Thankful Thursday #2

Things I Am Thankful For...

Many times in our lives we go through things that cause us pain, sorrow and even leave us feeling hopeless. It's really important that we can reflect on the things that we are thankful for.

If there is one thing that I have learned in my own life is that by living with a life of gratitude it can change your entire outlook on your life and how you handle the things in your life.

There are many tough things that we go through over time, but if you can take a moment to stop and simply reflect on the blessings in your life I believe you will see just how blessed your life is!

I'm linking this post to Jessie's blog (Jessie Loves To Run),
the creative genius behind the Thankful Thursday concept.

Thanks for always being such a sweetheart, Jessie <3 xo

With that being said ... here are some reasons I am thankful.

1. My Son - for making me laugh and helping me realize my strength. For keeping me sane and ... for driving me crazy sometimes :) Children have their own special way of making you feel that you are “super special” to them, the smile that they can bring to your face when you are feeling blue and they look for nothing in return.

2. My son's father - one of my best friends. Thank you for being my friend and for helping me learn more about myself along the way.

3. My Nephews - Robbie, Christopher, Alejandro, Ryan, and Thomas - my little superheroes. It's amazing to see what a childs love can do to anyone at anytime.

4. My Brothers & Sisters - Rob, Kirsty, Jeana, Joan, Erin, Daniel, and Kara

for being 7 of the greatest people in my life!
Brothers and sisters can’t be beat .. best thing in the world!

5. Family Time  -  I love spending time with my family! It doesn't matter what we're doing, I love the feeling of being with family. Our time together is the most meaningful thing to me.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday (Gratitude Link-Up)

Do you dedicate time daily to be thankful?

When I was first introduced to this link-up by fellow blogger Jessie (Jessie Loves To Run), I've been wanting to get involved. Being thankful and expressing gratitude is so important.

It is said that the first 17 seconds of any thought are the most powerful, and they create enough energy to start attracting what you are thinking of into your life.

Using the power of gratitude to create the life of our dreams often starts by being thankful for what we want to have as if we had already received it.

You can see the importance of being thankful when you realize that you can use thankful feelings to achieve what you desire.

It doesn't matter if I'm feeling depressed, angry, moody, jealous,or negative; it's never too late to start enjoying the many benefits of being thankful.

I Am Thankful For...My Son, James. With a pure heart of gold, he is loving and kind and he always tries to live right. Extraordinary in everything he does, he teaches me to live life in the present - it's his specialty. He helps me realize that my spirit is indestructible...and to always have fun!

I Am Thankful For...The Warm Sunshine that comes through my windows everyday. I used to live in a basement apartment that had no sunlight except through two tiny little windows. Waking up to no sunlight is depressing - you can never tell what time it is or what the weather is like.

I Am Thankful For...the Good Times. Yesterday was my son's 8th birthday and even though we didn't arrive back home until 10:30pm on a school night, we had a nice birthday celebration with his Dad's side of family (we will celebrate this weekend with my side). We ate dinner at the restaurant, had cake and opened gifts at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and went bowling with family and friends. 

I Am Thankful For...the Bad Times. If I look back at all the difficult moments of my life and appreciate what I got out of it: a lesson, a "tougher skin", even simply the experience, it helps me make better choices in the future.

I Am Thankful For...Being Thankful. It has the power of changing my mood almost instantly from a negative to a positive. Good feelings and positive energy arise when I notice myself acknowledging what I am grateful for. It helps me be in the present by noticing what I DO have and stopping to acknowledge it. This can be the company of a person, having food, or just being able to see, hear, taste, touch, and smell.

What are you thankful for?