Day #1 - It' My First Time...

...Blogging, that is...My sister, Melissa, inspired me to release my insecurities and give it a go. I have really enjoyed following her blog and am fast becoming a multi-blog reader. Who knew so many people had so much to say? There is something about writing words down that is both personal and permanent, especially in a public forum, and it feels both empowering and intimidating.

The impetus behind this blogging effort stems first and foremost from a personal experience with depression and the ways I have learned to overcome the darker feelings that tend to creep up on me over time when I forget to pay attention. There was a time when I took an anti-depressant, but I wasn't satisfied this was the entire answer for me and I began to search for other solutions as well. I want to be clear I believe there is a place for anti-depressants and I believe I truly did benefit from them; I have just found an additional way to handle depression that seems to work for me...the answer is simple... "Count your blessings".

When I recognize all the good in my life, my mood automatically lightens and when one begins to count all the blessings in ones life, life becomes abundant. It is easy to be depressed when I count all the ways the world lets me down, has misused me or simply doesn't notice me at all.

Off and on over the years I kept journals; as I read back over some of my journal entry’s they almost always outlined all the bad things going on in my life. I know it is important to vent, but surely there were good things happening during those times as well.

My goal here is to recognize the unique blessing within each day. I am always grateful for things that seem obvious to me, although I do recognize them as blessings specific to my life, such as my wonderful supportive husband, my loving family, friends, my job, my pets, my home, etc. When I say my prayers these are the blessings I continue to thank God for...it becomes redundant, although I am always sincere. So here, on this blog, I want to remember to write down, for the permanent record, the unrecognized blessings in my life.

For today...I recognize words. I love to read, I enjoy the challenge of putting sentences together and I LOVE NEW WORDS. One of the worst books I read (I think it must be the worst because I don't remember the name) had more than 50 words that I pulled from the pages to look up when I was done with it. There were a few times I couldn't even flip the page without reading it 3 times because I was focused more on looking for the words I didn't know then reading the meaning behind the paragraphs. I think this blessing is one all bloggers share. The experience of putting feelings and experiences down for others to relate to, is both a blessing to the blogger AND the reader.

I Am Grateful,
HB