Being Grateful for ALL the things...

Those of you who know me in my personal life know this has been a year full of changes, some planned, some unexpected, and some that knocked the breath clean out of me. There have been surgeries and miracles, births and deaths, a move, and new possibilities. I have people who ask me how I'm coping so well with all the change and upheaval. I'll tell you...change IS the only constant and you can either bend like the willow or stand firm and you snap and break. As we enter our harvest of Thanksgiving in the United States I feel it's more important than ever to focus on the small things in my life...on the blessings I have...family and friends, my health, my job, and a warm place to live. I choose gratitude and to see the lesson and the growth in every situation that wasn't planned or didn't land the way I hoped it would. I know there's a tendency in our culture to point to "toxic positivity" as a byproduct of New Age living. But I stop and think...if I didn't choose to see the positive, or at least the lesson, in each of my experiences then I would be stunting my own growth and development in the missed learning opportunities and choosing to see the world and my situation in a negative light which doesn't allow me to live the happy and peaceful life I strive to live each day. I'm not going to lie, there have been some really tough moments and decisions my family and I have had to face but I truly believe that focusing on what we still have is what has helped to see me through it all. SO this year, when you're eating your Thanksgiving meal, try to think of the blessings in your life no matter how small. Maybe your favourite doughnut was at Dunkin' Donuts on a day you really wanted it and you got there late and thought it would have been sold out....maybe the shoes you went to buy for an event were sold out but you found another pair that were even better. It doesn't have to be anything miraculous...just something that made your day a little better. Start small and it will build from there. Then remember - pass it forward. Do something for another and give them something to have gratitude for - open a door, pay a compliment to a stranger, smile for no reason. We all have things to be grateful for and we can all help make this place a little better than we found it. Today I am grateful for you all. Many blessings and Happy Thanksgiving.