It’s the season of thanks, and everywhere you look lately, lots of spirits are being broken. From protests in Ferguson, to political turmoil, to the lack of necessities to live life like it was meant to be. Happily. I know that last year, I shared my journey with dealing with depression, and here I am one year later, and I’m still alive. I’m still fighting, and this year, the spirit of the season seems to resonate more with me than it ever has. I’m thankful for a whole lot, and for fear of sounding like a cliché, I’m kind of grateful that November sometimes FORCES us to sit and meditate on things in our lives.
This year, I’ve done more with my business than I imagined that I ever could. I’m not pulling in enough money to be considered a full-time job, but I am making enough to help ends meet, and that’s a blessing. This time last year, I had an eighth grader that was struggling still to find his place in the world, and now, he’s a freshmen who is still finding his way. He is happier, and he’s talking to us more, and THAT’S a blessing. The biggest thing that happened for us this year was our work with Habitat for Humanity on building our home. We’re finished, and just waiting on closing – which is proving to be an exercise in patience for both me and Mr. Houseful.
We’re teaching the children to be grateful for what they have as well. The ladybug is very upset about the move. I mean, if you’ve only known one spot for six short years, and that’s the amount of time you’ve been on Earth, I can see how you think that the world is ending. I actually am sad to be leaving this area as well, however, there are so many things to be grateful for.
I have my health, my strength, and my right mind.
I have an awesome husband who encourages me to do things that most husbands would complain about. Learning a new craft, SURE! Building a farmhouse dining table for our new dining area, SURE! You want to build a house? SURE! I love him beyond comprehension, and I love that he lifts me up when I can’t stand on my own. And when I can stand, he respects me enough to let me do so too. He smiles at my corny jokes, and he laughs late in the evening at my harebrained ideas. He makes ME laugh until I cry from it, and those days feel so good. He kisses me when I’m down, and holds me when I’m scared. He’s a true match for me. He’s helped me in creating four of the most beautiful kids this side of the Mississippi. He doesn’t even mind that I’m growing a beard right along with him at times. That’s love.
I’m grateful for friends both in the bloggy world and outside of it. I’m grateful for those relationships that I have formed and strengthened in the last year. I’ve met my tribe and we’re rocking it out. It’s hard, and they make sure that I don’t give up on this thing when I feel like it’s not worth the time anymore. I know that you all reading are the real reason why these words continue to be shared. Yeah, the money is nice, and helps to pay some things, but I’ve connected with some of you through my crazy stories, and that’s amazing. I’m finding homeschoolers, and sewers, and knitters, and crocheters and other people who have built homes through Habitat for Humanity. It’s so wonderful to be able to do that.
The spirit of gratefulness sometimes evades us throughout the year. I used to get irritated when I saw this 30 days of gratefulness challenge on Facebook when I first joined. I used to scream in my head that YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL ALL YEAR LONG! But it’s a struggle sometimes, and being able to find the good in each and every day for a full month takes effort for some people. Finding the good in one DAY is a struggle, but it’s so insanely beautiful when you see the sun through the rain and smile. You reach out to connect with those warming rays, even as the rain pours down.
Today I’m linking up with a few other ladies to share the spirit of the season. Amiyrah from Four Hats and Frugal, Brandi from Mama Knows It All, Mandi from Chewsy Lovers, Val from Children of the Old School and Yolonda from Notorious Spinks. Stop by their blogs and leave them some comment love AND find new ladies to click with!
Follow Mama Knows It All’s board The Spirit Of The Season on Pinterest.
Intentional gratefulness. It seems like the older I get, the more important it becomes. Thank you for sharing what you are grateful for. It sometimes help to hear what other folks are happy about in order to jog my memory!
This is great. I totally understand about finding things to be thankful. Sometimes it can be hard but we just have to fight through. And that beard…. LOL!
This year I’m thankful for unconditional happiness. I thought happiness was based off of what you have & ppl affirming the work you do. Thankfully this is no longer my mind set.
Thanks for sharing. This is just the beginning for you & your business.
The struggle is REAL at times. We get so lost in what we don’t have, we don’t fully appreciate what we do have. Thanks for this reminder. You have accomplished so much this year!!! Congrats!!
I’m so glad that you’ve had so many amazing things happen in the last year. God does give us what we need, even if we’d sometimes prefer it a little faster.
I absolutely love this. Sometimes it’s important for our mental health to stop and list the things we are thankful for. You’re thankful for so much, and we’re thankful for you. Happy holidays, friend.
Yes, we should be grateful/thankful for things all the time but sometimes it’s good to perform an exercise that causes us to REALLY think about it. Love this post!