Taking stock this Thanksgiving season
“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” – Charles Dickens
It’s been a while since I did a Taking Stock post…last spring to be exact. November is traditionally a month of gratitude for many in the United States, so it seemed like a good time to take stock of the many things with which I have been blessed.
What is taking stock?
As it relates to blogging, taking stock is typically a creative exercise in which you respond to one word prompts with a quick sentence. You give yourself a few moments to process the word and then write the first thing that comes into your mind. So it’s literally off the top of your head!
You can use prompts you find online or make up your own. I’ve seen people use the A-Z approach or the letters in the current month. With Thanksgiving around the corner, I have chosen a little different approach this time. I will list things I am grateful for beginning with the letters in GRATITUDE.
Taking stock this Thanksgiving season
Grandchildren. Where else would I start? I am so grateful for our 10 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. They bring so much love and joy into our lives.
Relationship with husband. Larry is my best friend, my partner in crime, and a huge supporter of my many crazy goals and projects. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without him.
Authors. I so enjoy reading and am deeply grateful to the authors of the books I love. Here are the last four books I’ve read.
Tunes. In addition to reading, I must thank all the wonderful musicians whose music makes me smile, cry, dance, dream. And I’ll add that I am grateful for Spotify and the songs and playlists I’ve found through them.
Internet. Without the Internet, I would not be writing this blog, and I wouldn’t have met most of you.
Time on earth. I am full of gratitude and joy for another day on this earth. Each day is a precious gift, and I do my best to treat them so.
Understanding. I am grateful for my brain…the ability to understand words, concepts, instructions. I am also grateful for the human connections I have made…the understanding I receive from other people and the understanding I can offer them.
Dogs. Sweet Buddy Dog and his predecessor, Charlie, make us laugh every day. They love unconditionally, and we love them in return.
Early retirement. Everyday I give thanks for the freedom of retirement and the opportunity to spend more time on the things that bring me joy and help me get to know myself better. I need to include here how grateful I am that my employer offered continuing health insurance coverage and a pension, which made early retirement possible.
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Your turn
I hope you enjoyed this little Taking Stock post. I’d love it if you’d take one or more letters from GRATITUDE and share what you are thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving, wherever you live!
Hi Christie, how wonderful to have 10 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild! I’m crossing my fingers and toes and hoping like crazy that I at least get 1 grandchild! Love your doggos, particularly the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I’ve had three Cavvies. First a black and tan called Colby, then a tri-colour named Chelsea and then my beautiful Ruby named Ava who we only lost in January this year. What a great bunch of things you’ve listed that you are thankful for. Thank you for sharing with us at #WWWhimsy ! xo
Grandchildren are the best, Min. I hope you get the chance to experience that kind of love. We have a blended family, which explains…at least in part…how we ended up with 10! Since Larry and I were married before any of the grandchildren came along, they see us simply as Papa and Grandma, which is nice. Cavvies have the sweetest personalities, don’t they? When we got Buddy, we really wanted to rescue, and didn’t find any Cavaliers needing rescue in our area. Buddy has turned out to be a great member of the family and is certainly hardier health-wise than most pure breds.
Hi Christie – grandchildren are a big yes from me too – and a lovely husband, and early retirement, and pets and all the other joys that we can take for granted if we don’t pause every now and then and give thanks. A lovely reminder and so many happy pics. x
Hello Leanne. I always enjoy your Delights posts as a way of seeing the small joys for which you are grateful. It a nice way of reminding ourselves of the delights in our lives and also of sharing the joy with each other.
That was such an awesome read and I understand those words for each of the letters. What a great choice you were able to make in your retirement!!
Congratulations all round for this post, Christie, loved it.
Take care,
Denyse x
Thank you for the kind words, Denyse. I do have much to be grateful for, as I know you do too. XO
What a timely post, Christie! I cannot believe you have a great-grandchild! How lucky you are to have so many grandchildren. They really are wonderful, aren’t they? Gosh, I read back over this, and I have to agree with everything you said! I was, indeed, lucky to retire early because my husband planned so well. We both receive pensions on top of retirement accounts…that was all him. So, I guess I can add resources to my list of gratitude.
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I can’t believe I have a great grandchild either, Marsha! It’s so fun to have a baby in the family again. We have a blended family, so 10 grandchildren was a little easier to reach than it may have been otherwise. It’s rare to have an actual pension anymore, so we are both pretty lucky that way! Your husband sounds very resourceful.
Ten grandchildren and one greatgrandchild? Now that is a whole lot of blessings Christie. I’m with you on grandchildren (although I only have the two) and feel especially blessed in my daughter and Himself.
Being able to retire when still active and full of life is a wonderful thing to have. I’ve heard too many sad tales of those who retired and were taken by sudden, serious illness.
Isn’t it, Debs! We do have a blended family with two children each, and they all have children…so 10 came pretty quick and now they are all done having babies. Having a great grandbaby has reminded me what a joy the little ones are. I too know too many people who did not get to enjoy retirement, and I never forget how blessed I am in having the resources and good health to truly enjoy it.
I love this format! You have such wonderful things to be grateful for. I try to write one sentence of gratitude each day all year long. Some days are definitely harder than others but I can always come up with something.
Thank you, Joanne. I too keep a gratitude journal of sorts and find it helps me pay attention throughout the day for something to include. And as you said, no matter how challenging the day, there is always something to be grateful for. Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving season!
Hi Christie, such a fab Taking Stock post! I love seeing all your photos, thanks for sharing what you’re grateful for. Grandchildren are a wonderful addition to our lives aren’t they?
#Teamwwwhimsy
Deb from debs-world.com
Thank you Debbie. Grandchildren are the best!
I enjoy reading taking stock posts and using the letters Gratitude is lovely. I might steal the idea!
Thanks, Pat! You should definitely feel free to “steal” the idea. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!