The Older Sister / Gratitude – The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans LLC

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The older I get, the more I appreciate things. I shouldn’t even say things because they aren’t things. It’s not the kind of things you can touch with your hands. It’s the kind of things you can only touch with your heart.

Does anyone else keep a gratitude journal? I started journaling (Oprah does it) a few years back and I find it fascinating when I go back and read it. I’m pretty sure that when I started keeping the gratitude journal, I didn’t really get the concept. I was grateful for some of the dumbest things. Who in their right mind is thankful for their vacuum cleaner???

As I kept writing about gratitude, gratitude took on a whole new meaning. I began to realize what was really important and what true gratitude was. I began to be grateful for the feelings that I felt and not the things that made me happy.

Here’s a few examples of what I was grateful for…..

1. Hearing my grandson laugh. He has a laugh that comes from his toes. 2. How my hand feels inside my husbands hand. 3. All 13 of us sitting down to a big family dinner. It doesn’t happen nearly often enough.

4. Smelling fresh mowed grass.

These are all feelings that make my heart sing.

I have found that the less I am grateful for material things and the more I am grateful for things I feel with my heart, I am a much happier person. I’ve become the kind of person who doesn’t care who has a bigger house or a fancier car. Bigger houses take longer to clean and fancier cars take longer to pay off. I don’t need that.

I need my family close and healthy. They are the lights of my life. I need my friends and those special bonds I have with them. I need my husband more than I ever have. We have a bond that I never want to lose. Every time I think that I couldn’t love him anymore, I find I can.

There is one material thing that I am truly grateful for. I couldn’t get through a day without my camera. I need to capture all these memories of life. Natalie learning to ride a two wheeler, Lizzy learning to swim without her water wings, Jack feeding the goats at the zoo. My beautiful children and grandchildren with Dick and I as we renewed our wedding vows for our 40th anniversary.

The most important things in life aren’t things. The older I get, the more I realize this. If you are looking for a way to put some gratitude in your life, try a gratitude journal. You don’t have to do it every day, if you don’t want to. Just when you think of it.

I find that my gratitude is the kind of thing I think about during final relaxation in yoga. I used to think about what I had to get at the store when class was over. I think about it when I go to sleep at night. It’s such a calm and peaceful feeling. I am grateful for gratitude!

Tags: featured, gratitude, MIND IT

Category: MIND IT, Nancy, The Older Sister, The Sisterhood