Thankful Thursday

This week I’d like to introduce you to Tina deBellegarde.

I’ve attended meetings led by Tina, but in April I got to meet her in person. She was more delightful in person, and she is so smart!

Tina agreed to share a quote with us this week. Here’s Tina:

I love this quote from G.K. Chesterton:

When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” — G.K. Chesterton.

I very intentionally try to recognize how lucky I am, how life has been good to me. This can be difficult sometimes, especially when we receive bad news. But if we search hard enough under the surface we can usually find something to be grateful for.  I got a very hefty speeding ticket many years ago when my young son was in the car with me. I thanked the officer and drove along calmly. My son wondered how I was able to handle the situation so well. Why wasn’t I upset? It was precisely because he was in the car that I had stopped to re-evaluate the situation. No good would have come from banging the steering wheel and carrying on. All it would have done was teach my son angry behavior. Instead, I realized that the ticket may have stopped me from getting into an accident and possibly hurting my son. I was grateful for the ticket and I told him so. The more I tried to see the world this way for my son’s sake, the easier this kind of thinking became for me. Being grateful has become an easy daily exercise. 

I love this quote from G. K. Chesterton, and Tina has given me something to consider. Be grateful daily. Today, I’m grateful for knowing Tina, and I’m grateful for you all!

If you’d like to know more about Tina, here’s a place to get started. https://www.tinadebellegarde.com/