Have you ever noticed that when you are in the moment of really focusing on feeling grateful…really sucking up the life absorbing energy of being appreciative for the gifts that life has bestowed on you, that there are other emotions that you can NOT express at the SAME time?
You can’t feel truly angry and grateful at once.
You can’t be jealous of someone else’s good fortune while being bathed in the light of your own thankfulness.
You can’t focus on your own pain, suffering, fatigue, disillusionment, battle scars, insecurities and past failures while being grateful.
Thinking of those things can end your attitude of gratitude. Negativity and gratitude can’t share the same space in your brain at the same time. You have to choose.
And sometimes, the things we think are the misfortunes we should be complaining about, are the very things we should be grateful for, but the fog hasn’t cleared enough for us to know that yet.
The difficulties, hardships and trials of life, the obstacles…are positive blessings. They knit the muscles more firmly, and teach self-reliance.
~William Matthew
It’s the weekend again. and this weekend I am celebrating an attitude of being in the moment and feeling gratitude. Simple gratitude for the health of family, friends and loved ones everywhere. Won’t you join me in this simple quest of staying in the moment of gratitude? It isn’t as simple as you think. 🙂 but try to hang on to it AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
While you are at it, I have gotten a start at the Pebble People Page. Stop on over and take a look. It isn’t NEARLY even close to being finished so don’t skin me alive if you aren’t on there yet. PLEASE!!! Also, drop me an email at at wendik825ATaol.com if there is something else you would like to say or change for you.
Now for poetry time!
I am being a little self indulgent here this week with an original one. It is dedicated to all my little friends at cancer camp. With love.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Fighting the Beast
I looked into your hopeful eyes
And briefly saw my soul,
Frightened, aching, wanting so
To somehow make you whole
What kind of monster eats at
Children, nibbling bits and parts,
Thrashing families, stealing
Sunshine, slinking in the dark
I, filled with anger, grit my teeth,
Tears welled up with rage
Helplessness against the beast,
I swelled with bitterness and pain
I looked again into your eyes
Surprised to see your smile,
Courage and beauty
throughout your being
Had been there all the while
Your tiny hand I took in mine,
And soon renewed was I,
Fortified and overflowed
With willingness to try
Gratitude and blessings,
Friendships, hopes and dreams,
Hanging on to laughter,
Remembering Simpler things
No guarantees are offered
In any life or day,
We make the most of what
We can and head along the way
The beast will battle where
He may, we will battle too,
With strength and courage
Standing firm, LOVE will
See us through
~ Wendi Kelly
Gratitude – that wonderful thing that happen when we are in the here- the NOW! Awakened to every smell, touch, all the senses. In my gratitude journal is a list of most special grats. Just re-reading them brings delight, awe and plain old fashioned Joy!
The scent in the moist bathroom cloud, as I soak away the day’s harsher realities.
The remembered touch of his hands, bringing healing to a torn body and shattered mind.
A beautiful Christmas tide sermon in a tiny Lutheran church in far East Texas.
The way my friend’s eyes mist over when she talks of her late husband.
A voice speaking my full name, slowly and with such measured love, I can not express. I know it was God or an Angel sent to comfort me.
The gift of writing after over sixty plus years of absolutely none. A minor miracle!
And, the placement of folks like dear Wendikins on my life path. Blessings every one.
Your poem to the children has made it hard to see the screen, dear friend. What a two fold blessing. Exchanged love and caring. That which would fill a “perfect world”
to overflowing. It is an honor to have you in a small corner of my world, Wendi.
Ms. O
Ms. O
those are some very nice gratitudes!
I am grateful to be in your life as well. It is fun traveling life with you!
David Wilcock and others say that gratitude is the emotion that is closest to ‘god’….
Daz,
I believe that. Focusing on being grateful is an amazing thing unlike anything else except love.
I don’t have the luxury of love but I am indeed grateful for what i do have!
grateful for my thankful. the peace that passeth all understanding and night falls and the moon rises.
That was a beautiful poem. You were truly inspired by those children and I only wish I could understand it! Being inspired by being grateful somehow seems like the ultimate gift.
Hi Wendi,
Isn’t that great how that works when we start thinking of what we can be grateful for? Even the smallest things can bring us so much joy.
That is a beautiful poem you’ve written. Thanks for sharing.
Jenny,
Do you mean that you don’t understand how I was inspired by the kids or that you don’t understand the poem because it doesn’t make sense?
The kids inspire me- to put it in the simplest terms I can- because though they face this nightmere every day, they still get up and play, smile, have fun, stay in the moment, share, and give love. They hug, They give big sloppy sweet kisses. They are in pain. they are weary, thay are battling, but it never stops them. They just keep right on moving through as if it isn’t there. IT’s AMAZING.
It makes me realize how much we ( the collective WE) go around feeling sorry for ourselves for every little thing that gets in our way. And we don’t have some big Beast kicking at our butt every day.
Barbara,
Thanks,
Yes, I love how just by focusing on gratitude you can turn your day around so quickly!
Poetryman,
Welcome to Life’s Little Inspirations! Happy to have you join us here!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, I hope you will visit often and become a regular at our group!
What I meant was, I don’t think I have ever been inspired the way you have. I don’t know of anything that has ever given me such inspiration, or at least it hasn’t happened in a really, really really long time so I’ve forgotten what that kind of inspiration is like. I like the poem and I do understand it.
Wendi, I think gratitude is possibly the best feeling there is. It makes me feel in love with the world, grounded, inspired, creative, loving, humbled, all at the same time.
I prefer it to love in some ways because there’s no fear that goes with it (of losing that person you love), just pure gratitude that no-one and nothing can take from you.
Thanks for sharing your poem. It’s very inspiring – humbling too.
Joanna