gratitiude

I am home from the conference. It was wonderful and I have much to share. To be honest, first I must rest up. I spent as much time in classrooms, soaking in all the knowledge as I could. The hotel was on the beach, my room had a glorious view of the ocean. I did see amazing sunrises each morning. However, I did not take full advantage of the sea air and wonderful waves rolling up on shore as there was always one more class being offered with nuggets of wisdom, I just could not miss. I hope to share some of that in upcoming days, as well as links to the blogs and sites of some of my colleagues whom I had the pleasure of spending time with.

This morning though, I did want to share a quick story of gratitude. My neighbor and friend was heading towards Daytona Beach this past weekend as well. We thought we might share a ride, however, she decided to wait and leave Friday morning. I left for the conference on Thursday. On Sunday, as I am heading into a luncheon expecting to hear a fabulous speaker, my cell phone rang. It was my husband, letting me know that I would be hearing from my neighbor. Apparently, she had left for home early in the day. She had made a quick stop in Orlando and was preparing to get back on I-4, when her car was hit by another car. Her car was totaled, she seemed OK, just dazed and maybe whiplash.

I wasn’t able to eat lunch, I was anticipating the phone call the entire meal. When it came, she still sounded a bit confused, however, I knew she was with friends and safe. She just needed me to pick her up and drive her home. She had thought she might be able to drive her car home, fortunately her friends talked her out of trying that. Her car wasn’t safe and she wasn’t up to it.

I gave one last talk that I had been scheduled for and left immediately. (I had checked out of the hotel and packed my car up early in the morning.). When I met up with my friend, I was relieved to see her in pretty good shape, all things considered. Now, here is the thing about this amazing woman. The entire ride home, she was filled with gratitude. She was pleased her car had kept her safe, that I was going to be passing through Orlando and could drive her home, that her friends were in Orlando, able to keep her until I could get to her. On and on the list went, gratitude and more gratitude.

When we were getting near home, she mentioned how she loves the causeway into Clearwater and then head north as opposed to another more direct route home. So, I took the long way, she oohed and aahed over the water, the boats, the beauty of where we live. She kept saying how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful area. The few extra minutes on the road were so worth listening to her joy.

My friend has some challenges coming up. Her attitude is so powerful and positive, I know she will deal with everything in the best way possible. She has people to support her in her decision making process and help her through difficult moments. How coudl you help but be a friend to someone so amazing?

This weekend I was invited to a fabulous luncheon. The hostess was expressing gratitude. The event was amazing, a collection of the most eclectic individuals, it was an honor to be included. The meal was divine, she had a “special guest” who provided intrigue and the gifts she gave were most amazing.

She gave me a book! Everyone surely knows at this point how I love books. (I sat and read it poolside yesterday.) Knowing my preoccupation with shoes, it was fun to receive a shoe magnet amongst the goodies as well. Mostly, it was the attitude of these divine individuals that I felt the most blessed by. The gratitude the hostess was sharing, became contagious. Everyone seemed to be sharing stories of gratitude in their lives, connecting, blessing.

All too often we use familiar thought patterns, going to the negative. We focus on what is wrong in our day, the situation, our lives. This moment was special. It was an opportunity to think about what is right in our lives, how we have been blessed. Blessed even by instances that seemed negative at first glance.

Take a moment and imagine right here, right now, what are the blessings in your life. If you are reading this, most likely, you have access to a world of information about any given subject. How awesome is that? Through the internet we have the ability to communicate with loved ones at a distance. My sister in law just left for mission work in Africa. I am certainly grateful for internet connections with her.

I enjoy going to this blog for reminders on how simple it is to stay in the moment and be grateful. Check out: Things I’m Grateful For

I am also grateful for my webmaster, friend. She reminds me that my blog is not supposed to take all of my time on a Monday, when there are other opportunities at hand. So, with gratitude, I leave you this thought: God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?” ~William A. Ward