Gratitude Therapy

That's the way my week has been - busy and  stressful.  There are a number of reasons for the stress, that I won't go into, most of which will pass with time.  In the here and now, however, despite all that is swirling around in my brain, stressing me out, I will focus on the things I am grateful for today.  For this gratitude therapy, I am joining with Rebecca Jo over at Knit by God's Hand for Thankful Thursday and Susanne at Living to Tell the Story  for Friday's Fave Five.  Let's get going.

Evening walk - now that it is staying light a little longer, I was able to walk after dinner on a day when a busy afternoon had prevented me from walking right after I got home.  It was a lovely warm evening, and walking is one of my favorite stress relievers.  I am grateful that is stayed light long enough for me to walk after what felt like an overwhelming day. 

Helping the hurting - I will admit that one of the things that has most troubled me this past week are the horrible events in Ukraine.  I think most of us feel so helpless and heartbroken about what is going on over there.  I have wanted to help in some small way, and earlier tonight, I heard about this initiative being organized by one of our major Utah corporations, so I will be getting some diapers and other necessary items and donating them this week.  It's isn't much, but it is something to show the hurting Ukrainians that we care.  I am grateful for any opportunity to help and show support. 

Flowers from Charly - Knowing that I was not having the best week, Charly brought these flowers to me when he came from doing the grocery shopping.  I am grateful that Charly does the grocery shopping and for his kindness in bringing me flowers. 

More classes finished - I don't have a picture, but I did finish two more online classes and I have now completed 15 of the 20 credits needed for a salary lane change and a raise.   I am grateful for this opportunity to take some very interesting classes that help me as a teacher and help me get a salary increase. 

Kind and helpful people - When I took the necessary documentation of completing my classes to our school district office,  the lady who has been helping me was was so friendly, kind and helpful, as she always is.  It had been a rough day for me, but this woman answered my questions and made me happy about my accomplishment. I find myself looking forward to my monthly trips to her office to turn in the documentation for the completed classes.  We had another stressful event going on this week that we needed some advice on, and when I reached out by email to ask another person some questions about the situation and how it could be resolved, I was pleased with a prompt, kind and helpful answer, that made me feel just a bit better about a possible solution to the problem. I am grateful for kind and friendly people.  I want to be more like that, more of the time. 

Thanks for joining me as I looked for things to be grateful for.  I know that next week at this time, at least some of the things stressing me out today could be resolved.  I pray to God that they will be.  I hope you have a good weekend.  See you again soon. 

💙Deb💛

"Gratitude and attitude are not challenges, 

they are choices."

~Anon.

🙏Please pray for Ukraine. 🙏

I'm back now and an explanation about why I was gone so long...

Hello to all of my blog friends!  

I have missed you.  I just looked back and realized it has been almost a year since I last posted.  That is way too long to have been absent from this space and also the great people I met as a result of posting to this blog regularly.  So I am back.  Posting and looking for blessings and good things in my life is so therapeutic, and that is what I need right now, so I am back in blog land and will be getting back in the habit of visiting your blogs and posting in this space as often as I can.  

Here's Charly and I during a recent night at the Utah Opera performance of "La Traviata."

First, an explanation of why I have been gone so long.  You may remember that my husband, Charly had a brain aneurysm  or hemorrhagic stroke back in November of 2017.  Wow, that was really a tough time - it was so stressful and filled with anxiety.  The really great news is that Charly has almost completely recovered from that event, that was supposed to be fatal.  When I say "almost completely recovered" I admit that he walks a little slower than he used to and gets tired earlier in the evening.  We are usually in bed by ten now.  Before he was quite the night owl.  But those things aside, he has recovered and is today healthy and strong.  He has amazed us all, his doctor included.  Of course, we give God the credit for this wonderful miracle.  

There were some repercussions in our family from Charly's illness that I never in my wildest dreams would have suspected.  For me the time of Charly's illness (52 days in four different hospitals) when I was starting a new job in another state, having to travel between Utah and Arizona every week and complete the move Charly had been working on with all of our furniture and other items, while getting our old Arizona house renovated and ready to sell, was extremely stressful and filled with anxiety.  I managed to do everything I needed to do, but I will admit that stress sometimes overwhelmed me and I didn't handle everything perfectly.  I became depressed and anxiety became a very real thing for me.  Some family members became very upset with me.  Untrue gossip and stories were told about Charly and I to other family members and even people in our neighborhood and church congregation.  I was blamed for Charly's illness (although ALL of his doctors and health care professionals told me I was absolutely in no way to blame).    Truly, it became a nightmare.   My depression and anxiety deepened.  I sought the help of professionals and "put one foot in front of the other" every day.  I did my best, although I was not always at my best, but I kept going.

Fast forward two years. Charly continues to do great, and I am doing better, but relationships remain strained and icey with my two daughters - the mothers of my ten grandchildren.  They are not ready to forgive and move on and I respect that.  They have their journeys in life, but I can't let that affect mine.  My heart has been broken and I still feel sad, but I completely forgive them and stand ready to resume a close and loving mother-daughter relationship whenever they are ready.  With other extended family members, who were extremely toxic during Charly's illness and after,  we have, at the suggestion of family counselors, removed them from our lives, for now and possibly forever.  The mental and physical health of Charly and I has to come first.  That is not being selfish, that is just good common sense.  To use the old airplane analogy, you have to put your oxygen mask first before you can help others.  That is what we are doing now.  

Throughout all of this, I am sorry to say that my blogging took a back seat.  Our lives were so very busy, and when I did have time, I often couldn't muster the physical and mental energy to post.  I am hoping that is in the past, because I do love this little blog, and the great people I have met and who became my blogging friends.  

That's all for now, but I promise to return again soon to post about some of the things that have happened in our lives this past year.  I am excited to revisit my blogging friends and catch up with you as well.