We are fast approaching the end of March. It’s also the end of the first school term and almost Easter.
Huh! How is this possible? Didn’t we just celebrate Christmas the other day. Time really waits on no one.
I’ve decided to do a monthly segment on what I am grateful for. Yes I know it sounds kind of cheesy. But you see cultivating an attitude of gratitude is so important.
Why?
We often only reflect on what we are grateful for around celebratory days like Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. Life is not always easy and as humans when caught up in the negativity of what life throws at us, we forget that we have so much to be thankful for.
We should be grateful for the stumble blocks, mistakes, failures, losses, disappointments, achievements and the victories. Being appreciative of what we have and what we experience should be part of everyday life. It shouldn’t just be noted on when good things happen in our lives. Gratitude helps us to draw strength when life knocks us down and to accept the challenges and difficulties.
For this reason, I have decided to share my monthly gratitude journal in a blog series.
March has been a busy month and so much happened over the past 4 weeks. Herewith a summary of what I was grateful for during this month.
Family
My family will always top my list of what I’m grateful for. I have been blessed with amazing people that form part of my life. My husband and two daughters are supportive in what I do. Without their encouragement as well as patience I don’t think that I would be able to do half of the things to the best of my ability.
School Camp
My eldest daughter went on a 3-day school camp in March. This afforded her the opportunity to learn new skills, have courage, social interaction and to acknowledge self-worth and self-expression. During this 3-day period our family dynamics changed slightly and we got to spend some quality time with our youngest daughter.
My blog
Blogging is hard work. Since starting my blog, I am extremely grateful for the progress I’ve made thus far. I strive to deliver content that is authentic and based on my own experiences. To my readers and followers – I value and appreciate the connection we have. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my posts.
Fellow bloggers
Linking up with various blog parties has given me a platform to grow my audience. Not only is this beneficial for my own blog but I also get to read some inspiring posts written by fellow bloggers. I have been nominated twice this month for blogger awards. Lisa Pomerantz from lisapomerantzster.com nominated me for The Sunshine blogger award and Helen from welshmumwriting nominated me for the Versatile blogger award.
Collaborations
This month I have worked on a few great collaborations. I appreciate that the PR companies and businesses see my worth and are willing to partner with me.
Cape Town Moms Who Blog Meet Up
I had the opportunity to attend the Cape Town Moms Who Blog Meet up on 10 March. Being part of the blogging community allows me to connect with other bloggers. Through these meet ups we share ideas, engage and learn from each other.
Friends
This month we met up with friends that we haven’t seen in ages. It was so lovely to catch up and reconnect.
Human Right Day
As a South African and especially as a woman, I am forever grateful for the rights I have and that I no longer have to experience oppression based on my religion, race or gender.
Life and life lost
I’m extremely grateful for life and the fact that I woke up this morning and are breathing. Although being alive is about being able to breath. Living your life is not just about breathing. You can have the ability to breath but still be unconscious. So to me, living my life is about having a purpose. It’s about my existence, the contribution and difference that I’m making and could still make in this world.
I’m grateful that within this month, I had the opportunity to visit two family members who are sick. My mom’s eldest sister and my dad’s brother. I draw strength from the fact that in their weakness and pain, they have accepted their illness. Amidst their suffering, they are still positive, hopeful and holding on to life.
Then on a sadder note, within this month, I’ve lost a cousin. Even though she was ill, her untimely death came as a shock. Death is inevitable for all of us. The only thing is we never know when it will happen unless it is self-inflicted and you commit suicide. Which I truly hope nobody is thinking about at the moment. So how do I take gratitude out of death and grief? I am grateful for no more pain and suffering of what the physical body endured. Gratitude for a life well lived, for the person who was and the memories that will be treasured.
Holy week
As a Christian, holy week marks an important period on the Christian calendar. It starts off with Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday leading up to the Resurrection which is Easter. For me this is a time to pause, reflect and give thanks. The sacrifice that Jesus made to die on the cross for our sins so that we could be free and live an abundant life.
End of a School Term
I am grateful for what was achieved during the first term. To the teachers who put in endless hours not just to teach but to guide, encourage and shape the minds of our children. To my daughters for the hard work and good assessment reports they have produced. Yes there are still room for improvement but setting realistic goals to work through these challenges can lead to achieving continued success.
