Everyday Gratitude

As thanksgiving approaches, we start thinking about all the things we’re grateful for. But a few years back, as I was sitting on my swing during my afternoon teatime and making my list of things I’m thankful for, I stopped and wondered why I didn’t do this more often? Was I only thankful for a few weeks out of the year? Of course not. But Thanksgiving just seems to bring it to the forefront. 

After I thought about it for a moment, I tore the list I was working on out of my notebook and set it beside me on the swing. I then began a new list.

Gratitude shouldn’t be reserved strictly for Thanksgiving. Instead, it should be  year round action. Settle in for an afternoon tea and learn how to create a gratitude list for every month of the year – with an extra section for your Daily Gratitude. And to help you out, there is even a worksheet to get you started!

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Gratitude List Freebie!

Transcript

As thanksgiving approaches, I start to think about all the things I’m grateful for. First up is probably the cooler weather, as the summer heat can be relentless. Where the hot temperatures seem to slow us down in mind, body, and spirit, the fresh chilly weather is uplifting, and in some ways, freeing. 

Once I’ve given proper thanks for the weather, I add to my list. But a few years back, as I was sitting on my swing during my afternoon teatime and making my list of things I’m thankful for, I stopped and wondered why I didn’t do this more often? Was I only thankful for a few weeks out of the year? Of course not. But Thanksgiving just seems to bring it to the forefront. 

After I thought about it for a moment, I tore the list I was working on out of my notebook and set it beside me on the swing. I then began a new list, and I divided it into 13 sections. Twelve of the sections were labeled according to the months, and Section 13 is a list of things I’m grateful for every single day of the year. 

It took time during every afternoon tea for the rest of the week, but I managed to complete the list. In Section 13 I listed the things that would be a part of every single month. It consisted of things such as having a Savior who loved me enough to die for me, my husband, children, grandchildren, and our farm. This was the longest list, as I really do have many, many things I am thankful for every day. 

The sections for each month took a bit more work. I wanted to add only the things that would normally occur during that particular time frame. For instance, in January I listed I was grateful for the ‘quiet time’ that winter temperatures bring. It is during this time I can rest from the hectic holidays and start working on my plans and goals for the new year. 

But I didn’t want to list only those things that were pleasant. One thing we all fail to do is to be grateful for the hard times. I’m like you – I have no desire to hurt, struggle, live in fear, or have feelings of sadness, anger, or frustration. I’m not a big fan of walking through the valleys of life – I’d rather pitch my tent on the mountaintop. 

But nowhere is there a promise written out that our lives will be all sunshine and rainbows. Instead, we are guaranteed that there will be times we are down on our knees, begging for relief from life’s storms. It is in those times we feel as if we are in a thick fog that blinds us to everything beautiful in our world. 

One of the most difficult things we can do is to stop and look for the good in our lives when everything seems to be crumbling around us. What we fail to remember is, these hard times are what gives us the strength we need to make it through the next difficult time. 

One thing I have learned is that as we travel through life, we will experience some type of obstacle. It will be something relatively easy to step over, but it still will give us pause. Once we move past it, life will be smooth again for a while.  The next time, we’ll encounter another obstacle, but this one will be a little higher, and a little tougher to get past. As we move through life, the obstacles get even more difficult, until we reach a point where the obstacle seems too great to go over, under, or around. 

But if we stop and look back at the other obstacles we have already encountered, each one has taught us a lesson on how we can overcome the one we are now facing. If we pay attention to what we are learning from each one, we can see the way through this one. 

Some of the lessons we learn are a bit more tangible. We learn to jump to get on the other side. We learn to climb to span the heights. Or we learn to grab a shovel and dig our way out. Others aren’t a solid solution. Some lessons we are forced to learn is that overcoming the obstacle isn’t something we can do on our own. Instead, we need the help, knowledge, and experience of someone else who has already faced it to teach us how. And other obstacles aren’t designed to be moved or overcome at all. These are ones that are completely out of our control. So instead of scaling the heights or digging a tunnel, the way around the obstacle is by changing direction and building a new path. 

