Grateful....

I needed to run one errand today, Black Friday, and it was fraught with peril......

I could not locate my wallet.

The last time I knew for sure that I had seen it was at a gas station in Brigham City, Utah on Thanksgiving night.

PANIC!!  FREAK OUT!!!  and CRY!!!

I went to the car and searched one more time, before I called the gas station, and happened to glance under the car on the passenger side near the wheel and there it sat.

Whew....

It had been outside and unprotected since Thanksgiving night at 11:30 til 4 pm on Friday.

As a result,

I am so very grateful that my neighborhood is a safe one.
I am grateful that my wallet was still there.
I am grateful that I did not have to worry about my identity being stolen.
I am grateful that I was able to go to PetSmart to buy cat food for Meeko and snacks for my dogs.

As this season of Gratitude draws to a near,
I just wanted to say Thank you for all the gifts, opportunities, travels, people in my life and even trials that come my way.

With a prayer of Gratitude in my heart,
Melissa

Gratitude brings Peace and Joy...

Ok, it's time for a step on my soapbox and talk about Thanksgiving...
You know the holiday that is being trampled on by the retailers promoting Christmas.

Gratitude and Thanks are the topics for today.  Being grateful and thankful are not cheesy, but are necessary for Peace and Joy.

Thanksgiving is not about the meal.  Shocking, I know.  It's about being grateful for the people and things in your life, not planning your shopping in the evening for the things you want.

Things are not completely lost, though, when on Facebook this month a lot of people are posting once a day for the things they are grateful for.  I have a radical idea... keep the gratitude going.   I keep a gratitude journal all year round.  Every day, I write down 5 things that I am grateful for.  Sometimes, it's a struggle and others I could come up with 20 with no problem.  The key is to stay with 5 every day so it's consistent.  What I have noticed from doing this is a great deal of peace and joy, because when you focus on what you have, you'll be happier.

Melissa.