When things just don't add up

#Grateful4 the different points of view

Feb 08, 2025

Gratitude from the inside out, MONET-by Substack Image Generator

We are all going through something right now. It draws up a scripture in my mind from the days of my youth, years ago in the cult.

I’d love to remove the programming that hides in the cracks of my being. To not recall the scripture. Maybe it’s not even the scripture, I could keep the written word, but just remove the interpretation of the writings, that were crammed into me 10 hours a week.

The best and only way is to look ahead, or to pause at this moment to recognize, it’s not happening now. It’s not that way anymore.

At this moment, I hear the keyboard tapping while this beautiful image is in front of me. The melding of styles, between artists.

It’s humorous to me, because as children we don’t care who the painter is. The Image Generator has a child’s intellect. It took a series of words, one of which included Van Gogh, then Monet. The artists are really nothing alike, yet the image generator pulled out this stunning, bright path to sunshine. Doesn’t it just make you smile.

It’s how we take all the inputs of life, swirl them with the adventurous experiences we’ve passed thru, and thrown in some gratitude for how they built the wonderful person we’ve become. Hopefully, you love the person you are becoming now.

There is no one on this planet quite like YOU. I appreciate that when I meet someone. They are going to be like no one else, not completely. I try to listen for the extra little bit of YOU in your tales of life. The parts that are the same and the parts that are different. It’s what gratitude taught me by taking the extra moment to pause in appreciation of this moment.

I’ve been MIA from writing on several of my projects lately. My apologies.
Life is life right now for my family.

In the meantime, the newsletter has grown significantly. There are 127 free subscribers, & 1 honorary founding member, my lovely husband.

I bless life every day for his love & support. He cannot even read this publication as it’s not in Spanish, yet he keeps me going strong to be able to write in the WEEE hours of the night, or the strange hours in the morning.

He was there when I wanted to print my own gratitude journals on Amazon that never sold. He was there when I had to put my daughter in the hospital for her mind to clear up. He was there when I got up this morning and couldn’t sleep, but had to get something off my chest. He’s there every day. I’m grateful for him, my founding member.

I am grateful for you!

I am grateful for the ones who tried to come by and hold onto the hope that we might write more consistently, but had to step away because it didn’t meet their needs. I understand that, it happens to me all the time. I’m grateful for the ones who passed on by, and built their adventures up a different path. I might want to check out their path one day later on too.

My Daughter Shade has brought me the greatest gift with her schizophrenia, the gift of perspective. We had to slow down, step back, shed tears, look for solutions, but most of all we had to keep going forward. The life we had before doesn’t exist.

YOU might be having a similar experience right now. Things you see are not the same as you knew before, it’s not like anything you’ve ever seen before, it is challenging.

I invite you to pause.

My words of the year are “Stillness & Grace”. It takes a bit of grace for me to sit in stillness, because I see way too much of myself. But it also allows the time to see SOOOO much of the things I can feel gratitude for.

I got an email today. It said there was a new subscriber…. and I wondered HOW? I haven’t written in so long. Then I turned to gratitude and smiled within. Thank you for subscribing to Gratitude In Bloom. There is so much to be grateful for, so let’s look for it!

If you are uplifted by any part of this newsletter, please share the love!

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Quote of the week

― JarieLyn

You should check out her Blog. Her page on gratitude was inspiring for me. She is one person I’m so grateful to have crossed paths with. Hoping one day to meet her at a postcard show! That would be lovely 🏵️

Substack Shoutout

On Notes, from Steven Buehler Check out The Gratitude Solution

From #Grateful4

Husna Goomy had a couple lovely articles to remind us of how everyday things can either be taken for granted, or appreciated for what they are, blessings

Mark Casey is a prolific writer on the topic of gratefulness, with vivid descriptions of how to allow gratitude to make big changes in your life. He knows from experience!

Vinia Majaba is another favorite author who presents the simplicity and beauty of life in her articles. I’m always in awe of her insights.

From Medium

by iris ୨୧

It doesn’t have to be all wine and roses, we can be grateful for having a whole range of emotions, and feeling all of them.

Gratitude on the WEB

Grateful Living has a community full of people waiting to share the deeper connection that begins with gratitude. You can start here: Grateful.org

I’m still finishing up my course to host gratitude gatherings. April is the time we expect to be having our gatherings, so keep your eyes open for someone starting a group in your area soon.