upward.

The 2nd story landing looks out on the living and dining room where the game of LIFE was played. He pulled himself by the railing bars and looked down at his dad and squeaked, squeaked, squeaked, squeaked, squeaked. He had done it. He had climbed the stairs.

In that moment, at the height of my nephew’s victory squeaks to his dad, I realized I had understood. 

And for that, I am grateful.

Grateful for all that already is here is key :)

When your state of consciousness is satisfied/content with what already is in the present moment, everything else flows effortlessly. Just give thanks. Have an attitude of gratitude. Everything else becomes a gift. You are already abundant.

Gratitude attracts abundance

Genuine contentment

Constant gratitude

Raise your vibration:

Speak kindly.

Do good.

Meditation.

Volunteer.

Give without expecting.

Be content with what already is.

Take inspired action.

Let go of outcomes.

Surrender.

Trust.

Relax.

Just Be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gratitude attracts abundance 💛

Happy Thanksgiving!

Grateful for sooo much!

Parents, food, shelter, health, electricity, internet, clothes, art…

Being grateful in the present moment/Feeling grateful in the now is key to serendipity

Believe you have enough in the present moment

Wanting implies lack

Constant gratitude helps

When you say you “want” something, you’re saying it’s not here.

Dwell in gratitude and appreciation and all will flow.

Needing nothing really does attract everything.

FEEL genuinely grateful.

In order to receive, you have to give. It’s cool to receive, not gonna deny that, but the real satisfaction comes from giving. :)

“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.”

—Henry David Thoreau

The Power of Gratitude: Embracing a Life Filled with Appreciation

Shaina Tranquilino

August 16, 2023

In our fast-paced and often stressful lives, it is easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of negativity and forget about the simple joys that surround us. However, cultivating a mindset of gratitude can bring about significant positive changes in our overall well-being. It allows us to appreciate life's blessings, big or small, while enhancing our relationships, resilience, and contentment. In this blog post, we'll explore the transformative power of gratitude and how practicing it can lead to a more fulfilling and joyful life.

1. A Shift in Perspective:

Gratitude provides us with an opportunity to shift our perspective from focusing on what's lacking to acknowledging abundance. By consciously recognizing and appreciating the good things in our lives - be it supportive friends, a loving family, good health, or even a beautiful sunrise - we begin to develop a keen sense of mindfulness towards positive experiences.

2. Enhanced Relationships:

Expressing gratitude not only benefits our personal growth but also strengthens our relationships with others. When we genuinely thank someone for their kindness or acknowledge their efforts, it fosters deeper connections and promotes feelings of goodwill. Gratitude becomes a powerful tool for nurturing empathy, understanding, and compassion within interpersonal interactions.

3. Improved Mental Well-being:

Studies have shown that cultivating an attitude of gratitude positively impacts mental health by reducing stress levels and promoting emotional resilience. Regularly practicing gratitude helps rewire our brains to focus on positivity rather than dwelling on negativity or anxieties. This shift can result in increased optimism, decreased depression symptoms, heightened self-esteem, and an overall improved sense of well-being.

4. Increased Resilience:

Life inevitably presents challenges along the way; however, gratitude equips us with the ability to navigate these obstacles more effectively. By acknowledging past triumphs and expressing appreciation for lessons learned during difficult times, we foster resilience and develop a mindset that enables us to bounce back from adversity with greater strength and determination.

5. A Gateway to Contentment:

Gratitude is the gateway to contentment, allowing us to find joy in the present moment rather than constantly pursuing external sources of happiness. When we acknowledge all that we have and express gratitude for it, we begin to recognize that true fulfillment does not lie in material possessions but rather in appreciating life's simple pleasures.

Practicing gratitude is a transformative journey that can enrich our lives in countless ways. From enhancing relationships and improving mental well-being to fostering resilience and embracing contentment, gratitude allows us to experience life more fully. By taking a few moments each day to reflect on the blessings we often take for granted, we invite positivity into our lives and sow seeds of appreciation that will blossom over time. So let's embark on this journey together – one filled with gratitude – and watch as our outlook on life becomes brighter, more joyful, and abundantly rewarding.