Every Day is a Blessing
Nature Girl
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: By The Lake
Posts: 60,328
Every Day is a Blessing Every day is a blessing
Some of life’s blessings are immediately obvious. There are many others that, although they don’t feel like blessings at the time, can eventually bring great value to your life.
It may seem strange to be thankful when difficulties come your way. Yet those difficulties, and your response to them, can end up making you much stronger and bringing new richness to your life.
It’s easy, and very beneficial, to be thankful when life is going great. And your gratitude can be even more powerful and appropriate when things are not going so well.
Gratitude is not merely the result of having good and valuable experiences in your life. Gratitude is an essential part of causing life’s goodness and abundance to come your way.
By being sincerely thankful, you align your life with all that is good and positive and meaningful. By being thankful, you create even more and even better things for which to be thankful.
Every day is a blessing, whether it seems like it at the time or not. Be truly thankful, and benefit from the abundance that is always there.
— Ralph Marston
Some of life’s blessings are immediately obvious. There are many others that, although they don’t feel like blessings at the time, can eventually bring great value to your life.
It may seem strange to be thankful when difficulties come your way. Yet those difficulties, and your response to them, can end up making you much stronger and bringing new richness to your life.
It’s easy, and very beneficial, to be thankful when life is going great. And your gratitude can be even more powerful and appropriate when things are not going so well.
Gratitude is not merely the result of having good and valuable experiences in your life. Gratitude is an essential part of causing life’s goodness and abundance to come your way.
By being sincerely thankful, you align your life with all that is good and positive and meaningful. By being thankful, you create even more and even better things for which to be thankful.
Every day is a blessing, whether it seems like it at the time or not. Be truly thankful, and benefit from the abundance that is always there.
— Ralph Marston
Nature Girl
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: By The Lake
Posts: 60,328
I just returned from 3 days with dear friends that I grew up with...60 years of friendship for 7 people who grew up together, who started school together and who were blessed to share our childhoods together, all in one room. We laughed so hard it hurt, we shared tears for the losses since we last met and we shared our hearts.
I was not the only one who had been touched, actually knocked down, by addiction. There were two mothers of heroin addicts among us. One had lost her husband to cancer in his late 30's, another had lost her younger brother to a car accident, and there have been divorces or losses or troubled times over the years for each one of us.
And yet, we laughed, we shared and our friendships grew even stronger. WE grew stronger for our journeys and we still stood strong no matter how many times life had knocked us down.
I am so blessed to have this circle of friends, we all stay in touch and then try to all get together every 5 years or so. As we get older we appreciate more our memories, our laughter and our friendship. We are truly blessed.
I once neglected my friends, when I lived in the darkness of my codependency and my son's addiction, ashamed of my life. They knew more than I thought, they waited and remained my friends. I no longer take our friendships for granted, each day is a blessing and we were truly blessed to have our time together to celebrate all we had overcome and to embrace the joy of today.
Don't waste your days, don't waste your friendships. Life is too short and too precious to turn our backs on those who love us most.
May each one of you feel the blessing of friendship today. It may be the greatest gift of all.
Hugs
I was not the only one who had been touched, actually knocked down, by addiction. There were two mothers of heroin addicts among us. One had lost her husband to cancer in his late 30's, another had lost her younger brother to a car accident, and there have been divorces or losses or troubled times over the years for each one of us.
And yet, we laughed, we shared and our friendships grew even stronger. WE grew stronger for our journeys and we still stood strong no matter how many times life had knocked us down.
I am so blessed to have this circle of friends, we all stay in touch and then try to all get together every 5 years or so. As we get older we appreciate more our memories, our laughter and our friendship. We are truly blessed.
I once neglected my friends, when I lived in the darkness of my codependency and my son's addiction, ashamed of my life. They knew more than I thought, they waited and remained my friends. I no longer take our friendships for granted, each day is a blessing and we were truly blessed to have our time together to celebrate all we had overcome and to embrace the joy of today.
Don't waste your days, don't waste your friendships. Life is too short and too precious to turn our backs on those who love us most.
May each one of you feel the blessing of friendship today. It may be the greatest gift of all.
Hugs
Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 923
Great post and wonderful to hear where this can lead.
I am working on myself and loving and caring for myself...focusing on work right now...and possibly the marriage...it has lasted for 39 years so far...and each of us is doing what we need to do to address caring for ourselves in this moment...husband finishing up a job for a friend/client in Chile which will not bring in money but character growth if and when handled...and he is...and I am focusing on my 2nd year in a very demanding job with high pressure/high stress; male dominated (I am always better in female dominated) construction and needing to compartmentalize the personal business/marriage & the addict who is living life on her own terms...
It has been a really awful and hard month to reclaim my serenity...after working so hard (notice the focus on who was working) to help the addict daughter with her justice system process that lasted 6 months. I did not go to her last court appearance and do not know where she is or how she is...and I will not...as I was one hair away from not making it out of a codependency relapse which I am not going to do.
