Thankful Thursday – Post 5

During 2005 and 2006, I struggled with seeing anything good about life. I had almost lost my life and my leg in an accident and was having to learn to live with a new normal, which included things I did not want … pain, limitations and a deformed leg.

I was sad, angry and depressed.

Then a friend gave me this gratitude journal …

I was almost too miserable to be grateful for a gratitude journal … but I was grateful that my friend cared enough to give me a gift.

Writing or journaling anything at that time was too difficult for me, but answering the prompts in this journal wasn’t as overwhelming as facing a blank page.

At the time, I didn’t recognize how helpful the sequence of the prompts was. The first few prompts were easy and matter-of-fact. Though my world had turned upside down, I could answer what day/date it was. I felt success by that tiny step.

Day:

Date:

Today’s weather, news, events:

And more success! I could answer what the weather was. Then I’d add a sentence or two about the news and/or events of the day. Writing those sentences usually brought a feeling or two to the surface, so then I was ready for the next prompt … and so on.

Today I feel:

I am grateful for:

Spiritually, I feel:

People in my thoughts today:

Magical moments (comfort, peace, and love):

Donations of the heart (acts of kindness, sharing, caring and forgiveness):

For a better tomorrow (Goals, ideas, etc.):

Reflections / Notes:

As I look back through that journal, some pages are overflowing with words, others are blank and a few have a word or two scrawled across the page, ignoring all the prompts. Some of the writing is PG and some definitely is not.

I’m reminded of how valuable that journal was in my emotional and mental recovery — along with guidance from counselors and mentors (yes, both of those are plural, I needed lots of help)

So today as I thankful for …

~ Wise journal makers

~ Friends

~ Writing prompts

~ Pens

~ Counselors/Mentors

Thank God, I’m not depressed* like I was a few years ago, but now that I’ve typed out these prompts, I plan to use them in the coming months in a computer document as my journal. I’m putting a lot of time/energy/work into my goal of sharing hope through living, speaking and writing and I want to be intentional about being grateful during this time.

Your turn – what are you thankful for?

*If you are depressed, know you are not alone — or going crazy or bad for feeling the way you do! Talk to someone that will understand, a counselor, doctor, psychiatrist (maybe all three) Then go for a walk outside. Outdoor exercise has proven effective in fighting depressing, through professional research and my personal story.