Being Grateful.

A big thanks to a dear friend who lives in the village. The other night as the sun was going down she took some pictures as she walked home. I could not resist just taking some ideas from each of them and creating this little painting from them. This is the road that heads out of Freuchie.

We are so fortunate that we live in such a beautiful part of the world but even more so that we can see and appreciate it. I do not see nearly as good as I did as a youth, who of us does, but I do see things differently and I always do appreciate seeing them at all. 

I am not sure if I have shared this story before but if I have this is just another attempt at my telling it again.

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which read, “I am blind, please help.”

There were only a few coins in the hat, some spare change from folks as they hurried past.

A man was walking past. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words.

Then he put the sign back in the boy’s hand so that everyone who walked past would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.

That afternoon, the man who had changed the sign returned to see how things were.

The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.” I wrote, “Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it.”

Both signs spoke the truth. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind, while the second sign conveyed to everyone walking past how grateful they should be to see the beauty he could not.

When your life seems full of troubles, it seems difficult to maintain an attitude of gratitude.  All we see are our problems, like a blackened storm cloud casting a dark shadow over our lives.

And the times when everything just seems to be going smoothly? We often take these precious moments for granted.  Caught up in the bliss, comfort, and familiarity of it all, we can simply forget to be thankful.

Simply put, gratitude is a habit. It’s a way of looking at the world and all the good things in it with a feeling of appreciation, regardless of whether or not your current situation is to your liking, there is still much to be happy about.

Gratitude is a grateful approach to being at peace with yourself and with all you have.  

Rejoice in the day and be grateful that you awoke to enjoy it. have a great day.