An Attitude of Gratitude

The other day I read this post at Apron Girls for an FHE on "whine flu". So clever. Some points that got me thinking:

• "Whining and complaining shows ingratitude."
• "Just as we wash our hands to prevent germs, we can prevent whining and ingratitude by counting our blessings."

Add to that this, that I read recently in Dr. Laura's In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms:

• "...when you get into the ....'Poor me, I'm giving so much of myself and getting so little,' or 'where is the me time?' complaints you're surely in self-destruct mode. And when you self-destruct, the whole family goes down with you, because, accept it or not, the woman is the center of the universe, the very breath of a family."
• "The key of perspective is that what you feel is put second to what you've lived. You can feel severely tired after a long day and gripe about the aches, pains, and pure exhaustion, or you can say to yourself, 'you know, at the end of the day, it's kind of great to feel this worn out - it means I've experienced a lot today.' Share the experiences as a blessing, instead of cursing the aches."

I love being a SAHM, but I do lovingly remind my husband often that he would never last a day in my shoes. What I need to remember is that I wouldn't last a day in his either, and I'm grateful that I don't have to. I would so much rather do load after load of endless laundry, sweep and mop the kitchen floor after every meal, and wear a booger-encrusted shirt all day, getting the snuggles and giggles from my kids that come with it, than go to work and deal with all that goes with that. Or, have to deal with the pressures of work and still have to come home and deal with laundry, and chores. So thank you Honey, for being a husband that gets it.

Looking forward to the holidays is an excellent time to remember gratitude for what we have. So in order to prevent ingratitude, I've decided to post one "blessing" every day from now until Christmas. I hope you enjoy it, and whether or not you publicly announce yours, I hope you will think to count yours also.

Today I am grateful for: Appreciation for what I do.

• The aforementioned book from Dr. Laura was a gift that I was given recently from my father-in-law. It came in the mail unexpectedly, (with a lovely note) and for no reason at all other than to say, "It made me think of you." It was heartfelt, thoughtful, and wonderful. Definitely in the top 5 of all the gifts I've ever been given. Maybe #2 next to the snicker's cake from Brandon while we were dating, but nostalgia won't ever allow anything to top that.
  
• My husband often brags to others about the things that I do for him at home. While he often paints things better than they really are, it is the boost that I need to do better. It is wonderful to know that he sees the things that I do as important.