Today I Commit To Loving Myself

I recognize that love is a choice.

Today I affirm my commitment to choose love. I vow to cherish myself, in spirit and in truth

to be gentle to myself and to give myself room to dream.

Today, I release old judgments of being less than.

From this day forward, I enter into a Divine Covenant;

To treasure myself fully and to love myself fully and to love myself unconditionally

For I am the Beloved, in whom God is well pleased.

Day 43 in Gratitude

I had a full day today.

I met a friend for coffee at 8am, had my hair cut at 12:30, had a meeting with my Pastor at 2 and went to dinner at a friends house at 6. Days like today make me feel grateful to be alive for such a full life.

I am grateful for the unconditional love my husband shows me. There are days when I don't even like myself and yet, there he is, open minded, and with open arms accepting me for me.

I am grateful for all that I've learned and all I have yet to learn, I'm a work in progress.

What are you grateful for?

Day 38 in Gratitude

My oldest son is expecting his first child and I couldn't be happier. I adore the woman in his life. She is beautiful, grounded, full of love and makes my son happy. Within three months they will bring a miracle angel into this world to bless us all and for that, I am grateful.

I have wonderful friends. I know I blog about that topic quite a bit but I'm okay with that. Over the course of these 365 days, I'm sure I'll blog over and over again how thankful I am to have my friends in my life. They make me smile, they challenge me, they love me unconditionally, they make me feel whole. You know who you are - Thank you - I love you!

I am grateful that I continually stretch myself to grow and become more of my true self than ever before. We're all conditioned by others in our lives; teachers, parents, loved ones, friends. We are born with dreams and aspirations and sometimes those around us will tell us those dreams are silly, or we should focus on what can be accomplished, or we should take the safe route. I get so charged when I hear someone tell me to dream the impossible. To stretch beyond the imaginable, to reach for that which I never thought possible. Those are the people I want close to me in my life. That manner of thinking is what I want to convey to others. I have always believed that we are here for so much more than what we end up settling for. Why? I am glad I keep asking myself that question.

What are you grateful for?

Day 16 in Gratitude

"Your dog threw up all over the house today," was the report I got from my husband tonight. When I'm away it seems my canine friend doesn't handle the stress very well. We seem to be very connected. He follows me wherever I go. If I get up to go to the bathroom, he gets up, walks to the bathroom with me, sits in front of the door and waits for me. If I get up and walk into another room he gets up and follows. I have a permanent shadow when I'm home with him and I appreciate his companionship. But when the suitcase comes out, he immediately starts to get apprehensive. I wish I could reason with him, have a heart to heart, reassure him I'll be back soon...you know, like they do in cartoons. Pets are amazing creatures expressing unconditional love on a continual basis. We have a lot to learn from them. So, I am grateful to have my furry friend by my side showing love and adoration. I just hope he stops puking before I get home!

I am grateful that my life is so full. I was talking with someone today telling him about this and that and he stopped dead in his tracks and said, "You seem to put a positive spin on everything that happens in your life but seriously, you've got a lot going on. Your life should be a sitcom, it would be hysterical." I've never really looked at my life from the outside in. Maybe it would be a comedy, I don't really know but I do know I wouldn't change a thing. Ok, maybe a few things.

I am grateful that this blog project has offered me the change to slow down to be able to appreciate everything in my life. A few years earlier, I seemed to live day to day. Going to work, coming home, eating dinner, watching tv, going to bed, getting up, going to work, you know the drill. I know I didn't take time everyday to express thankfulness for some of the things I took for granted. But now, I am learning to see things in a brighter light and I'm loving every minute of it. Thank you!

What are you grateful for?

Day 5 in Gratitude

Today I went to a wake for a 30 year old woman who gave up her battle to lung cancer. She was adopted as a baby and reunited with her biological family about 6 years ago. Sitting at the funeral home, watching the dynamics of a blended family. Some were mourning the loss of a sister they had known for 30 yrs. Some were mourning a sister they had known for 6 years. I don't even know where I'm going with this thought except to say that I was so moved by all the love in the room.

I am blessed to have my family. They love me unconditionally and I them.

I am grateful for being able to witness the dynamics of that blended family. It gave me such a sense of that same unconditional love.

I am grateful that my husband is feeling better. The antibiotics are starting to kick some bacteria butt. He's still lacking energy but coughing less which means we'll both get a better night's sleep tonight!

What are you grateful for?