It is so refreshing to have my 2 year old daughter Abrielle walking all over the house. A HUGE accomplishment for her; a goal we had set 8 months ago. It is hysterical to see her curious her little mind at work. It’s almost like she is thinking “WOW Mom, finally! I have been looking at all of this stuff for months wondering how I could touch it!” When they get to this point, you realize just how much our little blessings are just like a typical toddler. In the grand scheme they are “typical” but more determined than the “typical”, and I will take that any day of the week!

It is bittersweet that this time of year everyone starts talking about the one day they can be thankful for the things in their lives and how excited they are to be approaching the holidays. It is this same time every year that I remind people that I know that we should be thankful and give thanks EVERY day… that is a tradition that I have adopted and encourage others to adopt. With life scurrying along around us, we are so quick to pay more attention to the yuck and muck that life throws our way simply because if you watch news, read popular magazines or read the paper; you are bombarded with negative, depressing and unhappy things that are going on putting us in the frame of mind to focus on what is wrong in our lives as well. This is exactly why I choose instead to read things I have written, such as old diary entries and journals or books that inspire me with stories of adversity. Reading things like this put into perspective how my life has truly changed, how it has had ups and downs but through it all I have survived. It is encouraging and lifts me up and THAT is what I like to feel.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving with their family and I hope that you adopt the tradition of being thankful for your blessings every day. Be thankful for the troubles also;  each one is there for a lesson and with the right attitude will help you on our journey in a positive way.

~Shelley~

Read more of my writing on my Facebook fan page for my book coming out next year.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Need-The-Happy-Ending-By-Shelley-Giard/137541586273406