Finding Gratitude: Week 2 At long last…

Ok, I have to be realistic here. When I haven’t been posting daily on my blog for months and months, posting a gratitude challenge every day was probably unrealistic of me. Instead, I will pick and choose from the list and try to post at least 2-3 gratitude posts a week.

Gratitude Challenge Week 2: Be Grateful for Everything Around You

Enjoy the people around you. Take a moment to appreciate their unique talents, abilities and personalities. (I’m going just write about my immediate family today, as you know how long-winded I can be!)

My Fabulous Fam:

The hubster- Knows not only how to save a buck, but also how to make a buck. He is the king of Craig’s List. For example, he just sold a packet of Leap Pad games with our very old Leap Pad (it was my son’s who is 10) for $80!  And, thankfully, the advent of Craig’s List and Ebay has made him finally able to realize what a complete waste of time garage sales are. (Can I get an Amen to that?)

In addition, he’s very patient with me and all my “issues.” For this, I am eternally grateful. There are not enough words here…

My son- My 10-yr-old son is hilarious, creative, and interesting. He doesn’t always open up to people at first, so many may not know this about him. But, those who have gotten to know him well, get the privilege of hearing his mind at work.

For example, the other night, we had a big salad with our dinner. He asked, “Mom, does this have ‘Fah-HET-Tah’ cheese on it? I just love ‘Fah-HET-Tah’ cheese, you know.” To which I responded, “Do you mean Feta cheese? It is Feh-tah.”

“I know, mom,” he added, confidently. But, don’t you think Fah-HET-Tah sounds sooo much better?”And, that’s my son…he adds a little “Fah-HET-Tah” to every situation, making it more interesting than it was before he stepped into it. I can’t wait to see what this will mean for him when he grows up.

My daughter - My youngest is five, going on 35–but I mean that in a good way. She’s the family peacemaker. When she sees I’m under stress or angry about something, it is not uncommon for her to sneak up next to me, put her hand in mine, and quietly say, “Mommy, I LOVE you.” Now, she also uses this charm to her advantage when she’s on thin ice with her Mom and Dad as well. But, she hates to upset anyone and tries to do what is expected of her. Where my son likes to be rebellious and argue/debate it out very passionately, she’ll happily do what’s asked most of the time just to get to something else fun she wants to do. My challenges with her will come as she gets older and wants to jump the gun on dating, wearing makeup, driving, and so forth…

I also appreciate how she is very laid back about friends. Sometimes, the little pack of girls on our street can get selective with who they want to play with that day. Most of the time, this rolls right off her back. It’s not uncommon for me to see a group of them playing, and see my daughter choose to do chalk with the boys or ride her scooter the other direction. She marches to the beat of her own drummer, and how great is that? Last week, she drew a self portrait with a blue sky background and her smiling. Her title was, “I Like Me.” Oh how I hope she keeps that mindset in the years to come! (And, could I borrow a little of this attitude from her sometime?)

My family is closing out a very rough year. There have been times that I didn’t know if we would make it together, and challenges we have never experienced before this year. But, there have also been sudden moments of joy that have taken my breath away as a mother. I hope that I can learn to focus on those times and use them to get me through through the tougher times that come along that throw us all for a loop.

Join the Gratitude Challenge online or read more from others doing the challenge!