Gratitude and Celebration Journal
As I embark on the 2nd year of keeping a Gratitude and celebration journal I asked myself where the self love was. I have shared so many things that I am grateful about from the large to the very small, for the friends that I have to the opportunities that present themselves, whether positive or negative, everything has its' place at some point if only to shine the light on the gifts that lay within us that needed the trial to make it what it can truly become - think of the pearl and how that is created in the Oysters shell.
So thinking about self love, I asked myself how many times I had acknowledged when I did something good, did I take the time to celebrate the accomplishment. As well as having really encouraging people around who support and encourage you, how many times a day do you say something supportive about yourself, or say 'well done me'?
We are not always going to have people around us that say those great things about our accomplishments and that is where you have to be your own best friend. When you got up and did that exercise even though you wanted to slouch around what did you say to yourself? what do you see yourself becoming?, who is unfolding in front of your own eyes? I say this because I realize that I don't always see myself, I see the person who fulfills many roles, I see the daughter who is looking after her mom with dementia, the daughter who deals with mums care and support from others, I see the wife and mother, the friend that is supportive, but for a long time I didn't see me.
As I approach my birthday next week, I have been thinking about who it is that I want to be for me, as an artist, a woman, a friend. I have been listening to what I say about myself, how I treat myself, if I am putting myself and my needs on the back burner while taking care of others needs and beginning to shift the balance. I realize that if there is no more of me then I cannot help others, I cannot be the blessing that I want to be. We need to take care of ourselves to be able to care for someone else, rather than taking it all including our well-being for granted. I want to treat me as I would a best friend.
I celebrate and I am grateful for the woman that God created me to be, and will say and think encouraging things about myself everyday as I encourage others in their walk.
I look forward to the journey and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!
Gratitude and Celebration Journal
