I've Got A Blue Gratitude

So often we dwell on the things that seem impossible rather than on the things that are possible. So often we are depressed by what remains to be done and forget to be thankful for all that has been done.--~Marian Wright Edelman

1. Today I am grateful for my body which and move and lift and stretch and run, so many cannot.
2. I am grateful for that feeling I get when I fondle blue yarn.  Seriously, it is good and such a little thing to make me happy.
3. I am grateful for the capacity to learn and grow, and keeping an open mind.
4. I am grateful for a job with such flexibility.
5. I am grateful for a warm home to come to on such cold days. 

Even a blind man knows when the sun is shining. ~ Grateful Dead

I am grateful for so much and need very little more. Life is good.
1. The silent snow as it falls, turning the earth a pure white.
2. The little heater that warms my back.
3. The roof over my head that keeps me dry.
4. The pot of soup on the stove that will make a lovely dinner with a crusty bread.

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some.~Charles Dickens

1. Family, hot tea, knitting and watching White Christmas again this year. 
2. A clean and useful kitchen.
3. Beautiful snow, we only got a little, but it was pretty while it was here.
4. Sleeping in until 8:30!
5. Another day that my family and friends are safe.

“A box of rain will ease the pain,and love will see you through.”~ The Grateful Dead

1. Grateful for a bunch of wonderful friends who will meet today to give Anne a send off to New Mexico.
2. Grateful for the internet and blogs so I can  stay in touch with Anne and other friends.
3. Grateful to live in a place that has an amazing canyon drive just a few minutes from my front door and a delicious place to meet for breakfast.

What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it--would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have.*

1. The dress, such as it turned out, is finished.  Erin is off to the dance and seems happy about it.  I am grateful for all of it.
2. The joy I receive when doing the things I love and am sometimes, usually, good at. 
3. Beautiful music by wonderfully talented artists that in our day is so easily available to us. 

*While for some reason Typepad wouldn't let me add to that blog title, you should know that the quote is credited to Ralph Marston.

Also, a few days ago when I was grateful for not getting sick I didn't mean that I was grateful for not getting sick as opposed to all of the days I do get sick.  I was overtired and having difficulty coming up with gratitude at the end of a trying day so I was just grateful that hey!  I stayed healthy.  No cold, flu, whatever.  Just lookin' on the "it could have been worse" bright side of things.  But thanks to you all that voiced concern, it means a lot to me.

Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need.~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

1.I am so grateful for this house, a warm night at home and a lovely dinner with Smith.
2. I am so grateful for the beautiful landscape that stops me in my tracks and awes me everyday.
3. I am grateful that my hands can be creative or pet the dogs.  Both are a joy.

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.~Epictetus

1. Stir-fry with a friend that will always listen and then tell you just the way it is, I love that in a person!
2. Realizing there is more to learn about myself every day.
3. That sometimes the universe conspires, in more places and ways than one, to reinforce just what I need to have reinforced, just when I need to feel and hear it.

A friend is one with whom you are comfortable, to whom you are loyal, through whom you are blessed, and for whom you are grateful.~ William Arthur Ward

1. I am very grateful for the friends who have made this week full of fun and joy.
2. I am grateful for the needlepoint students/friends who I teach as the classes have helped us through a bad financial time.
3. I am grateful for a quite evening at home.  Knitting! YAY!

Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.~Karl Barth

1. Pete, who took the time to get my computer going again, even when I know he didn't want to and would have waited until the weekend and let Mugsy do it, and even when I was being a whiny brat about it.
2. People with more knowledge and experience than I have, and share willingly their expertise.
3. New seasonal music.
4. I didn't get sick today, how is that for finding a positive?

And a little link for more gratitude reading.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."~ Aristotle

1. I am grateful that I have a good paying job.
2. The end of year bonus was bigger than expected and I am so grateful to have it.
3. I am very grateful to work with good people and have bosses who care.