Completed but Not Done

I had a 6 month experiment in gratitude and I’m so glad I did it.  I didn’t write every day.  There were days when the priority was definitely my children and other days were so full of tough challenges that just didn’t allow me to be thoughtful about what I was grateful for.  There were times when I wrote about something apparently silly like a fuzzy blanket; but it was definitely something I was grateful for.  I wrote about a few special people in my life; but it doesn’t mean that the rest are any less special.  I have many, many more family and friends that I love and plan to do justice to in a blog.  I have a sign in my house that reads ‘the best things in life aren’t things.’  I am grateful for so many great things; but more so for the people, experiences and learnings that are the true blessings in my life.  Today I’m thankful that I’ve learned more about me in the last few weeks.  Granted, some of the things I’ve learned I’m not entirely proud or happy about; but others have revealed so much more hope. I’ve learned that I’m extremely flawed and my daily stress a lot of the time comes from me; not from outside sources, but from me.  I’ve learned that in my efforts to be a good mom, daughter, worker, friend, etc. I sometimes fall short; but that’s okay.  I’m not perfect; never claimed to be; never expect to be.  Just want to be the person my kids and family are proud of.  It’s never too late; there's always hope.  I’m discovering that I want to be closer to loved ones, but a lot closer to God; because only then can I be the best me by the fulfillment of God’s love and grace for me.  So grateful again today!