Rain
Although we need descent rainfall, the little bit that came pouring down last night will at least feed the dry patches in the garden and fill up the water tanks. Despite the water restrictions that are currently in place, I am grateful that we still have access to clean drinking water.
Reflect on the positives in your life rather than dwell on the negatives. Feel free to leave your comments and your thoughts on gratitude.
Noleen, this is such a beautiful post! And such a great example for others to follow suit in pursuing a lifestyle where we can cultivate gratitude daily. This is the way I have lived my life for a while now and what a tremendous difference it does make. My website was hacked this week and I had to pull it offline while the issue was fixed and I cannot even tell you how how grateful I am for all the people who helped to fix the problem. So I took gratitude from a very negative situation and will be sharing more about on my blog on Tuesday when I host a link up called #SpreadTheKindness! I hope you can stop by and check it and add some links as well to the party. Have a very blessed Easter weekend!
Author
Thank you – I will surely stop by and check out the linky.
Good advice to dwell on the positive rather than the negative and turn the bad into lessons to be learnt. #BlogCrush
Author
In life we have so much to be thankful for even during bad times. To be grateful changes your attitude completely and it allows you to deal with challenges #blogcrush
This is such a great way to focus on the positive. Life goes by so quickly that we often don’t appreciate the good that happens and then become overwhelmed by the bad. Lovely post! #lekkerlinky
Author
Thanks – that’s why I think it is so important to reflect and be grateful for what we have and the experiences we go through even if it is challenging some times. If we continue to dwell on the negative it will ultimately consume our life #lekkerlinky
Such a beautiful & timely post to read. I certainly need to take a page out of your book. Thank you. #DreamTeam
Author
Thanks #dreamteam
I started a gratitude journal but must admit I’m terrible at remembering to fill it in. It is so important to see the good in life though, and the more we try, the easier it becomes! #BlogCrush
Author
I’m also terrible at remembering what happened and therefore I now have a little notebook that I carry with me – so if something happens on a particular day I jot it down #blogcrush
In the hectic day to day life it is so easy to loose sight of all the many things that I am grateful for. This is a great way to make sure you stand still and appreciate. #lekkerlinky
Author
We often forget that there are so many things to be thankful for amidst the challenges and trials of life #lekkerlinky
It sounds like you’ve had a brilliant month! I cant believe that it’s now april! This year has gone so fast! #fortheloveofBLOG
Author
Time surely flies and April is another busy month #fortheloveofBLOG
Reflecting on the positives sometimes takes some effort because we can become consumed by the negatives. This is a great way to remind yourself of all the things you are grateful for. Thanks for being a part of the #lekkerlinky
Author
Thanks I think it is so important to reflect on the positive as the negative can so often overshadow and consume our lives. Even if is just small things to be grateful for – it will make a difference #lekkerlinky
What a lovely tribute to what seems to be a very special month! We have also enjoyed our first Easter back in SA with all our family traditions. A great post reminding us to be grateful in all we do! Thanks for the reminder! #globalblogging
Author
Thanks I think giving thanks is so important as we often forget that we have so much to be grateful for #globalblogging
I love this! It’s nice to reflect on all that we have to be grateful for, because it’s so easy to become overwhelmed with all the bad in this world if we just focus of that. x #GlobalBlogging
Author
I know sometimes we so focused on the bad and trying to resolve it that we forget there are so many good that we need to be thankful for #globalblogging
This is such a wonderful post Noleen! I literally just sighed out loud after reading, because no matter how much we have going on, or what’s going on, there is always something to feel grateful for. And your post was the perfect reminder for me. I’m so sorry about your cousin. The fact that you can still keep going and be grateful for everything around you, just shows how special you are. Thanks for joining us for the #dreamteam x
Author
Thanks Annette – we often forget that we have so much to be grateful for even though things are grim. Life is short and we need to appreciate and be thankful for those around us #dreamteam
Hi there Noleen,I love your articles and read all of them. This article is really good.Cheers!
Ah I loved reading this, I think it’s so important to appreciate the good things we have in life and reflect on those. So sorry to hear about your loss as well. Thanks so much for linking up at #fortheloveofBLOG. Claire x
Author
Thanks I appreciate it #fortheloveofBLOG
Love your grateful heart! Was so lovely reading a little insight into your life. This post put a smile on my face. Thank you #lekkerlinky
Author
Thanks I’m glad it had that effect on you #lekkerlinky