The Gratitude Diaries

A Bowl Full of Humility

Yesterday, my daughter and I got all dolled up to attend a much-anticipated book signing in downtown Atlanta. We eagerly jumped in the car, and I turned the ignition, and my car wouldn’t start.  It made a disturbing clanking sound and stopped. I had drained my battery! Before I got ready to go to the event, I sat in my car for 45 minutes, and chatted on the phone with a friend while my headlights were still on, and the car’s fan was on. I had the air blowing out the vents, and the car wasn’t fully cranked up. This caused my battery to temporarily die. I was so devastated because I had no jumper cables, and I am “Ms. Independent.” Therefore, I froze at the prospect of asking my neighbors for help. I just couldn’t do it. I called someone I knew from our subdivision’s home association group, but he didn’t help at all. He thought he knew someone who could possibly help me, but he didn’t know whether the mystery guy was home or not. I was getting so aggravated. I even considered using my roadside assistance through my car insurance. I knew that that option would take hours though.

I sat in my car for about 30 minutes, trying to figure out who had cables, and who would have the patience to jump my battery. My daughter saw one of my neighbors, and decided to just ask him. I hesitated (again because I hate asking people for help). But my daughter had enough sense to ask, and as a result, my neighbor and his wife jumped my battery, and we were on our way. 

Day 2

“Today, I’m grateful for three things: good neighbors, a daughter with common sense, and the revelation that I need to get over the fear of asking people for help when I need it.”

The Gratitude Diaries

21 Days of Gratitude

All of us have annoying habits we’d like to break. So for the next 21 days I’ve decided to rid myself of such a habit.  I hate my annoying habit of finding the negative side of every situation. I decided to challenge myself for the next 21 days to see if I can break my negativity. I am dedicating 21 days of this blog to be grateful for one thing, each day for (at least) 21 days. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of the end of my negativity habit. 

As I reflect over the year 2013, the Christmas holiday instantly comes to mind. I had so much fun seeing my family this Christmas. The previous Christmas, I spent the holiday with friends. By the time I got together with family members in Macon, Georgia again, it was super hard not to be overly excited to see them! Today, I’m so grateful for having an awesome family to spend the holidays with! I’ve taken them for granted for so many years, but my family (especially my mom) has brightened so many of my holidays with singing, dancing, eating, fun and laughter.

 Day 1

 

“Today, I’m grateful for my family.” 

Thinking of Wearing My Hair Straight Again

. . .But how do I do that! I'm super active (and it's super hot and humid in Georgia). I'm trying to work out (Zumba, walking, jogging, toning) at least three to four times a week. How do I work out and keep my hair straight (and btw) it takes hours to straighten hair as coily as mine. Any suggestions? Hmmmm. . .

Second thought. . .maybe I'll wait for a special occasion or something. I want it to last more than a week.

Tee

Wisdom Nuggets from Granddaddy

My daughter and I spent some time with my granddad on Sunday. He has influenced our lives in so many awesome ways! He was a pastor for decades before retiring a few years ago. He and my grandma raised me from the time I was six months old. He constantly gives me an earful of the most interesting stories I’ve ever heard, especially about how he built his house from scratch, his relationship with the Lord, his adventures being raised on a farm, and how he fed and raised nine children (seven girls) while trying to fulfill the call of God on his life! Whew! My head’s spinning just thinking of all of it. But with him, I experience a quality I don’t see in men today. Just saying. . . For instance, he truly has a relationship with God, and grows from it. He really does pray and read his Bible. He still ministers to others through prayers and pamphlets with nuggets of spiritual revelations. He's going on 90, and he’s writing almost every day!  While I was listening to him at his Father’s Day dinner on Sunday, he said something that struck me. It was a simple statement that just stayed with me this week. He basically said no one can make you complete as a person. No one can "get you together."  They can help you, but ultimately you have to make the decision, and do the bulk of the work of "getting it together." And most importantly, you have to want it. You have to decide to change your life for the better. Other people can only add to that process. They cannot make you, and you shouldn't want them to. You shouldn't need anyone to make you happy or make you whole or make you feel good about yourself. Whatever you need in life, it should pour from within you. It will pour from the place where you are truly intimate with God, and you’ll receive revelation from Him that pushes you further into your development as a person. Then, the neat things is, you’ll be able to pour into others. I thought about my brief conversation with my granddaddy, and it seems that it is so easy to allow certain truths to slip from time to time. Especially these days when so much is vying for my attention. Thanks granddaddy for reminding me of the important truths of life. You always help me get back on course . . . on the road to wholeness. Love ya much! 

Tee

Food for thought. . .

Just realized something . . . there are some blessings you are just graced with. They just seem to float in as if lost at sea. They drift in from out of nowhere, and although you didn’t work for them, you appreciate them. However, there are some blessings that you have to search and find, chase down running full speed, grab hold of them, and wrestle them to the ground and tell them they better not move! Yeah, I’ve had a few of those too! And you know what? Those are the ones I’ve appreciated the most.  Just saying . . . LOL! Today, I want to encourage you to appreciate all your blessings—the ones that floated in on a raft and the ones you had to find and wrestle to the ground. Happy Friday!