Attitude of Gratitude – Day 516… ish

Okay… I admit. It’s been a month since I last wrote a blog post. This pandemic thing has put me into a bit of a tail spin… not because I feel panic but because I feel lethargic. Really. I am on the computer all day long for my job. I’ve gone from 8000-10,000 steps a day to less than a 1000. I leave my house, maybe, once a week. Going to the store is freaky… some people in masks and full gear and some people throwing caution to the wind. Now the school year is about to wrap up and we are facing budget cuts. I knew my job of teaching was temporary, only lasting 9 months of school this year, but I had great hopes that it would be opening a door to something more. I love teaching and it is a great sadness that hoovers over me as I wait to see what happens next. With the shut down of the state and nation, there is less money for education. That means the hope for me continuing in education is getting smaller and smaller. sigh. Is it time to accept that it is time to move on to something else? I really don’t want it to. I want to keep teaching. But… at the same time I need to stand up for myself and believe that the 13 years of volunteering and working to help kids get a quality education is worth a little paycheck. Anyway, waiting is hard.

But this blog isn’t about throwing pity parties. This blog is about having gratitude and finding joy in things.

The things I am grateful for over the past month:

My family is safe and healthy.

My husband has a great job and it looks like his company may have him working from home from now on. That would be a huge blessing for him. It cuts 2 1/2 hours of driving time off his day. He is learning to be very effective in this work from home model.

I learned the distance learning model fairly quickly. This is a big blessing. I learned how to do all kinds of fun things.

#2 and her family are off to an new adventure. Her husband applied for a new job and got it! This is a big blessing because we all prayed and fasted about it because he wasn’t happy in his old job. It does take there little family 4 hours away, but I can see that it is a big blessing for them.

My garden is doing so well! The plants are healthy and happy. This is a blessing… eating things that you grow yourself is so fun!

We got chickens and they are getting so big. I look forward to eating the eggs they produce.

The weather has been great… some days are rainy and some are sunny. I like them both. Plus, we have had some great sunsets.

I have been loving studying the gospel lately. I am learning so many great things. I also love the things I learn from good friends who share their thoughts and testimony with me.