By Nancy Virden (c)2020
Nothing formal. It does not have to be journal. You can start noting your gratitude on the back of your hand or the bathroom wall for all it matters to me. The point is to take the effort to see and be thankful for the good around you.
Everyone knows what is difficult. We have no need to write it down or read about it either. What is tougher to see is the beauty. We need to see the beauty.
My aunt suggested years ago to look for beauty spots wherever I would go. Since then I have appreciated how much time people spend on their gardens. Tree-lined streets are joyful. Wildflowers growing against freeway walls and of course, the beautiful sky are each wonders.
Our environment is what we make of it. Having grown up in the country with an appreciation for all things green and silent, it was a shock moving to the city over thirty years ago. We landed in a home surrounded by a freeway, two busy streets, an airport, train yards, and bus stops. Four schools send students scurrying across our sidewalk several times a day. One had a playground across the street until they rebuilt.
In other words, it is noisy. Except for immediately after 9/11, there has never been silence here.
There is beauty in the noise. I hear children playing and loud teenagers acting like teenagers. The freeway sounds like waterfalls and airplanes are interesting. I mean, c’mon. Airplanes! I told my little boys who were 4 and 1 when we moved here, that we were the luckiest people in the world to live near trucks, buses, trains, planes, firetrucks, and automobiles.
It is all in how we choose to see beauty.
Start noting what is good. Name it aloud for others to notice too. Write it down, shout it out, praise our God, and speak life. Let’s be grateful.
Today’s Helpful Word
Colossians 3:15
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Always the Fight Ministries (ATFM) has been displaying compassion for those fighting mental illness, addiction, or abuse since 2012. Nancy is the founder and voice of ATFM and openly shares her emotional resurrection from despair.
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NOTE: I am not a doctor or a mental health professional, and speak only from personal experiences and observations. In no way is this website intended to substitute for professional mental or behavioral health care.
If you are feeling suicidal, or concerned about someone who is, in the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or for a list of international suicide hotlines, go here.
If you are suicidal with a plan, immediately call 911 in the U.S. or go to your nearest emergency room. In the EU call 112. (For other international emergency numbers, go here ). Hope and help are yours!
Always the Fight 