What are you Grateful For?

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

John F. Kennedy

Gratitude is something that is easily forgotten in the everyday hustle and bustle of our lives but is something that each person should take 5 minutes out of a day to give a little thanks. I started a gratitude list a months ago but some days or even weeks, I would forget to even write a single word of appreciation. However, with all chaos of my life, I have found great comfort in writing 5 things that I am grateful for each day. In the beginning, my gratitude was for the children, family and friends and why I am grateful for each of them. Then it moved onto the things that are necessary to my survival on this earth... food, water and shelter. Now, I am truly finding the things that I am grateful for in life and in myself such as my artistic skills, the warmth of sunshine on my skin and the freedom to walk this earth each day that I wake up. To be grateful for each breathe I take is indescribable because so often we take for granted that each breathe we take is keeping us alive and on this beautiful earth. So what are you grateful for today?

Love Everyday of Your Life

"You only live once, so do everything twice."

 When someone dies, it makes you put your life into perspective. You begin to appreciate who you do have in your life and are grateful for the chance to take another breathe. My  best friend had suffered her first death as an adult and I wish there is something that I could say to make her feel better. Unfortunately when it comes to death, I become numb because it brings up many emotions that I yet to deal with in my own life. 

3 years, 7 months and 2 days.... that is the amount of time since my little brother died at the young ago of 23. I can put on the happy face and act like I am ok but in reality, my heart is still breaking from losing someone I was so close to and shared a special bond with. My brother and I didn't have the easiest childhood but what helped us get through it was each other.... even if we fought like cats and dogs. As adults, our bond grew stronger as we both struggled with our personal lives. We always knew we could talk and vent to the other. Now, I have felt lost without him and haven't been able to cope with that. Seeing my best friend crying over losing her friend makes me want to say something or do something to help ease her pain but all I can say is appreciate the people and things we have because we never know when it can all be taken away and gone tomorrow.