Tidy Victory - I made a hair appointment with my girl Faith at Jefferson Terrace Salon & Day Spa for my upcoming Friday off on Memorial Day weekend. She swears she won't judge me.
Our community has recently experienced a great loss with the passing of a young child due to cancer. For many months, our small city pulled together hosting various fundraisers to help the family in any way possible. The high school where I work chose the child's charity to receive the money they raised through their Penny Wars and ended up donating one of the largest amounts in the history of the event.
Seeing what this child and her family has gone through made me really think. I can be superficial and unreasonable at times. I often complain about about unimportant things: I don't have a pair of jeans to wear, the dog chewed up a roll of toilet paper, I didn't have enough time to finish a blog post. Well Katie - get over yourself and be grateful for what you have.
<One> I am grateful for my happy and healthy family. These are two of the most precious things and I will never take them for granted.
<Two> I am grateful for my full time job. Sure there are tough days, but those are out numbered by awesome days. There are many education students graduating from colleges and universities around the country with no job in sight. I was offered a job within a year of graduating because it was available - and I was extremely lucky.
<Three> I am grateful for our house. My kitchen is not huge or updated, but the appliances work and I can make healthy dinners. Our water tank is old, but we have clean, hot water at our disposal. When it's raining or snowing, I know my family is safe and warm inside our home. I've heard horror stories about the homes where some of my students live and I remind myself that not everyone has what I have. For an excellent post about this topic, check out Momastery.
<Four> I am grateful for my health. Illness can strike at any moment, and until this point my most serious hospital visit has been for a kidney stone. Although painful, this problem can be controlled with small dietary changes. This isn't the case for other illnesses - life can be turned up side down in a heartbeat.
<Five> I am grateful for my life. Things have come together for me so that I have a happy marriage, an excellent career and a wonderful family. I can live without the shoes, the cars, the vacations. I have everything I need right here.
I am not an outwardly or overly religious person, but I strongly believe that God will not give you anything you cannot handle. That being said, the life and fight of the brave young lady and her family has not only inspired me but our community to reflect on our own lives. She smiled through it all and taught us to live every day to it's fullest and to show appreciation for all that we have.
In honor of her beautiful life, we shine an orange light on our front portch to show our support for her and her family.
For more information about her fund, please visit:
Kallie's Krusade
Always remember to appreciate what you have AND to tell people that you appreciate them!
Katie
