Gratitude Moments, Vol. II, November 2012

Photo:  www.innerworkingsresources.com

Occasionally, you have a difficult day.  Or a difficult week.  Sometimes it can stretch into a month or longer.  During such times, it's challenging to recognize the positives and the blessings that abound.  I'm having a week that has been populated with a couple of less-than-pleasant experiences, and in order to avoid dwelling on the negative energies, I decided to dwell in gratitude.  This is the second in my Gratitude Moments series, and as I sit here to begin writing, I have no idea what thoughts will flow from my hands.  Let's take the journey together....

Gratitude Moments

1. Finding that perfect gift for that perfect someone when you weren't even looking. (I do this throughout the year and squirrel things away for birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas/Hanukka.)
2. Sharing time with someone special where no words are necessary, and the silence is comfortable.
3. Breathing in crisp, fall morning air, stung slightly by wood smoke and evergreens.
4. Learning a new word.  This one never fails to delight me!
5. Creating with my hands. Whether it's writing, painting, sketching, knitting or crocheting, or any other tactile expression, the ability to create with my hands lifts my heart and gives voice to unspoken emotions.
6. Front porches with porch swings, rocking chairs and gliders.  
7. Being far from home and hearing the cadence and liquid lazy vowel sounds of my home region.  That region is the southeastern United States.  East Tennessee, to be specific.
8. Speaking of East Tennessee, my heart always expands in joy when I am in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, absorbing the incredible energies that exist in my beloved mountains.
9. Sitting next to a river and listening to the music of rushing water.
10. The scent of Crayons™, before they meddled with the formula recently.  That scent used to be a favorite.  Maybe someday they'll return to the original formula.  
11. Feeling your Soul sink into that other person with an instant sense of Homecoming.
12. Walking in a field during morning hours in the slow, heavy heat of a summer day and hearing the world waking up....winds whispering softly, fat bees droning from flower to flower, birds calling forth the sun.
13. The complex fabric of a large, noisy, loving family.  Myriad aunts, uncles and cousins who know you to the depth of your Soul, and love you unconditionally.
14. A brand new journal with fresh, empty white pages, waiting to be filled with words, images and the journeys of an agile mind.
15. Granny Smith apples.  
16. Climbing into a freshly made bed and reveling the sensation of clean sheets.
17. Red plum jelly.  This one is a rarity - I seldom find it in grocery stores.
18. Tying a length of string into a circle and creating shapes from childhood such as Jacob's Ladder, Cat's Cradle, etc.  
19. Blackberry cobbler made by my Mom.
20. Waking up naturally, without an alarm clock!
21. Puttering in the kitchen with that special someone.
22. Meditation.
23. Eye sight, both physical and spiritual, to write these thoughts and to recognize them.

I stopped at twenty-three.  This list took exactly 7 minutes to flow from my hands, with each thought springing effortlessly forward.  I didn't know what each new thought would be, yet each one prompted a smile and a lifting of my heart.  Challenges still exist in my life, and the journey of this current week is still a bit of a confused jumble.  What exercising gratitude moments gives me is the opportunity to step above the difficulties that Life hands out on a regular basis.  

I often quote jewels of wisdom from my maternal Grandmother, my Granny Reagan.  She had a very challenging life, stifled in virtually every way imaginable, yet she continued to harbor wisdom and gentle guidance to all of her grandchildren (27 of us).  I remember, very clearly, one specific comment she shared quite often:

"An obstacle is nothing more than a platform to step UP on, gain a more clear view and understanding of your surroundings, and step OFF of, to propel yourself forward."                - Alpha Celestia Nelson Reagan

So, I'm reminding myself of those words of wisdom and recognizing that the current obstacles I'm experiencing are giving me as yet unseen opportunities.  The first step to that realization is recognizing the difference between obstacle and opportunity.  

For those of you who visit me here regularly, take time for Gratitude Moments and see how instantly the process changes your state of mind.  Blessings constantly abound; we just have to be willing to take time to truly see them.  Namaste'.