Ash Wednesday Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Not everyone reads or frequents the Lame Board...it's nice having a gratitude thread here, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Credo in Deum Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I changed the titled of this thread so others could look past the obvious fact that gratitude and thankfulness are synonyms. Synonyms are not enough to warrant a merge. The thankfulness thread is a place where people can randomly say what they're thankful for. This thread is about working on your own outlook so you can view your life in a way where you're grateful for the things in your life. Things maybe the spirit of the world has tempted you to view negatively because you now feel inadequate for not owning the newest and latest material good. Plenty of people go broke trying to keep up with the Joneses. This thread is about changing that and saying "F the Joneses, they can have that life. I have a good life, and I just need to work on remembering this fact." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Wednesday Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I'll post about my love for turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes in the thankfulness thread so it doesn't feel lonely. What, we only get to be thankful for that in November? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrincessKRS Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I changed the titled of this thread so others could look past the obvious fact that gratitude and thankfulness are synonyms. Synonyms are not enough to warrant a merge. The thankfulness thread is a place where people can randomly say what their thankful for. This thread is about working on your own outlook so you can view your life in a way where you're grateful for the things in your life. Things maybe the spirit of the world has tempted you to view negatively because you now feel inadequate for not owning the newest and latest material good. Plenty of people go broke trying to keep up with the Joneses. This thread is about changing that and saying "F the Joneses, they can have that life. I have a good life, and I just need to work on remembering this fact." All the props. Meh. This is a really tough thing for me. I do find gratitude when I need to find it -- usually because I don't have the resources (financial or otherwise) to obtain the things I think I need or want -- but it doesn't always come easily and it usually takes time. I also struggle with the desire to have nicer, better quality things. Why is that wrong? Is it? Is it okay to want new things that are pretty and make me happy? Is it wrong that THINGS make me happy? I bought a new frame this weekend. It's ginormo but it's not wood so it didn't cost a fortune. I also bought spray paint to change it up to something I'll like better and that will go better with what I'm hanging inside it. Do I get to pat myself on the back for my compromises or is that prideful? Should I be saving that money for other people or things? I struggle a lot with giving too much of myself and my things to others. It's been a problem, and I have a hard time seeing where it is and isn't healthy. I struggle with being mindful of the blessings we have in being able to obtain all these material goods, or having access to basic necessities, too. I don't want to take any of it for granted, and I know, without a doubt, I do. I always have a list of wants and must haves. Not to compete with anyone, but because I think it'll make my life easier or more enjoyable somehow. I don't think it's wrong to want to eventually replace my particle board bookshelves with solid wood that will last considerably longer, or to replace the sofa that my son stabbed with a steak knife when he was 2 (but not until he's outgrown his destructive phase... so, probably never). I don't think it's ridiculous to want to buy myself a new shirt or more makeup to make myself feel nice, not every week but as a once in awhile treat. None of those things are needs, just wants, but I still don't think it's wrong to want as long as we keep that in balance with needs and a proper sense of gratitude for all the blessings and gifts we've already got. I do try to remember to be thankful for all the nice shirts and makeup I have, and that I have the luxury of needing to have multiple bookshelves (obviously I'm grateful for other things, these are just petty examples). I think as long as we have that balance, and we are generous with our resources, tithing and giving to charity, etc., having is not a bad thing. You worked hard to earn the money to buy that frame, I think you deserve to enjoy it. Perhaps being proud of the compromises isn't the right track, but be proud of the work you accomplished, thankful that you're able bodied and capable of working to earn your living, those things that allow you to be able to be generous and give to charity or indulgent and buy a frame. I'm stopping now because I am starting to feel like I'm not making any sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilllabettt Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 not to be morbid, but I've recently found a way to be grateful for death. Basically, I think of physical death as a ghastly, violent, unnatural thing, more horrible and terrifying than anything the human body or soul was ever designed to undergo. And really its THE thing that makes time matter and life sad. The one thing no one can help. Nothing for it. But ... if you think about it. Given the state of things, things being as they are ... its a good thing, considering the alternative. I mean if sin brought disorder and pain into the world, maybe God permitted physical death to enter it as well as an act of mercy. He could have left us to live forever in a fallen world. He allows death because it puts a limit on the evil the human body can be made to endure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franciscanheart Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Can I really find gratitude for my cold, wood floors? I "need" an 8x10 rug in my bedroom so my toes don't get cold. And also: the room needs it. I need it to define the space. And I need it tomorrow. (But I would prefer today.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrincessKRS Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Can I really find gratitude for my cold, wood floors? I "need" an 8x10 rug in my bedroom so my toes don't get cold. And also: the room needs it. I need it to define the space. And I need it tomorrow. (But I would prefer today.) You can be grateful for the cool wood underfoot when it's 100 degrees out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amppax Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I'm grateful for the cat who makes me sneeze and have a runny nose. And for the friend who has her who is kind enough to let me inhabit his living room while I'm waiting to move to my new house. And for the LaBelle neighborhood in Steubenville. It may be a dump, but it's my home, and I wouldn't trade it for anywhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franciscanheart Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 I will admit that it's really hard for me to look at some people in my community who speak about having nothing and then buy really expensive things. And I know it's not my business and I don't know how they came to have these nice things when they are always asking for money, but I find it even more challenging to keep focus on contentment when I see others supposedly struggling while I am [i]actually[/i] struggling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrincessKRS Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 I've been struggling to be grateful for the fact that we are in a position to be able to invest in property. It scares the dickens out of me laying down so much money for something we won't be using for the foreseeable future. I've been trying really hard to be positive and trusting of Matt's plans, I'm mostly there but still have my doubts. Gratitude, though, hasn't been high on my list for this endeavor. I've been blessed with a lot and deep inside there's a part of me that wants to say "No, thank you. You can keep it." I'm an ungrateful turd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slappo Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I'm grateful for a retirement account that means that at some point in the future, assuming I'm alive, I won't have to be working full time to provide for my family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anglefire Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 I'm grateful that I read this thread some of it was quite funny and had me laughing made my night. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouisvilleFan Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 I'm glad I have tap water and a weekly recycling collection so that any plastic bottles I use aren't sent to landfill :saint2: Transporting bottled water still burns a lot of fossil fuel. A good alternative is to filter tap water at home (giving you essentially the same product as most bottled water) and use a refillable bottle (Nalgene, etc.). I appreciate everything in the OP. Good reminder about how lucky we are to live in an almost constant state of comfort, and to be generous with what we've been given. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bus Station Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I'm grateful for pinot grigio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deus te Amat Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I'm grateful for pinot grigio That's a given. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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