Monday Musings and Motivations, Part Two — Gratitude

Here it is, the second installment of my Monday Motivations.  This one has to do with gratitude.  I’ve haphazardly kept a gratitude journal over the years, but it tends to go by the wayside when things get busy.  The reason I decided to blog in the first place was to motivate myself to write — something, anything every day.  It’s worked, whether I post a blog or not, I’m writing.

Some of my blogs get more notice than others and I try to figure out why that is.  Then I remember that my little blog will go unnoticed at times because people are busy or maybe something I write just doesn’t strike a chord.  Hopefully, this one will.

Below are a few things I’m grateful for today:

On the boardwalk one morning….

My health — I take it for granted sometimes, but for the past few days I’ve strolled on the boardwalk.  I saw a older gentleman who was walking with a walker, barely, but he was doing it.  All by himself.  If he can, I can.  I’ve got no complaints whatsoever.

My family — My husband is the best human being I’ve ever met; he’s a fantastic cook and brings me coffee in bed every single day.  My Mom, Dad, sisters, nieces and nephews aren’t nearby but they’re healthy, amazing people and we’re a very close-knit group.  And, I have to mention my dogs, Baxter and Sophie.  Yes, I’m one of those people that treat their pets like people — I swear they can understand me when I talk to them.

My Grandmothers’ Quilts:  I have two of them, one from my Mom’s side and one from my Dad’s.  They’re soft, beautiful and were made the old-fashioned way.  A big group of ladies had a quilting party and sewed the squares by hand.  How great is that?  My grandmothers aren’t in the physical world anymore, but this part of them is.

Books:  The real ones with pages and weight.  I have several, paper and hard-back and they’re in every room of my home.

P.S. (A fellow/blogger/friend/follower just wrote a blog about World Book Night, something I’ve not heard of before.  Visit Scribbling in the Storage Room for more info.  What a great idea!)

Creative and Artistic Abilities:  I get these from my parents.  When I was growing up, my mother could look a picture in a magazine and make a dress or whatever from that, cutting the pattern from a newspaper if she had to.  My Dad could fix and/or build anything and he paints.  I can buy a piece of what looks like junk from a flea market/vintage store and transform it — much of my furnishings are renovations I’ve done.  I’m a pretty good artiste myself, several of my “originals” hang in my home.  I’d like to think I’m a pretty good writer too — I’ve enjoyed a career at it for some time now.

Nature, animals and babies:  All of them make me smile, laugh and believe in miracles.

My faith:  It wavers sometimes, but it’s always there and part of who I am.

My belief in humanity:  I believe most people are good and that the world is wondrous.

Music:  No explanation necessary.

You:  If you’ve read this far, thank you — all the comments I’ve received since I began this, the followers I have and what I’ve learned from reading your writings have inspired me.

Photo credits:  Happy Monday