Each day is one day at a time...and I am not allowing the past or the future to be here...just now. Just one minute at a time...focusing on tasks and things that are mine to do...as part of work and doing what is assigned and needs to be done while holding healthier boundaries than I did for the first year (& with support from boss as we hire a new team member).
I am praying and doing what I can...a rest day today. I am glad to hear that things get better...they already are...but still close enough to that relapse and the major pushback from family as I set some critical boundaries that I want to just enjoy my brain feeling sane and knowing that I cannot do more than I have already done...and I have 'done' it for so long...it is long past time for me to be able to care for myself better...I have made progress...and want to continue past the setback...but also good truths of understanding that I have given away more than I could afford...and need to really take care of myself until such time as it is enough...
Thanks to both here...Ann and Vale and others...who have been so supportive...this is definitely a journey...grateful for a rest day today with sunshine and a beautiful kitty cat who is caring and just being...
I am working on myself and loving and caring for myself...focusing on work right now...and possibly the marriage...it has lasted for 39 years so far...and each of us is doing what we need to do to address caring for ourselves in this moment...husband finishing up a job for a friend/client in Chile which will not bring in money but character growth if and when handled...and he is...and I am focusing on my 2nd year in a very demanding job with high pressure/high stress; male dominated (I am always better in female dominated) construction and needing to compartmentalize the personal business/marriage & the addict who is living life on her own terms...
It has been a really awful and hard month to reclaim my serenity...after working so hard (notice the focus on who was working) to help the addict daughter with her justice system process that lasted 6 months. I did not go to her last court appearance and do not know where she is or how she is...and I will not...as I was one hair away from not making it out of a codependency relapse which I am not going to do.
Each day is one day at a time...and I am not allowing the past or the future to be here...just now. Just one minute at a time...focusing on tasks and things that are mine to do...as part of work and doing what is assigned and needs to be done while holding healthier boundaries than I did for the first year (& with support from boss as we hire a new team member).
I am praying and doing what I can...a rest day today. I am glad to hear that things get better...they already are...but still close enough to that relapse and the major pushback from family as I set some critical boundaries that I want to just enjoy my brain feeling sane and knowing that I cannot do more than I have already done...and I have 'done' it for so long...it is long past time for me to be able to care for myself better...I have made progress...and want to continue past the setback...but also good truths of understanding that I have given away more than I could afford...and need to really take care of myself until such time as it is enough...
Thanks to both here...Ann and Vale and others...who have been so supportive...this is definitely a journey...grateful for a rest day today with sunshine and a beautiful kitty cat who is caring and just being...
Nature Girl
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: By The Lake
Posts: 60,328
Irisgardens, you sound like you have made some very healthy decisions to take care of yourself. You have a life that is demanding and taking rest time and staying in the day is a good choice.
Today is all any of us have. Yesterday is a memory and we can't change a minute of it and tomorrow is an unknown that will unfold as it may, no matter how much we worry or try to control the future.
Enjoy today and all the blessings it brings. Enjoy the rest and the beauty of the day maybe walking in nature or doing something you love, and let this renew your spirit and heal your mind.
Hugs
Today is all any of us have. Yesterday is a memory and we can't change a minute of it and tomorrow is an unknown that will unfold as it may, no matter how much we worry or try to control the future.
Enjoy today and all the blessings it brings. Enjoy the rest and the beauty of the day maybe walking in nature or doing something you love, and let this renew your spirit and heal your mind.
Hugs
Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Dallas TX
Posts: 2,282
Ann, I beg your forgiveness for plucking your words out of context....
but these words of yours would be ill served without an encore....
>>>>>I once neglected my friends, when I lived in the darkness of my codependency and my son's addiction, ashamed of my life. They knew more than I thought, they waited and remained my friends. I no longer take our friendships for granted, each day is a blessing and we were truly blessed to have our time together to celebrate all we had overcome and to embrace the joy of today.
Don't waste your days, don't waste your friendships. Life is too short and too precious to turn our backs on those who love us most.
May each one of you feel the blessing of friendship today. It may be the greatest gift of all.>>>>>>>>>>>>>
===========================================
Hate the addiction, respect the human spirit that lives in each of us
even (ESPECIALLY!) when it is too dim to easily see. I assure you it is
still there.
but these words of yours would be ill served without an encore....
>>>>>I once neglected my friends, when I lived in the darkness of my codependency and my son's addiction, ashamed of my life. They knew more than I thought, they waited and remained my friends. I no longer take our friendships for granted, each day is a blessing and we were truly blessed to have our time together to celebrate all we had overcome and to embrace the joy of today.
Don't waste your days, don't waste your friendships. Life is too short and too precious to turn our backs on those who love us most.
May each one of you feel the blessing of friendship today. It may be the greatest gift of all.>>>>>>>>>>>>>
===========================================
Hate the addiction, respect the human spirit that lives in each of us
even (ESPECIALLY!) when it is too dim to easily see. I assure you it is
still there.
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