Monday, September 5, 2011

Gratitude Journal #103

Today,  I am grateful for laborers--skilled and unskilled--who make my life easier. The garbage collection employees; the UPS man; the auto mechanics; the check-out clerks; the people on the other end of the line at the bank or insurance companies; the road repair workers; the spiritual laborers who pray and teach and lead in our churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples and prisons and streets; electricians and plumbers and carpenters and others who make and keep our houses sound; the air traffic controllers and pilots and flight attendants and mechanics who help us fly around this big blue marble; the teachers who share their knowledge with people of all ages; writers who share their stories and words; government workers at all levels who deal with the frustration of bureaucracy daily; the men at Salvation Army who take donations and always give me a "Bless you and have a wonderful day!"

Today, I am grateful for time spent with family, even when the smaller family members complain "I don't WANT a book night!" and 'NOOOOO!!!!" when we tell them what we're doing.

Today, I am grateful for benadryl. Uh-huh.

Today, I am grateful for this Chinese proverb I saw on a friend's Facebook status: "Better do a good deed near home than go far away to burn incense." It fits perfectly with another friend's link on FB that puts very clearly into a tidy list my feelings about toxic religion: The Warning Signs of Toxic Religion.

Today, I am grateful for a community's response to tragedy when we lost a five-year-old boy in a horrible accident. May his family feel God's grace and comfort surround them at this time and always.

Today, I am grateful that friends and family and even strangers can talk to me in their troubles. What a blessing it is to listen, a labor of love that's hard sometimes and sometimes ever so easy. I am also grateful for those who listen to me. We're all connected, aren't we?

Today, I am grateful to be able to say to you, "Bless you and have a wonderful day!"

What are you grateful for today?

7 comments:

  1. Today I'm grateful for cooler weather. The 100 degree days are tough. It's so refreshing to be sitting here in our office with the window open and the cool, fresh breeze gently blowing in.

    I am also grateful for good health. Even though I'm fat and it's difficult to make my poor body do hard work, I do believe I am basically healthy.

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  2. I am grateful that the vertigo that has plagued me for a month is finally leaving. I am grateful that through all this dizziness I have been aware of God's love for me and his message that it's okay to slow down and not be working on something all the time.

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  3. I'm grateful that you consider it a blessing to listen, or in my case, read. I'm grateful for you.

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  4. At this time of year I am grateful for garden tomatos. I really don't eat tomatos throughout the year; because they don't taste anything like they should. Ohhh, but right now, they are just wonderful. I'm thinking BLT's for dinner tonight with real bacon. That happy thought will get me through the day....

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  5. Marie, we're having BLT's for dinner tonight as well. Yummmmm!

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  6. I am thankful for you (hopefully without sounding weird about it) because I look forward to your wit and you never disappoint. You're insights are just what I need sometimes. My Proverbs 31 devotional was about finding something to be thankful for in our spouses/family instead of what aggravates us about them.

    So, I'm also thankful for a family who hugged me this morning, then left me a quiet house!

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  7. I too am grateful to you for sharing your life and creativity. Am also grateful for my two daughters for sharing their lives and children with me. Especially my younger DD who is having so many problems right now, but keeps an upbeat outlook and shares that with me. Sat. she shared a list of things that make her happy - 98 things. Try it everyone. It helps!

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Thanks so much for taking time to comment!