An Attitude of Gratitude

An Attitude Of Gratitude-The reason I am writing this is of something I
read. In the article, the author mentioned that she kept a "gratitude
journal". In it, she would write 5 things to thankful for each and every
day. All along, at the end of each day, I have made a point of thinking of
at least one thing that happened that day to be thankful for. However, after
reading that article, I decided to increase it to 5. Some days, I have to really think to
come up with just one specific thing to b thankful for, much less 5. But
there are some things that I can always be thankful for, no matter how bad
the day has been.

One thing I can always be thankful for is that God sent Jesus into the
world. Because of His death on the cross, and because I am a born-again
Christian, I will be going to Heaven after I die and living with Jesus
forever and ever. And I am thankful for that incredible love for me that
never changes. Not even on my most "unlovable" days. If I had nothing else
to be thankful for, that is more than enough!

Since being diagnosed with cancer, I have been thankful for each day that I
feel pretty good. Never having had cancer, I have no idea how I should be
feeling but, at least so far, it hasn't been bad.

I am also very thankful that God had me born in a peaceful, prosperous
country like Canada. I have occasionally wondered where I would have been if
I had been living in an underdeveloped nation at the time of the stroke. My
guess is that I never would have survived. Anyway I  feel very blessed to
live in this country.

I am extremely thankful for my computer. It is pretty much my life right now and, if it is not working, I am lost. I use it to read, the Bible and other things, communicate with people, write these blogs and watch tv.

I am also always thankful to get a visitor. My life is very hum-drum and visitors brighten up my day. Not only do visitors pass the time more quickly for me, they take my mind off of all the difficult circumstances that I am facing. For awhile anyway. It is a real treat when I actually get to have a conversation with somebody. But I enjoy it just as much when people just come and read to me.

I am also always thankful for any time I get out of Long-term Care. I enjoy all the times I get to go to church. It refreshes me and strengthens me to face what I have to face on a daily basis. But I am also thankful for any other outings that I get to have. The only problem with outings is that they always pass by too quickly and, before I know it, I am back in Long-term Care and my monotonous life.

The final thing that I want to mention that I am always thankful for is when somebody, nurse or friend, gives me a little treat to eat or drink. The food here is far from terrible but they don't provide the extras like a Tim Horton's coffee or a doughnut or, at times, homemade food or baking. It brightens my day when people bless me like that.

An attitude of gratitude is something we all need to cultivate. For me, if I am not thankful for what I do have, even the little things, l start looking at all I don't have and wind up feeling sorry for myself.