Learning to Give Thanks!

What a hectic time of year! I am frantically working on my Christmas presents. Today I finished writing two storybooks for the younger grandchildren and sent them to be published!

I am so blessed to have my family. There are so many people in the world who are alone and lonely. I have been working on my attitude and trying to remember to be thankful for what I have. I also am trying to learn not to worry. There is a bible verse that I have taped to my computer screen that I have been trying to follow.  Matthew 6:34 says:

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I read this every time I sit down at work and try to live this verse.  Every time that I read it, I realize that the things in my life that I worry about are not really even the things that I find important. The reality is that I need to find a way to transcend all of the stress and chaos of my daily life and find something that I can do that truly fulfills me instead of uselessly trying to appease unhappy individuals. Every day that I wake up and go to work, I become more aware of how unfulfilling my workdays have become.  Nursing is supposed to be about helping and serving others, not about chaos. 

There are several quotes that I also find inspiring:

You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.  -Woodrow T. Wilson.

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. -Mahatma Gandhi.

As Christmas and the New Year grow closer, I think that it is time to reevaluate my life and my need to help others. I feel that it is time to start giving back and to show God how truly thankful I am for all of the blessings in my life!

As always any thoughts, suggestions, or comments are greatly appreciated! I will talk to you next week and will update you on the Christmas present project and maybe even show you some pictures of my handmade gifts (if you promise not to tell anyone what their gift is)!

But now, I want to leave you with a picture of one of my favorite Thanksgiving Day memories:

My Dad cooking deer steak for me! I love you Daddy!