When I started to put this life of mine on the road to loving it, I had this longing to take some special time everyday to do the simple things I enjoy or always wanted to do.

Over the years raising my son, money worries, keeping my marriage going, trying to keep my house in order, my job, meetings, traveling, I was always exhausted. I had no time for anything else. Just go to bed for that much needed rest, only to toss and turn again from the worry.

I went back down in my basement to my small, messy at times, workplace with all my paints, papers, ribbons, all these colorful things that make me happy.  I began to be creative again.

Most of my life I had worked on craft things trying to make extra money, mass producing things to sell at fairs.  Again, adding stress, late nights, little sleep, to get all completed for the next exhibit.  This was all about making money not being creative.

Began enjoying music more. Nothing more relaxing than putting on headphones or earplugs when you are working, walking, or just taking quiet time.

I started reading, something I never had time to do in my life before. Reading for me now is part of living.

Gardening, and working outside in the yard is one of the most peaceful times for me.  This past spring and summer gave me days of joy just watching all my plants grow and flourish, just like I see my life now.

Although I am on the last part of living this life of mine I plan to enjoy it, doing things that give me joy and trying to learn new things, like my blog and this writing challenge, loving all until the last.

Please never forget to enjoy things you love to do, let the other things go, believe me most things can wait.

Blessings.

Day 3 – Happiness Comes From Gratitude and Appreciation

Yesterday I wrote about the importance of self worth and having faith. Today I want to cover being grateful and appreciating all that we have in life.

I really believe that if you want to love your life, you need to be grateful and appreciate all that you have. It is critical to changing and setting yourself on a path for real happiness.  Until I realized this, and started to practice this, there was very little peace and joy from day to day.

For years my life was always wanting. Wanting more, wanting what everyone else had. Living this way brings nothing to you but constant discontentment.

 “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.

If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

– Oprah Winfrey

“Things” never in the end made me happy.

We all want nice things, I still do, but I have learned to look at that thing I want and decide, do I really need this?

Wanting everything only led me to a life of overspending and credit card debt, not happiness.

I have learned to be grateful for the simplest things in life.

Gratitude has turned what I have into enough!

As an example, I have learned to be grateful and love my simple home and appreciate all the happiness it brings.

Having a clean, warm bed to crawl into on one of the cold, frigid, snowy nights we had so many times last winter. To wake up and have that wonderful cup of coffee, to have water for a hot bath, and even to have a bar of soap and towel.

We all know so many folks do not have these things, or will never have these comforts we take for granted in life.

This way of thinking does not happen overnight, it takes practice.

I read Ann Voskamp’s book, “One Thousand Gifts”, and started my 1000 gifts journal.

Oh how this practice opens your eyes to all the smallest gifts in life.

Hope all of you take this important step of gratitude and appreciation to bring you to a place of “Loving Your Simple Life”.

Please try it!

Blessings and love to all!

Remember to click on “31 Days” on my menu bar for all posts on “Loving My New Simple Life”.

When the day arrived that I knew my life had to change, to get off the roller coaster, with more downs than ups, I knew I had to look back.

Why and how did I become this insecure, stressed out, frightened person, not knowing where or who to turn to for help.

So I tried to remember the beginnings.

Looking back now I can see these beginnings of why this so shy, so sad little girl in the photo turned into a so sad adult.

During my grade school age, I remember spending many days alone in our basement, no friends. Even now I do not have any long time friends, only the occasional friends that step into our lives at any given time.

Early on I was never encouraged to be more, or that I could be more, or that I could be successful at something in life. Not one word spoken to me by my parents or not one single teacher.

Sure I admit I was not good at math, or many other subjects in school, but didn’t anyone see that I was creative, loved drawing, coloring, painting? Guess not!

The only words I remember were the ones spoken that let me know I wasn’t as smart as my sister, or as talented as my brother. My father’s words of encouragement were, “learn to type”.

Why was I always afraid to speak up, even to my parents, to talk out a problem or something that was bothering me? Why didn’t my mom or dad see what I needed?

I had the most loving mother, not educated, growing up in a coal mining area, and in many ways she too struggled to be more, backward in her ways with people. It wasn’t until my parents divorced, that my mother was forced to step out into the world and eventually she blossomed and experienced happiness in the last part of her life.

My father, who was an alcoholic, lost his way as the family caregiver and provider.  We lost our home, and we all suffered.

It wasn’t until I was 50 years old that I started to change in ways that have helped me find the joys of life I experience today.  Two special people entered my life.

A boss who showed me what faith in God had done for him, changed him. I saw the success, the confidence, the happiness he had even though he came from a poor rural area of Alabama.

I started to build my faith, to have a personal relationship with God. Our Lord is not the way I was taught in Catholic school. terrifying, judgmental, sending me to hell with one wrong doing. My God loves me, no matter what!

The second person was a young, bright, beautiful woman who came to me and ask me to help her. She had just been given a high profile job in the company we worked, and she needed an assistant. She wanted me. “Why me” I asked, not believing I could be the someone she needed. Tammy answered, “you have the knowledge, you know this area like no one else”.

Wow!

Thanks to Tammy, for slapping me across the face with this new position, I realized I do have so much to offer.  I am not a failure.

We worked together for years, building and accomplishing many things together for our company.  She always encouraged me, forced me to step out of my comfort zone, and when she left the company, guess who was given her position? That’s right, “Me”.

In closing this post, let me say that knowing your worth is one of the most important things you can do for yourself to “Love Your Life”.

If you have children, remember to always encourage them, talk to them, look for signs of trouble in their lives, so that you can help them.

Build your faith, start a relationship with God. He is so loving, whisper His name when you are sad or having problems, He will be there for you, and change your life.

Love to all of you!

Hope you will stop by tomorrow for Day 3 of my 31 days of writing about what “Loving My New Simple Life” is all about.

Starting today I will be participating in an online writing challenge for bloggers, sponsored by Myquillyn, (The Nester.com).

For the next 31 days I will post on what “Loving My New Simple Life” is all about!

Why now, during this last part of my life, am I finding consistent love and joy every single day.  Eliminating the stress and the pressures of the things in life that bring all of us to our knees.

I will share some of the sad times of my life, that I now see could have been avoided.

So much of my life has been wasted.  I will never get that time back, but I just have to move on and enjoy the time I have left, and I am grateful for that!  It is never too late!

This does not mean that I have never been happy or experienced any joy throughout my life.  The most joyful time was giving birth to my now grown son.  How I love him and thank my Lord for him every single day.  He is the one thing I know I have done right.  Jim is such a wonderful human being.  The one “well done” in my life.

I am not a real “writer”, but I will do my best to express my journey in hopes that some will understand and not waste the time on this earth that God has given each one of us.

Hope you will stop by during the next 31 days and spend a few minutes with me!

I have added “31 days” to my menu running across the top of the page, just click on that, and you will be taken to each day’s post.

Love to all!