Is it just me or does this holiday season accompany a slower pace or lack of motivation to have Christmas in the same way as in past years? As much as I want to make this Christmas special for my family, I just can’t get in the mood to buy much of anything. What will it take to get me in the right mood to get something under the tree? Perchance my eyes have gotten a little cloudy lately and need some restorative eye wash to resurrect in view those simple treasures of Christmas?
But at this moment, in all honesty, we may need to first accept what the past two years have done to families in the way of loss and the impact that loss has done to so many, including our family. Yet, I am reminded of a coaching phrase I used for my clients through the years challenging me right now.
The phrase, “Time to revisit your attitude that determines the altitude of your gratitude” strikes the mark for many of us, doesn’t it? Maybe, it’s not so much what we buy to put under the tree. Possibly, it is those simple and profound gratitudes we somehow lose when life rolls us down the mountain. Gratitude’s high-mountain horizon view tends to disappear from our eyes.
What challenged my attitude and low altitude was a surprise Christmas gift from our neighbor, Phyllis. She graced us with a beautiful Lace Leaf plant (Anthurium) a sweet Christmas towel, and lovely Christmas wishes. Her kindness sparked a challenge in me to revisit my attitude and altitude of gratitude. So, here I go resurrecting what I am grateful for—those simple treasures of Christmas. First and foremost, I am grateful in trusting a loving God who accepts me unconditionally just as I am. No matter what mood I am in or challenges I am facing, every morning is a new morning of mercies to experience. May I show that kind of mercy and kindness to those around me.
Here are other thankful thoughts that have helped raise my altitude of gratitude today:
- Thank you, husband, for your continuing patience with me with my own impatience and frustrations.
- Thank you, daughters, for understanding your mother’s personality and moods that come and go needing your kind boost of blessings to me.
- Thank you to all the service people, from grocery clerks to doctors, who serve us all, even when we tend to complain instead of asking how we can help them have a better day.
- Gratitude goes out for the beauty in nature all around us, the wildlife we enjoy so much in the Texas Hill Country, and to those who preserve and protect nature’s surroundings.
- Thank you, neighbors, for your kind Christmas wishes and surprise gifts.
- Gratitude abounds for the simple things of daily life that I can still do, even dishwashing and laundry!
- Gratitude goes to all my readers who have followed me this year and over the many years.
As we come close to Christmas day and the New Year, how is your altitude? I hope you find yourself and family on life’s high-altitude mountain of gratitude. May the grateful horizon you gaze on shine for all to see. May the simple things of life also be enjoyed and treasured with those who are also grateful to just be together during this season.
