Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears. Tony Robbins

Be grateful for our imperfect marriage. I read this the other day in an article by Laura Doyle. What, why do I want to be grateful for an imperfect marriage? Because that is the only kind we will ever have. Everything in our life will be more imperfect than perfect. We might be able to take a photograph that makes life look perfect but behind that photograph is the messy reality of life.

We can’t cook a meal without making a mess in the kitchen. Life is messy, routine, and punctuated by bits of excitement. If we live too exciting of a life, it is chaotic and dangerous.

When we have an imperfect marriage we have someone to talk to in the morning, go for coffee or sit across the table at dinner. How many people wish they could share a meal with their imperfect spouse once they are gone? So if we still have our spouse we should hold them tight and be grateful they are part of our life even if they are sometimes curmudgeonly.

When we can be grateful for our messy, disorganized, and sometimes chaotic lives we can make changes to make them better. Gratitude will help us feel better, relish our experiences, improve our health, deal with challenges, and build strong relationships.

We may think admitting we have an imperfect life, relationship, or children is bad, but what does pretending we can’t improve anything get us, and can we really improve on perfection? No, we can’t improve on perfection, and most of us want life to be better in some way.

Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like and celebrating it for everything that it is. Mandy Hale

Even if we grew a good garden last year we have plans to grow a better one this year. Most of us plan to improve something in our lives, even in small or big ways.

If we can appreciate every good thing in our lives will it help us lead fuller and better lives? If we are thankful for the small things will we be grateful for the bigger things that come our way in life?

What if gratitude is actually choosing to be happier because when we choose to be grateful we also choose to look on the bright side of life? This might be what Wayne Dyer meant when he said, “When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.”

If it is true when we choose gratitude we choose happiness, does it mean when we choose ingratitude we are choosing unhappiness? Is this why happiness is a choice?

True forgiveness is when you can say, “Thank you for that experience.” Oprah Winfrey

Instead of thinking, “I will be happy when, try thinking, I will be happy now.” Unknown

If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul. Harold Kushner

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.