Gratitude

Gratitude and Being Thankful

I saw this sign on being thankful one day when trolling through Facebook and reposted it to share with my friends.  I wish I could remember the page I originally saw it on, but I apologize because I don't.  I typically save photos with inspirational, motivational quotes that I like, then on certain days when one "speaks" to me, I re-share it with my Facebook friends.  A lot of times the photos will have a credit or source on it, but this one didn't so I am sorry and will try to remember to add a source the next time.  Any way...

Several years ago, I was watching the Oprah Winfrey Show (I know there are a lot of people who didn't love her show like it did, but I really felt I learned things from watching it so try to keep an open mind if you weren't a fan of hers.)  If you don't know about Oprah, she was someone who journaled regularly.  I was never able get into a regular habit of journaling although I had made several attempts over the years.  On one particular show Oprah started talking about keeping a "Gratitude Journal".  Basically, the premise of this journal (as I interpreted it) was that no matter how down you might feel, or how badly you think your situation is at the time, you should always be able to come up with FIVE things to be thankful for.  At the end of each day, you should write out those five things in the Gratitude Journal.  Through doing this, you'll start to realize you truly have MANY things in your life to be thankful for and you won't feel so down or awful about whatever your situation is.  

Well, I don't even really remember what I was frustrated about in my life at the time when I watched that episode.  I believe I was in my late 20's and think I may have been feeling like my life just wasn't what I had planned for it to be.  I probably wasn't in a dating relationship and I wanted to be married with kids, didn't love the job I had at the time, had a debt that I was having to work hard to pay off and I never had enough money to do what I wanted to do, you know... the usual frustrations of a single woman in her late twenties.  I was feeling sorry for myself and a little down.  I thought, "What the heck?  I should give this Gratitude Journal thing a try."  

I must admit, the first couple of times I had to think really hard to come up with FIVE things I was thankful for and I only came up with three, but honestly, I was making it harder than it needed to be.  They don't have to be super significant “things”, they could be ANYTHING , just as long as you are genuinely thankful for it (this is according to the Book of Donna).  And it's kind of fun to mix in things like "I am thankful for a husband who loves me and is supportive in everything I do" with "I am thankful for seeing the big burly man I saw running with his tiny toy dog because it made me smile".  I've been thankful for things like "discovering I had a flat tire at 10 am in the morning in the parking lot of the YMCA instead of 10 pm at night on some dark road" to "the military men and women who risk their lives to fight for our freedom" to "remembering to throw my umbrella in my purse" and "hearing an old favorite song on the radio that brought back great memories".  Oh, and I don't write mine in a journal - never was able to make that a habit, but I do "give my thanks" every night before I go to sleep before saying my prayers.  What I learned about doing this is:  When you're truly grateful for what you have, you'll be surprised how spectacular you and your life really is or becomes!  

Let me know if you already keep a Gratitude Journal or if you decide to start one, or if you just do it in your head like I do, and what you think about the process and if you gain any insight for it or through it.  Thanks for reading this - I'm grateful you took the time! 

About Me

Then

I was a December baby born in 1966 in Portsmouth, Virginia; a first-generation American of immigrant parents from the Philippines.  My dad served in the Navy and was granted his American citizenship for his service when he joined and my mom became a citizen sometime in the 1980’s.  I have one brother who is seven years younger than me and we were raised with a humble upbringing by my hard-working Filipino parents who wanted the “American Dream” for their kids.  I was never spoiled by my parents because they didn’t have the means to do that.  I didn’t get every toy I asked for... I never owned a Baby Alive doll or an Easy Bake Oven or some other toys I wanted, but I did have a Dancerina Doll who had a pretty pink ballerina outfit and could do pirouettes!  And I did own the Barbie Friend Ship airplane along with Barbie and Ken and I still have great memories when remembering about playing with those toys now.   I always knew I was loved, cared for and safe growing up because even though my parents did say it out loud all the time, they showed me in their actions. 

Growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii: late 1960's - early 1970's

This was THE doll to have in the early 70's and she was my favorite!

Barbie's Friend Ship Airplane - I was so excited to get this for Christmas!

My dad was in the Navy, but we didn’t move around as much as other families in other branches of the military.  We lived in Virginia Beach then moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, moved back to Virginia Beach, then finally Jacksonville, Florida where my dad eventually retired.  I went to school in Jacksonville from my middle school years through high school graduation then went to Florida State University where I graduated with a Bachelors degree, making my parents the proudest ever because graduating from college was something they never had the opportunity to do themselves.

With my brother in Virginia Beach, VA 1974.

Now

I currently live in Florida with my husband and two “furry children” - our English Springer Spaniels, Hershey and Zeke.  I have a stepdaughter and stepson, both from my husband’s first marriage and three beautiful granddaughters.  I currently work for a very well-known entertainment resort company where a mouse signs my paycheck, but I’ve done a wide array of things throughout my working career.  My degree is in Elementary Education and I worked as a fourth grade teacher for four years, but I’ve also worked in other sectors such as Technology, Banking, Supply Chain Logistics, and Hospitality/Tourism.  I’ve held positions in Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Human Resources, supervised people, served on boards, volunteer for non-profit organizations, and have worked as a temp doing administrative work (during my summers off when I was a teacher).  I’m fortunate to be in a situation right now where I can work “seasonally”, which means I work when the department I am assigned to needs me, so it’s not a regularly scheduled type of job and I have a lot of freedom and flexibility in my schedule.  I am so grateful for this flexibility because it allows me to travel with my husband and to be able to see all the kids, who live outside of Florida.

With husband Tom & furry kids: Zeke and Hershey.

Later

At the time of starting this blog, I’m not sure what direction this site will take.  I don’t have a set plan for it, but I think the old “teacher” in me feels like I have things that I can share about my experiences that will help others in some way.  I am someone who considers herself to be a lifelong learner and am always thirsty to learn new things through experiences, other people, and living life!  And if no one reads it, then it can serve as a personal journal that maybe one day my granddaughters will read and say, “We always knew she was pretty amazing as our Nonna, but WOW, was she ever cool!  We’d like to live our lives like her!”

With my husband and three precious granddaughters.  Photo by LA Photography, Mt. Olive, AL.