As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessing of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness - just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breathe it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and a cool breeze when the day is warm.
Oh we have so much to be thankful for that we seldom think of it in that way!
~Laura Ingalls Wilder
Years ago, when we were in some of the toughest of our financial years, I found myself stressed, full of tension, negative and complaining. It got so I could barely stand to hear my own thoughts! I could only imagine how others must have dreaded to see me about to speak knowing that whatever I had to say would be mournful and unhappy.
Then I read Sarah ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance. Her mandate to readers to keep a Gratitude Journal was life changing for me. It was a mental reset at the end of each day that gradually took over my life.
Not too long ago, John was describing traits that people had that he admired. "What's mine, John?" I asked, genuinely curious. "You...Well you are just the eternal optimist. If there's a black cloud you immediately see the silver lining." I was moved to tears. That girl...That's who I wanted to aspire to be way back when I first picked up a notebook and began my first daily gratitude journal.
At the end of each day I wrote down just five things I was grateful for that day. Here's where revelations came for me in those long ago years. Sunrise, sunset, a flower blooming, an unexpected gift, a sweet or funny thing one of the children said, a moment when John and I were so in tune that I was amazed, a particularly memorable, though very frugal, meal.
Some days....Well some days I couldn't find a whole lot to be grateful for. Those days often read: I woke up, I made it through the day, this day is OVER, I can go to sleep, I never have to do this day again. Those days happen. But for the most part, the days were full of the most ordinary things, daily things, not great huge checks that came in the mail or miraculous things, but just the ordinary moments which proved to be pretty extraordinary after all.
"There will always be more blessings than burdens...even if some days it doesn't seem so" - Jeffrey R. Holland
So here's my challenge to you this week...Start a gratitude journal. Take note of the little things, the moments, that are truly the biggest blessings you'll ever have. Life changes so rapidly but it's seldom the major things we lose that we miss. It's the little things of an ordinary life. Cherish those. Record them. And then breathe out a prayer of thankfulness. You'll be amazed at how peaceful your life will begin to feel.
I suppose because I was seeking an English composer last week and found Delius that I triggered an algorithm which led me to discover another English composer this week. Ralph Vaughan Williams was born to a well to do family in 1872. His compositions are varied. He was strongly influenced by Tudor and Medieval music but his works truly move across a spectrum of moods and styles.
I'm not going into a long biography this week but if you click on his name above it will carry you to Wikipedia where you can read his story. On You Tube, I highly recommend a piece that will likely be familiar, The Lark Ascending, played here by Hilary Hahn. Let me highly encourage you to listen also to other pieces by this very talented and multi faceted composer.
Do you read the comments on posts here on the blog? I do hope so. There's often some very good ideas and valuable tips hidden in those comments. And if you read here but seldom take time to comment I'd love to hear from you. Don't be anonymous...Take time to leave me your name/alias if you don't have a Google user account name.
Could you use a little fun mail? I'm afraid I have to limit this to the United States. Postage is a dear thing these days but...I have a copy of Gladys Taber's The Stillmeadow Road that I picked up in a thrift store not realizing I had a copy on my bookshelf already. I'd love to send it to someone who loves Taber's Stillmeadow books as much as I do. I'd like to have a drawing for this book. You'll have to leave a comment and I'll have Josh draw a name April 16 and I'll post the winner's name on the "Worth Sharing" post for that same week.
11 comments:
I absolutely love Gladys Taber. I read her books from the library every year around this time. I would love to own at least one of her books. What a nice thing to do. Thank you for the opportunity to possibly get one.
I have read that book ever since it came out. Just start over every year... it's what I read at bedtime before I journal.
Blessed Be
Honestly, I'm not familiar with that author but I love finding new authors and then I read everything they have written. I often read a book a day and am always in need of more.
Hi Terri,
Thank you for sharing so much of your life. I am reading a book by Grace Livingston Hill called Cloudy Jewel. Have you read this one. It has been ever so good. There is a part in the book about keeping Sabbath. And I immediately thought of you. Your sharing this part of your life with us has been awakening me little by little to the glaring sight that I do not really keep a Sabbath. So today I have been intentionally doing that. It is peace to my soul and rest. So thank you. I like Gladys Taber. But then I love all of Papa God’s creatures and creation:) Blessings on you. Jennifer from Ohio
Coincidence has it that I had been reading some of your older posts mentioning how much you liked to read Gladys Taber's books. I wrote down your favorite suggestions and mean to try to order some of them. they sound right up my reading alley. <3 Julie Baker
I love Gladys Taber. Reading her books makes me want to move to the northeast and live like she did. Thank you so much for doing this give-away. I don't have any of her books but would love to! - Lisa from Indiana
I renember Gladys Taber from when I was a young girl. My mom got a magazine each month with her writings. I loved to read that article and couldnt wait to get my hands on the magazine. It probably wasnt much different than my country life but the thought never occured to me at the time. If you are doing nature with Josh, Birds and Blooms magazine has some beautiful pictures, perfect for study. I realized because we have been in quarantine (some voluntary, now mandatory) how little money I have spent. Kind of an enforced savings plan. Dont think I have bought a thing for over a month but fill in food like bread and milk. Hope you had a special Easter Sunday. Very lovely here with church from home, phone calls, f b greetings and a lovely surprise dinner from daughter and hubby. A wonderful day of counting my blessings. Gramma D
I love Grace Livingston Hill’s work, and I’d like to try Gladys Taber’. What’s John doing to stay busy? Lawn work, organizing his tools, maybe? I wonder because if my husband wasn’t still working, I don’t know how he’d fill his days. Enjoying your posts as always! - Amy
First time commenting, I have not been to the store in over a week and hope not to go until Friday or so.
I live in New York State and we are right in middle of the virus outbreak.
Just yesterday I was researching Gladys Taber. I now know my local library has some of her books and
I will start looking for her books at thrift shops. I enjoy reading
your blog and all the comments, thank you.
I would love to win this. My 95 year old mother-in-law, who lives with us, and I pass books between ourselves. I think we would both like this.
Wendy
clarksrfun at gmail dot com
I love Gladys Tabor! I have several of her books on my shelf, but not this one. Thank you for doing this, Terri...you are always thinking of others! I'm sorry I don't comment more often. I read every post and all of the comments. I'm still "working outside of the home" 40 hours per week (though these days, it is "inside of the home", lol).
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