First Post..About Time!

Gratitude of the Day: I found the courage to put together this blog!

One of the goals of my blog is to share the beauty I am able to find in each day of my life through the medium of the talents I have been given. There are many moments each day where something inspires me to write, sketch, compose a song, or take a picture. I know from experience how hard it can be sometimes to find any silver linings when you are having a crappy-craptacular day. Its hard to find gratitude for anything in life when everything seems to be going wrong. But rest assured that in each day, there is one little thing that you saw or experienced that has the ability to at least bring you  a smile.

 I can's express enough how important it is to count the blessing in your life, no matter how small they may seem at the moment. A neighbor who makes it a point to run into you on your morning jog, just so she can say "good morning"; a compliment from a supervisor or friend; the smile on a persons face when they actually LIKE the photo you took of them. Write these memories down somewhere, and keep them handy for the days when gratitude is hard to come by.

I read an quote once in a Winnie-The-Poo coloring book that has stuck with me for a long time, and has fueled a lot of the fire in me learning to appreciate myself and have gratitude even for little things. It stated "Even if  you're small, you can do big things."I was in a very dark place in my life when I came across this little ray of hope, and as I started to remember what I DID have in my life, rather than what I lacked, my health and outlook on life began to improve.

The first thing I had to realize was that, yes, I am defiantly a small fry in the scheme of the great plan of the universe. But through the coaching of my best friend and Husband, and the encouragement of my family during the hardest times of my life, I was able to realize that even if I am small, I SHOULD BE PROUD OF MYSELF and it does not make me worth less than BIG people. I have things to offer to society that make me important, unique and needed, even if they don't get a big applause from a random audience. I have values and appreciation for the things that I DO have, and when the world seems to be trying to bring me down, the "goggles-gratitude" have a way of helping me get the upper hand on the challenges I face.

Each of us has the power to use the "goggles-of-gratitude" to fight the hurdles that come with being human. We all have SOMETHING about us that makes us valuable, and important and worth the breaths we take. May the daily reminders of the beauty I am able to find in each day be an example to those who stumble across my little pinhead sized corner of the internet, and may you take my suggestion to keep a log of daily moments to be thankful for. It takes a little time, but once you get the hang of seeking out the little traces of good in this world, it becomes a lot easier to live in it.

Thanks for stopping by, and may my art and verses inspire gratitude in your life as well. I would love to see what my readers are able to see through their own "gratitude-goggles" so if you would like to either email me something to share, or post a SMALL exert in the comments, I would love to share your own little encouragements with those who are reading.

Artfully Yours,

Jetta Marie