Last year during the month of November I posted daily on Instagram and Facebook about what I was thankful for. This year, I plan to do the same type of virtual gratitude journal. Starting every day with pondering something to give thanks for challenges me but also blesses me so much. Satisfaction, contentment, happiness, and even health can stem from giving thanks and actively counting our blessings.
What’s the difference between being grateful and being thankful?
Not much, really. Being thankful shows the gratitude within. Gratitude lines up with the quality of being thankful and a readiness to show appreciation. In my mind I see being thankful as a way to relay or express my gratitude.
Today I’m Thankful For:
Today, I’m thankful for Ruby, my pet mini Yorkie. I say “my” but really Ruby loves my husband more than me, but I’m okay with that. He is a pretty great guy.
We never thought we’d be small dog owners, but we are. After our chocolate Labrador passed away in 2014, my husband and I didn’t think we’d own another dog. However, he told me about some Yorkie puppies—which were available from a fella at his work—and love struck at first sight.
When we brought her home in October of that year, she was the size of a guinea pig and could curl up inside my slipper. Full of spunk, that tough terrier spirit, cutenesses, and character, she’s a rather high-maintenance girl but so worth it.
As I am fairly home-bound and don’t go out much of anywhere by myself these days, Ruby’s company during the day blesses me greatly. What’s cozier than having a soft, sweet little friend curled up on your lap? Not much. They say dogs are a man’s best friend, but Ruby has sure been there for me on some pretty rough days. I’d call her my bestie. ❤️
A Gallery of Cuteness
Why having an attitude of thankfulness is important to me:
Each day presents me with problems and difficulties related to my health. I have pain and odd sensations, my body doesn’t work right, and I often have trouble doing the simplest of tasks, like putting my socks on. The propensity to grumble and a discontented, low-burning anger flashes within me as my first reflex to what multiple sclerosis has brought to my life. It’s easy to fall into this net, but it only leads me to focus on what I’ve lost and the difficulties I face, leading to nothing but a pathway trodden with depression and hopelessness. That’s not the kind of life I want to choose. And gratitude is a choice.
So, I choose to be thankful and focus my heart and mind on what I do have and what I can do, rather than the alternative.
What are you grateful for today?
I’d love to know. Maybe it’s your family, your job, or something as simple as your morning coffee.
Blessings, J
NOTE: My plan for grateful posts will not necessarily proceed in order of importance but grow organically with where my heart is on a particular day.
Love the pictures of Ruby. She is so cute! I am a dog lover. We have an Australian Shepherd who is about the size of a miniature Aussie but whose parents were full size. She is 7 and has been a real blessing to us.
Thank you! Thanks for sharing about the dog in your life. Pets sure do add so much! I love Australia Shepherds. A friend of mine had one. She was a great well-mannered dog.