August 18, 2010

Wednesday’s Word: Gratitude

Posted in Forsyth Woman, How To, What's Your Favorite by Wendee | Tags: Grateful, Gratitude, Heat, Wednesday's word

Help me! Am I grateful for the heat and humidity? Kelly at Forsyth Woman Magazine issued a special assignment – “Write about what you are thankful for, regarding the high temperatures.” Is she kidding me? Am I grateful for frizzy hair, dry and dying grass, wilted plants, high electric bills, sun damaged skin and so much more? I’ll be honest, summer is not my favorite time of the year, but I can rise to the challenge.

Gratitude is a like a cool breeze – once you notice it, you begin to feel it. What am I grateful for this summer? What are you grateful for this summer? Perhaps you could pause for three minutes and begin writing everything you are thankful for — Just Do It!

Then… share your list! Gratitude has a way of cooling everyone off — even on warm summer days. Below is my list (you don’t have to use an acronym; maybe you could use the entire alphabet!).

You can never appreciate the shade of a tree unless you sweat in the sun.
(Author Unknown)

S   Sunsets after a storm, Sunscreen, Swings, Sitting in the Shade
U    Umbrellas (for shade)
M   Mother’s cancer free biopsy results
M   Meta & Miriam (I have wonderful sisters!)
E    Electricity (so I can stay inside and watch a movie)
R    Rain (summer rain is much better than winter rain – unless it is frozen!)

H Hair Products (especially those for frizzy hair)
E Elastic hair bands
A Air Conditioning
T Tomatoes

& & let’s not forget fans!

H    Heat & Humidity – I’m trying!
U    Under the shade trees
M   Mountains with Meandering streams
I      Ice Cream, Ice, Iced-Tea
D    Dawn (the coolness, the sound, the beauty)
I     Impatiens (the flower)
T    Toe showing shoes
Y    Your list!

Previous Wednesday’s Words

Devotion (August 11, 2010)
Neighbor (August 4, 2010)
Service (July 21, 2010)
Peace (July 21, 2010)
Rest (July 14, 2010)
Veggies – Twisted Salsa Recipe (July 7, 2010)
Counting Calories (June 30, 2010)
B R E A T H E (March 17, 2010)

12 Comments to “Wednesday’s Word: Gratitude”

August 18, 2010 at 7:57 am
kmelang says:

Great post Wendee…..we are grateful for such a wonderful writer as you!!
August 18, 2010 at 7:57 am
Kathylyn Barnhill says:

Great Post Wendee. Although it was very HUMID this AM I am grateful for the cooler temperatures of the mornings that allow me to run before the sun comes up:)
August 18, 2010 at 9:25 am
Wendee says:

Thanks Kelly, you helped me switch my whining to gratitude! Kathylyn I often walk my dog right at sunrise or shortly after . . . it is the most beautiful time of the day.
August 18, 2010 at 9:34 am
Lynn says:

I am sooooo grateful for this summer especially!! Having time to spend with my boys is something very precious!

I always feel so much better when I have had sun (there are a lot of studies about women being deficient in Vitamin D)…we love spending time at the pool swimming! I notice the wonderful breeze so much more in the summer and am so grateful for it on a hot summer day! Love the wonderful fruits and veggies of the summer…. I will be sad to see it go!
August 18, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Paige Reeder says:

I am grateful for summer heat – from whence all good vegetables are born. Summer produces a great garden. There is nothing like saying “what’s for dinner” and the answer is right in your own yard.
August 18, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Wendee says:

Thanks Paige for reminding us that without summer heat we would not have wonderful summer vegetables- not to mention all those great herbs! What is the summer heat providing for your dinner tonight?
August 18, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Wendee says:

Lynn, Thanks for pointing out that the sun is of great value to us . . . emotionally, we do feel better when we are outdoors & everyday we hear a little more about the value of Vitamin D.
August 24, 2010 at 8:50 pm
becky says:

I am grateful for pain free knee and shoulder joints while doing yoga in the summer.

I am grateful for hummingbirds that flit from bloom to bloom on my deck, outside the kitchen window.

I am grateful for freshly manicured, pretty pink toes and the way my feet feel in merrell sandals.

I am grateful for the wonderful smell of all of my herbs that thrive in the summer- basil, lavender, oregano, rosemary, sage, lemon balm.

I am grateful for long days to stay outside a little longer,(more Vitamin D). I get to go on long walks in the morning and the evening………
August 24, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Wendee says:

Oh Becky, I love it! There is so much to be thankful for, so much to be grateful for!
August 25, 2010 at 6:44 am
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