thankful – stumblingaboutourworld

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving!!! I absolutely can not fathom the fact that we’re already pretty much a month away from 2018. 2017 has honestly flown by and it’s so crazy!

I’m going down south for Thanksgiving, so I’m actually writing this a day in advance, due to there not being any internet down there! I also want to make sure I get this posted and, not necessarily out of the way, but checked off of my things to do. I hope that’s coming across how I mean it. Keeping up with my blog isn’t a chore, at all, but more of something that I feel inclined to do.

To put it simply: when I’m inactive, even for a day, I feel like I haven’t been active in weeks. But, I realize that I do need to take breaks and I need to experience “life” if I want to have things to write about.

So, back to the actual post.

As I walked around a nature park, with my siblings, today, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratefulness.

I had my perfectly healthy siblings walking beside me, the fresh air and beautiful scenery that I was able to experience with no problem and I had all of the means to get us to the park, to start with. I’m blessed.

I could have the memory of a lost sibling, lost senses and no car, but I’ve been favored and I am so, extremely thankful.

The drive home was a moment that I used to reflect on this entire year. In doing so, I was reminded of all of the things that I’m thankful for, this year alone, and my heart was immediately filled with appreciation and gratitude; two big qualities that I always aspire to have and portray. As I’ve done quite a bit on my blog, I’ve created a list.

This list is composed of just a few of the many things that I have reason to be grateful for, this year:

1. I am thankful for the life that I am filled with, each and every morning that I wake up. Honestly, we’re not promised tomorrow. I, unfortunately, have witnessed the deaths of people that I have loved, who varied in ages. Many people expect to die of a natural cause, but, if we’re real with ourselves, each day we live, we risk death. I’m grateful to have even seen and lived the experiences I have because many have not even passed the stage of birth and lived life, outside of their mother’s womb, at all. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s life and life can suck like that.

2. I am extreeeemely thankful for the family that I have. Although my family can be a little crazy and overprotective, at times, I know they all mean well and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. Each time I encounter someone who doesn’t have much family, has lost someone they loved or who never had any family to begin with, I am immediately reminded of just how blessed I am to have a family, at all. On the behalf of those previously mentioned, if you have a family, please, treasure them like it’s the last moment you’ll see them. Going back to #1, you never know when your last moment with someone is. To add to this, I am also extremely thankful for my sister, Liz, and her reintroduction into my life. We had a lot of catching up to do, but it seems as though nothing ever really changed, except for the things that we separately experienced.

3. I am EXTREMELY grateful for my crazy, wonderful friends!!! I haven’t had very many friends who genuinely cared about me, in my lifetime, so I’m constantly reminding myself to appreciate those that are currently in my life. Every laugh, smile, joke, tear and experience is treasured more than even my friends know. That includes you, Rach 😉

4. After having recently read an article on education in other countries, I realized just how privileged I am to live somewhere that provides “quality” education. Many children and young adults, in some areas, are unable to finish school or even attend school, period. I think it’s easy for those of us who live in “better off” areas to take seemingly simple concepts, like school, for granted, solely because we’ve never had to go without. From the moment we were of age, to begin school, to day that we finish, we never once had to worry about whether we could afford it or whether it would be socially acceptable. I’ll keep it at that, otherwise I’d go on all day. So, even though I really despise school, at times, I constantly remind myself that I could be in a position where I’m unable to receive an education, at all.

5. I am more than thankful for all of the “extras.” I don’t have to have parents that love my siblings and I enough to make sure that we are never in need, who pay the bills and provide a roof over our heads; I don’t have to have a reliable car that I never have to worry about, aside from the basics and occasional maintenance; I don’t have to have a job that pays me enough to make all of my payments, purchase gas and support all of my leisure activities, all while keeping up with school, church and my family; I don’t have to have any of it, ya’know? And just that simple statement is enough to add to the fact that I am BLESSED.

So, as I experience yet another Thanksgiving, I am reminded that I need to remain thankful and grateful because I am blessed.

What about you? What do you have to be thankful for?

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving and, to those who do not celebrate, have a fantastic day because you are as equally amazing!!! Appreciate those around you and that wonderful food before ya 😉

Always desire to inspire.

Haylee Dean

Google defines gratitude as, “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”

I didn’t truly understand the importance or quality of gratitude until nearly 2 years ago when I lost a very close family friend.

Growing up, I was always taught to be thankful for what I was given, but what’s a, “thank you,” if you don’t actually mean it? Was I always ready to show appreciation in return, or was I simply saying enough to get me by? Was I truly thankful, or was I a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Yes, it is possible to fake gratitude.

Although faking gratitude isn’t necessarily something you’d “get in trouble for” with another person, per se, it can, however, tear down your character from the inside to the outermost layer of your body. Having an ungrateful heart shows in your thinking process, your actions and your words.

Gratitude is a big deal, in my opinion.

When I lost my family friend, all that went through my mind was the reminder that I hadn’t appreciated her enough. Each time I’d leave her presence, I’d automatically have the mindset that I’d see her the next time I visited. I never told her how much she actually meant to me and how much she taught me, since the day she walked into my life.

She was that person. She had a way of making you feel loved and appreciated through her actions. She was able soothe and comfort you with the mere sound of her voice because you just knew that she only had good intentions in mind. I swear her smile was so bright, she could rid all traces of a thunderstorm. She was a light and many, many people were drawn to her.

She was always ready to show her appreciation and gratitude for another person and that’s what made her so special.

During her showing, she had bouquets lined up around the church sanctuary that the showing took place in; it was the most inspiring visual I have ever had the privilege of viewing and I can honestly say that it changed me, no matter how cliche it may sound.

Ember’s passing taught me to love and appreciate others and my life like it’s my last day of life.

I realized, then, something my parents had been trying to get through my thick skull for years: we aren’t promised tomorrow.

Having an ungrateful heart can lead to bitterness and selfishness; it’s what causes entitlement and arrogance and, overall, our self-centered society. Being filled with all of these negative traits is often what prohibits us from being selfless and showing gratitude.

For that reason, I choose to be thankful and grateful. I choose to strive after the characteristics that Ember portrayed.

If I were to die today, or even tomorrow, I wouldn’t want the people in my life to feel as if I was unappreciative and selfish. I’d want them to know how much I truly appreciate them and I’d want my actions and words to prove that.

What about you? Selfish or selfless? Bitterness or contentedness? Appreciative or ungratefulness?

Think on it and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

Always desire to inspire.

Haylee Dean