Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
~Melody Beattie
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Have you ever had one of those days when you are at the end of the rope, stressed out, angry, and you just want to run away? Maybe you throw a temper tantrum? Or do you just break down into tears?
My brat always shows her ugly face during harvest. The longer it takes Jason to finish harvesting (and this year it’s taking forever!) the more she appears. I get tired of parenting by myself all day and all night. I get tired of waiting up late for him to get home and waking up early to get the kids ready for school. I get cranky when the kids want dad and are tired of mom. I’m exhausted trying to run the show by myself. I get irritated when our schedule (you know the schedule I created) is too crammed.
The pity party goes on and on! I hate it. I’m aware of it. I try to control it, but the brat seems to try to come out. So what is a girl to do?
Be grateful. Period. When I choose to be grateful for the blessings that God has bestowed on me, the anger subsides and the meltdowns decrease. Is this easy when I’m angry and explosive? Not always but with some practice it gets easier! There’s always a silver lining to a situation. The key is finding it!
Here’s a strategy that I’ve been using to be grateful instead of acting like a brat. When I sit down and write down what I’m upset about and then turn it around into a positive, my anger is usually gone by the time I finish.
- I’m grateful that our crops are plentiful and that God graced us with an abundant harvest.
- I’m grateful for the money these crops will provide us throughout the next year.
- I’m grateful that I have these 5 children who I’m so lucky to be their mommy.
- I’m grateful that our children are healthy and active.
- I’m grateful that I love my husband and miss him when he’s gone.
- I’m grateful that my husband is a hard worker and a wonderful provider.
- I’m grateful that I don’t have to go to a job after the kids get on the bus.
- I’m grateful that the kids miss and love their dad.
- I’m grateful that I’m married to a man that shares the work with me 99% of the time and that I can help him when he needs it.
- I’m grateful that the kids are able to participate in activities that they enjoy and that we can afford for them to do so.
When life is overwhelming and you want to cry, explode, or run away what do you do to change your mood?
Have you enjoyed what you read here today? Do you have friends or other women you know that could benefit from this resource? If so, please do me a favor! I have included the links below to share with other intentional women! They’ll be glad you did!
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Love these lines: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.” Thanks for sharing this pointed reminder at the Salt & Light link-up. So glad I stopped by to read it. Blessings!
Sure…there are days when dishes slip out of my hands, burrs get into my shoes (I live in New Mexico), and fies are just everywhere (it’s open rangeland), and yes, I want to be a brat and rail and curse.
So I do. And then I realize that I’m being an idiot, because I could be in a far worse place (though a terminal illness, which I have, isn’t a WHOLE lot of fun).
I could be among people who would delight in skinning me alive.
I could, again, have to bury the friend at whose feet an 82mm mortar round landed. Well, bury the bits I could find.
The operative term sn “realize that I’m being an idiot”, because gratitude must grow from clarity.
Can definitely relate! Gratitude is certainly a good strategy for taking our thoughts captive and taking control of our attitudes. Thanks for the reminder. (Coffee and Conversation)