The 2019 Gratitude Countdown (People. Things. Events…)

What a year! What an absolute rollercoaster of a ride these twelve months have been. There are so many people and so many things that I am grateful for, so many that I cannot possibly exhaust all of them in a single post. So I’m borrowing a few words from the small notebook that lays on my writing table. I hope, maybe, that these words will give you a glimpse into all that I am grateful for this year:

I am grateful to still be alive.

A few months ago I fought what I still think was the toughest battle for my life. I struggled to keep breathing. I struggled to keep fighting. I felt I had reached the end.

But God wasn’t ready to let go of my hand.

So I am here. Breathing. I am still here.

Learning how to breathe. But I am still here.

For that I am grateful.

I am grateful for this moment, right now, right here; watching the stars dance against the magnificence that we call the night sky. I am grateful for the gift of sight, that I can be able to drink in the splendour of such timeless beauty. I am grateful for the gift of awe, to know the sacredness of a thing when I see it. The things around us are sacred.

For those things, I am grateful.

I am grateful for the gift that is education, that I am able to go to school and study.

To think that only a few years ago, I was just starting out. To think that in few months I will complete this journey. I think of all that I have learned, the friends that I have made, the experiences that have shaped me while here, the absolute privilege it is to be able to receive an education!

For that I am grateful.

I am grateful for the opportunity to volunteer. To be able to use this life that I have been given in service of others. I am grateful for the children I work with, from whom I learn so much about life. I am grateful for the girls that I have the opportunity to mentor that teach me so much about life and love and giving.

To teach and be taught.

To give and be given.

To love and be loved.

I am truly grateful.

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I am grateful for family.

My 3 year old nephew: he is able to reach inside me and harvest all my emotions. Around him, I laugh uncontrollably, I dance wildly, I care deeply, I sing without a care, I play like a child. I forget all the rules and regulations of being an adult.

My Grandma: who’s wisdom and faith guides me when I stumble.

My mother: who’s strength and courage I borrow in my weakest moments.

My siblings: that remind me everyday to let go and let live. And continuously teach me to be patient.

My cousins: that remind me to always have hope, to always keep going, to stay fighting. My Aunts and Uncles. Nieces and Nephews. The good they bring out…

For Family, I am grateful.

Dialogue with God,

For that’s what prayer is, to me at least.

Not a petition, but a conversation, filled with love and awe and thanksgiving and making known to him what He already knows. A deep yearning to connect, to feel the presence of and then express this yearning through words, song… Prayer.

The sense of balance it provides, the confidence, the assurance. The sense of peace and comfort that comes from praying. That God made possible a way for us to reach him, to feel his presence, to connect with Him.

I am grateful.

I am grateful for the gift that is Art…

Music. Poetry. Rhythms. Painting. Expression. Art has opened doors, created bonds, touched souls. I am grateful for my art and the art of others that continues to heal my soul. Music has brought people into my life that are a blessing! When I gather amongst friends and raise my voice in sound, especially for a good cause, it sets my soul on fire. In that moment, I’m superwoman! Capable of doing and achieving absolutely anything.

Through Art we continue to find hope.

For Art, I am grateful.

I am grateful for the gift that is friendship.

This ability for one soul to connect so deeply, with another. For connections that last for years or for simply one life changing moment. I am grateful for friends, both new and old, that remind me that I do not have to journey through life alone. That remind me to pause, to take in, to have fun, to let go, to cherish, to hold onto, to give thanks, to stay strong, to grow.

For them, I am grateful.

I am grateful for 23 years.

That years and years ago, in this month, a young girl chose me. Young. Naive. Scared out of her mind. With nothing…

And she chose me.

I am grateful to have walked this earth for what is now 23 years. I do not know whether I have lived it fully always. I do not know whether I have made my Creator proud.

I do not know whether my 23 years here have made some difference. But I hope I have in some way, lived fully, made my Maker proud and made a difference and maybe inspired and impacted. If I have, I am grateful to have been able to do so. If I haven’t, then I am grateful that I keep getting the chance every day to try again, be better.

The gown. The cap. The graduate.

I stand here, graduating Summa Cum Laude, knowing that history has just been made.

I am grateful to have reached this moment, to be able to wear this cap and gown and hear my name being called.

A friend once asked me why I worked so hard. I said ,

” if I’m going to be the first to wear that gown, if I’m going to be the first to get that degree, I am going to do so with nothing but excellence.”

And I did! With Excellence!

They say “if your paving the path, then pave the path”  I did.

For that I am grateful.

Every single day that I have lived this year. Every lesson. Every experience. Every struggle. Every scar. Every fear I have faced and every victory!

Every heart that I’ve touched and every heart  that has touched mine. Every burst of joy that has escaped my mouth in form of laughter and every tear that I have cried. Every word I have written here, every person that reads these words. Every single one of you.

Every adventure. Every start and end.

I am grateful.

Happiest New Year My Loves! I am so grateful for the support you have shown me throughout this year! It has been phenomenal! We have journeyed through 2019 together; we have learned together,we have grown together, we have laughed and cried together, we have shared the deepest and most authentic parts of who we are with each other. We have built this wonderful community and may it continue to grow! I wish you nothing but to be surrounded with an abundance of love, joy and peace. May you show up in 2020 unafraid to be who you truly are. May you embrace challenges, vulnerability and have the courage to occasionally exist outside your comfort zones. Surprise yourself this coming year. Be intentional about whatever you do. Take nothing for granted. Keep hanging onto hope. All my Love__S

BTW: Can anyone guess why I left the month of May blank? Anyone?

365 Feasts!(What If We Were Grateful Every Single Day Of The Year?)

It’s In The Small Things…(What the woman in the room next to mine taught me about intentional gratitude)