As I created my monthly Gratitude list, I considered all of the difficulties and hardships I might face that month. In January, one of the items would be the colder temperatures. Yes, the easy thing to be thankful for is the time to rest. But with freezing temperatures comes water pipes that burst, keeping the animals as warm as possible, icy roads that can become dangerous, and power outages. That blessing of being forced to stay inside as much as possible can also become a prison of sorts. 

For each hardship I may encounter, I chose to look for the experience building exercise it may bring. And as I wrote down each one, I looked for how these things will help me when other obstacles get too big to climb.

As I worked my way through each month, I realized that my original Gratitude list was sorely lacking. I hadn’t considered many of the hardships a blessing before, but now I realized every single day is filled with them, no matter how difficult it becomes. 

This is a sampling of how I filled in my monthly Gratitudes:

January – Rest from the hectic holidays; becoming housebound due to weather gives me time to plan, set goals, work on handmade items, and spend more time with family; sitting in the barn freezing, and itching from all the hay in order to care for a newborn calf and its mom; hauling buckets of water to the animals because their water troughs have frozen.

February – My sweet Valentine husband; opening a jar of Vegetable Beef soup canned last summer; the aroma of bread baking; phone calls from my children and grandchildren; the completion of another handmade Christmas gift; repairing the barn wall in freezing rain where the high winds did damage; traipsing out at midnight to start the generator due to a power outage; struggling to pay the insurance bill that is due next week.

April – warmer temperatures; all the rain that is watering our pastures; the smell of fresh turned earth in the garden; having to do the back breaking work of repairing deep muddy ruts in the pasture made by the tractor while hauling hay to the cows; slipping and falling in another mud puddle; getting drenched and cold while feeding animals.

July – gratitude for every single military man and woman who fights for our freedom; the bounty of fresh vegetables in the garden; spending time outside in the evening watching the fireflies light up the trees and pasture; the almost unbearable heat in the kitchen from canners; the long, hard, hot days of preserving all those vegetables, herbs, and fruits; the lack of creative brainpower to write posts, podcasts, and books; having to bear the heat to give the chickens fresh cool water two and three times a day, and mourning the loss of an older chicken due to heat stress.

September – the enjoyment of seeing all those home preserved items in my cellar, pantry, and freezer; quiet time spent working on Christmas gifts; quiet time outside watching the sun set a little earlier each evening; having to wear jeans, long sleeves, and work boots in order to clean sticker vines and weeds away from the fence line; confronting a snake curled up where I need to work next; finding and preparing firewood for the next year’s supply.

As you can see, every month has a list of the good things we love and enjoy doing. And each one of them has their share of hardships. Some of them are easy to do or work around. Some are difficult and can be strenuous. And some months have those things that are unbearable, heartbreaking, and drive us to our knees. 

But even the hardships have their blessings. I may have been miserable on those dark January evenings taking care of a newborn calf, but it was worth it. Prissy is now healthy and happy.  The power outages have taught me lessons on being prepared and gives us more quiet times in the evenings to spend together as a family. 

And as much as I absolutely hate snakes, they do eat mice, which means fewer that find their way into the barn to eat our winter stores of feed. As for the garden, I don’t think I need to tell you the blessings of the heat and work hardships canning presents. All you have to do is open a jar and taste to understand why overcoming that hardship is more than worth it. 

When you settle in this month to make your traditional Thanksgiving list of Gratitudes, take a little extra time during your afternoon tea break, and make that list even bigger. Go ahead and list all the things you are grateful for every day. But then stretch your mind and heart and consider creating a monthly breakdown. Be sure to add all the difficulties and obstacles as well. And keep in mind – having to undergo the hardships is what makes us grow, learn, and be better prepared to overcome the next obstacle we have to face. 

Do you know one other thing I have on my overall Gratitude list? You. Every day I give thanks for each of you who listen in to this podcast, read my posts, and enjoy the books I’ve written. And to show you just how much I do appreciate all of our visits on this porch – even if it is only a small gesture, I created a simple Gratitude of the Month freebie. All you have to do is either go to the show notes to download it or visit me over at my Podcast Resource page. Then settle in for an afternoon tea and start making your lists. You may just be surprised at how many things you truly have to be thankful for, every single day. 

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Thanks again for stopping in. I will see you next week on Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View. And while you are waiting for the next episode, grab that glass of refreshment, pull up a rocker, and sit back for a while. It’s time to relax and enjoy.