Thanksgiving was my favorite childhood holiday but I never understood what it really stood for. It was a day of eating food my parents could otherwise not afford for me to eat.
As a child I knew very little about gratitude or how to express it. I had no concept of what gratitude was or how to really appreciate any part of my existence.
We were not taught the simple expression of “thank you” and the only mention of gratitude was in the meaningless words that were simply lip-service at the many prayer times. I had no real association to a feeling of genuine gratitude for anything in my life. I knew nothing of what it could do for me and its real value. In fact, I did not really understand gratitude until my mid-life breakdown when I discovered it to be the first essential component to rebuilding my life.
I began to discover gratitude at a time when my life was falling apart around me.
Everything I had built in my life was crumbling and I was forced to rethink everything I thought I knew. I was in such a state of dark depression that my mind slipped into thoughts of suicide. Out of desperation to save myself, and be who I needed to be for my family, I began carving out a few minutes each day for me. The only time I had to myself was at 6:30 each morning and in that precious time I started walking through the quiet streets surrounding my home. In those few minutes each morning I began clearing my mind and reconnecting with myself. And, it was in one early morning sunrise that I discovered gratitude.
Gratitude saved my life!
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Until next time, be fearless, fabulous and free!
The Polygamist's Daughter 