“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal

into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our

past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

~Melody Beattie

In the name of gratitude and truthfulness I’ve decided to post a little piece of reality here once a week. Likely just a single picture. See my original post here.

We cleaned for two days. Everything was spic and nearly span. The photographer came in to take new photos for our house listing. It took him five minutes and he was out the door again. Out the door without an introduction or a handshake; without any of the loving care I put into the first set of listing photos (the ones I took myself).

And I was annoyed that he couldn’t take 10 seconds to reach out and shake my hand or offer an introduction in reply to mine. Of course it’s more personal to me whether this ten-year home of mine sells, of course it’s only a job for him and the more jobs completed the better. But shouldn’t common curtesy be personal to us all?

And I was annoyed that we cleaned so late at night without the hope of an actual showing. Annoyed that within an hour you might not have guessed we’d cleaned at all.

And mostly annoyed that I got so annoyed.

But…

I’m thankful that this house is going to sell (and believing it will happen soon). Thankful for the reminder to smile, and shake hands, and care about relationship – even if it’s only for a passing encounter. And thankful for all the fun things happening here that make this place a mess.

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If you’d like to join in with a reality check of your own, please add a link or note in the comments!

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal

into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our

past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

~Melody Beattie

In the name of gratitude and truthfulness I’ve decided to post a little piece of reality here once a week. Likely just a single picture. See my original post here.

In a home this size with this many people, spring cleaning is a necessary (and not merely annual) event. But in a home this size with this many people, spring cleaning, despite our valiant efforts, does not uncover heaps of unrealized space. We did not, for example, discover an extra bedroom hidden behind the linens this weekend.

That being said I’m very thankful for the fresh feeling of some newly organized closets and bookshelves. The feeling of accomplishment that comes from dropping a load off at the charity shop. And my hubby who is (mostly) patient and understanding when it comes to my fabric and wool stash.

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If you’d like to join in with a reality check of your own, please add a link or note in the comments!

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal

into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our

past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

~Melody Beattie

In the name of gratitude and truthfulness I’ve decided to post a little piece of reality here once a week. Likely just a single picture. See my original post here.

On the day I read this article – knowing we had big plans to bake and decorate sugar cookies with friends; on the day I was already feeling slightly guilt-stricken over the excessive sugar I was letting the kids have; on the day I was trying to let it go and make memories and give up worry – two little people locked themselves in the bathroom with a little boy’s remaining Halloween candy and scarfed it.

And I laughed.

I laughed because worry isn’t something I go for. Oh, it happens, trust me. But I try really really hard to let go and I try really really hard to trust. Because I am not running the ship here.

And after a day of feeling bad that my kids eat sugar and even sometimes food colouring, a day of feeling bad that I put aside my better judgement in the name of fun and celebration; I thought this made a good joke. A shout-out from the guy who’s got my back, the one I’m trusting on this journey.

(And in case, as a practical minded person, you are wondering why they still have Halloween candy and why they could get at it…well, they get a piece so rarely that it lasts a long while, and we’ve never had a problem with them sneaking before – now we know.)

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If you’d like to join in with a reality check of your own, please add a link or note in the comments!

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal

into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our

past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

~Melody Beattie

In the name of gratitude and truthfulness I’ve decided to post a little piece of reality here once a week. Likely just a single picture. See my original post here.

I don’t know what to say about this other than I’m a klutz. I rush, I’m careless, I multi-task like a 15 armed robot who doesn’t have six children. I do things like put my new recipe journal on the breadmaker while it’s kneading my first batch of dough so it can jump down into my second batch of dough. (I also do things like break a toe while rushing to fold laundry – but that’s another story.)

Although I let out a great moan after this happened, causing my family concern, I recovered. And I’m left feeling thankful for my mama who was visiting at the time. She did one of those great mom things – rushed in with concern (no doubt thinking I’d lost a finger based on the mournful noise I made), commiserated with me, and then cleaned up my mess so I could finish with my baking extravaganza. She handed back my journal nearly as good as new and freshly christened in the kitchen.

I am so thankful for my mom. Thankful that she can still makes things better and fix my messes, along with a whole host of other reasons she’s great. (She’s also amazing at untangling yarn – she’s a wonder, that woman!)

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If you’d like to join in with a reality check of your own, please add a link or note in the comments!

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal

into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our

past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

~Melody Beattie

In the name of gratitude and truthfulness I’ve decided to post a little piece of reality here once a week. Likely just a single picture. See my original post here.

We got lazy at the end of the growing season last year. I was still new baby gaga. And I was taking everyone down with me.

We abandoned the digging of potatoes and carrots. We let the slugs enjoy the rest of beans. The ground froze.

When we enjoyed a fall thaw and the weather was beautiful I tried digging. The ground was solid with cold. Those root veggies were staying put. So ended our enthusiastic beginnings. I’ve been vacillating between shame, disappointment, and annoyance since then.

On the bright side, I’m thankful for curious children (cultivators in hand), garden surprises, the fresh start of spring, and bowlful of homegrown carrots in March.

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If you’d like to join in with a reality check of your own, please add a link or note in the comments!