Spring

I went outside this morning and could actually smell Spring!!  For whatever reason, it seems as though this winter has lasted for ever.  I ended up thanking my HP for this sign of hope and expressing my gratitude for His giving me this fabulous gift.  Granted, He gave this gift to everyone, but that doesn't make spring any less of a gift to me.

Being in ?A has taught me to be grateful and I've been in recovery long enough that I sometimes express it spontaneously.  In meetings I learned that a grateful person won't relapse so I try to have an attitude of gratitude.

My sister, Barbie, just got back from spending a few weeks in Florida and the first day home she was complaining about the weather both here and where she had been vacationing.  The world here was covered with ice.  The world there was warmer than it had been when she had been there.  I'm glad that she goes away for part of the winter because there is only so much whining I can take.  Finally I told her I didn't want to hear it, that  I wanted to hear nothing but gratitude from her lips.  Those that didn't spend the last few weeks down south had had a bunch of snow and below zero temps that she had missed and if anybody got to whine about the weather it was the ones who had remained.  But listening to her reminded me how awful ingratitude sounds, which reinforces my commitment to practicing an attitude of gratitude.

We still have snow on the ground.  The temperature is still barely above freezing.  The sun is playing peek-a-boo with the clouds instead of filling the day with sunshine.  Despite all of that, I can hear the birds chirping in the trees.  I can see squirrels chasing each other up and down the tree trunks and bare branches. I smell spring in the air this morning.  My HP is so good to me.  And for that, I am truly grateful.