Gratitude: very healthy, satisfying & attractive

I can hear a whiner coming and change course very quickly. Aren't they entitled to a good whinge now and then? Possibly so, some just seem to whinge more than others and it sucks the life out of me. I should be more generous. They should be more grateful!

My friend on In The Life of a Busy Woman tells of journaling her list of things she loves. Don't wait for some Thursday in November to make a list of things for which you are thankful, or Christmas to think of a few of your favourite things! Make your own list, add to Cheryl's or start something in the COMMENTs below.

Such moments of reflection add value to our day as we realise how good our life is if we have choice and even one of the things we enjoy in the course of a day. We don't feel better at the expense of those without, but it might make us more grateful & generous, and could decrease the whining.

Let's see, mine would include sunshine, a good read, cup of tea with a friend, a handwritten letter, finding the very thing I need onsale, seeing God at work in someone's life, laughing with my dad, coming home to a clean & tidy house, having good health and choices . . .

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This morning I bent back a page of my journal and quickly wrote at the top,

"A List of Things I Love..."

I fill in the first slot, which is easy for me...READ, READ, READ! Then I leave the remaining nineteen slots on the page for my 'ponderings' tonight. Minutes ago, it took me not quite seven minutes to complete my list of 20 things I love.

Try it. Number your page and see if you can write down twenty things you LOVE... in under seven minutes. Why did I time myself? It made me more intentional about what I wrote.

Here's a few of mine...
  1. hot pizza with crunchy stuff like gr. peppers, mushrooms, and onions
  2. discovering an old bookstore and I have time to browse
  3. LAUNDRY: the cleaning, the folding, the sorting, and organizing for my family!
  4. pulling on Levi's, a white T and black belt for the day
  5. for one of my girls to slip their hand or arm in mine
  6. moving around or relocating furniture within my house (or yours!!)
  7. to bake w/ yeast...

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