Step One

There I was sitting in my class lecture, nose buried deep into my computer, trying to act as if I was listening when he said it. That short little professor who barely even saw me as I faded into the sea of faces in front of him said it. What he said was just a simple quote. I'm willing to bet that most of us have heard something similar before. Yes, just a simple quote that had the potential to yank me from my self centered habits and plant me smack dab in the middle of peace. I'm sad to say that my Facebook wall was louder than him that day. I wrote it down assuming it would be on the test and never gave it another thought...until now.

Gratitude turns what we have into enough.

Enough. Now that's a heavy word isn't it? The only times I can remember hearing it is when my mother would throw her hands up in the air, look at me with frazzled eyes, and say "That's it! I've had enough!" Or when my father would push his clean plate away from himself, pat his belly and say, "That's it. I've had enough!" Yet, my experiences will admit that I could push my mother a little bit further to make her snap, and my dad would have a little bit more room in his stomach to have that piece of pie. See, I grew up in a family where "enough" meant almost. So, it shouldn't shock you as to why I allowed this quote to roll right over my shoulders and out of my life. What I heard was -

Gratitude turns what we have into almost enough. 

Wrong. Wrongo. Uh-uh. Incorrect.

If we take this quote at face value, we see all we need too. It needs not explanation.

Gratitude turns what we have into enough. ENOUGH! As in all we need. As in just the right amount. As in just what we need!

Therefore, when we practice gratitude - that is understanding, realizing, and being thankful for all the things in our lives that we do have - it becomes just what we need. Gratitude is the first step in fighting the "bigger and better disease." It's the first thing we can openly practice that will slow down our hamster wheels. If we begin to be grateful, we begin realizing all the things we have. All the stuff that clutters our lives and our home. Then in turn, we begin realizing how much of it is more than enough. 

HONESTY CHECK - 

I am not the most grateful person in the world nor am I claiming to be. As my husband and I begin sorting through our belongings, preparing ourselves for the "big purge" before we we move into our tiny house, I am asking God to equip me for the struggle.

Gratefulness does not come naturally - BIGGER AND BETTER DOES! That is why we must guard our hearts from unnecessary desires by practicing gratefulness. Gratefulness opens our eyes to everything in our life that we do have, rather than setting our minds on everything in life that we don't.

So how am I planning to practice gratefulness? Well for starters I'm keeping a blessings journal. I'm using my Filofax to write down little blessings I've noticed throughout the day. Some examples are:

1. A hot shower
2. A warm blanket
3. Hot chocolate
4. Chicken

No blessing is too small to record. They all have purpose in your life. 

I hope you will continue to come with me through this journey, and that you too might start a blessings journal of your own. I'm looking forward to hearing about all the little things in your life that make a big impact. It's surprising how much that bigger and better mindset clouds our minds and allows us to take precious things and people for granted. 

Gratitude turns what we have into enough.

Love,
Aubrey