Here I go. Here I go again on my own.

This past week I started having the crazy idea to do another round of Post-a-Day for November.  I'm not sure exactly why, since I feel like all I talked about last year was how tired I was.  Not exactly riveting reading material.  I tried to talk myself out of it, but myself kept talking me into it.  So, here I am.

Today, one of my favorite blogs had this quote posted which gave me pause and I wanted to share it.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

~Melody Beattie

I know it's not news to anyone how incredibly blessed we really are. Not just "we," the Jordan Johnsen family, but the collective "we" including everyone who could possibly have reason to be reading this blog. I think I've touched on this before but it bears repeating. I tend to forget my blessings during this season of Thanksgiving and Celebration, dwelling instead on the way(s) in which I perceive my life to be broken. Shattered, really.

What a lousy attitude to have during such a festive time of year.

There is no denying that this season truly strains my emotional reserves and probably always will. But I've really got to stop letting that strain turn me into a scrooge. It all comes back to the attitude. The gratitude. The here and now cuteness of my littles. The cold nights made for cuddling into flannel sheets with the love of my life. The ever mindful hand of the Lord in my day to day life.

Stop and think. You're just as blessed as I.