To New Beginnings

(A beautiful garden my daughter and I created)

I tried to start this again but damn if life is just so cruel, but I am hoping to faithfully do this.

For years I have battled and fought hard not to get lost in the struggles of my day to day life.

Many years ago, I was inspired by something Betsy Baker shared with the Ankylosing Spondylitis community.

It got me to thinking. ( Dangerous, I know!)

Her inspiration resulted in the creation of “My Garden of Gratitude” blog. I decided I would write about something positive or that I was grateful for every day. So, during the times I was struggling I could go back and reflect on the beautiful things in my life.

But in November 2012 my world changed forever. I was no longer the same person I had always been. It ended up being a long and difficult journey to glue myself back together, but piece by piece, tear by tear I began to reconstruct myself. I've made several half-hearted attempts to restart that blog, but it doesn't give me the same gift it did in the beginning.

I will admit I am regretful that I didn’t continue with the original blog, but pain and darkness were the only light I could see during that time.

Earlier this week, I decided to create a blog that would hold a little bit of everything and could think of no better place than to start my new "Garden of Gratitude."

Today, I have decided to take Gratitude by the Horns! I am going to ride that beast until I get thrown off, stomped on or dragged around the arena of life! So, take that tough times, difficulties, struggles, tragedies and anything else you want to throw my way. I am and will always be grateful for EVERY single difficult, wonderful, hurtful, beautiful, devastating and enjoyable moment of my life!

So today starts a new beginning for me....

You grow what you feed.... I used this phrase yesterday in response to all that is going on in the world...
Today I realized that is what I used for the original post of My Garden of Gratitude.

Today is a day of reflections and moving forward.

A story about an old Cherokee who is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”'

You Grow What You Feed originally posted on May 1, 2012 Original Post
I was watching Oprah Winfrey’s Master Class, and the lesson was about Gratitude.  I was spellbound and captivated and walked away changed. I thought I had lived my life with a positive attitude and optimistically but I realized I had a lot to learn. So, I have decided to live my life with the new motto…
My Attitude is Gratitude.
I have decided to do a Gratitude Journal…
One that I hope many other people will participate with me also…
I will be posting each day something I am grateful for and hope that others will post what they are grateful for... just one thing daily...
I hope that during the dark days when our struggles to be positive is hard, we will be able to come here and read what we have written and been able to take our self-back to that place of time... and it gives us the strength to move forward.

To New Beginnings…

When you change your expectations to appreciation, your world changes instantly…..
Today I am grateful for the social media that has brought such wonderful human beings into my life that have not only touched my heart but have changed my soul…