Tag: Thankfulness

Gratitude

Well of Warmth – grateful musings

jacquelineobyikocha3 Comments

I know that life hasn’t been all sunshine and flowers for everyone – though some lucky folks got to see the Eclipse – not with all the ugly news filtering in from all around the world and when one listens to all these heavy news, it’s easy to get sucked under.

It’s easy to get depressed and to lose sight of the rays of the sun above the dark clouds. It’s easy to forget to remain in a state of thankfulness and to focus on the negativity. As if life is not tough enough already these days we wake up expecting another shoe to fall off, another dam to burst, another bomb explosion, another mad human mowing others down with a car, another Twitter outrage etc that we have almost become mentally conditioned to bad news that overshadows everything.Gratitude, Thankfulness

For me not to get immured in these negative things, I make a conscious effort to appreciate my little blessings wherever I find them. I focus on mindfulness and steer my brain away from the path of distress that it tends to venture to, to the path of wholesomeness. I also find that paying extra attention in showing kindness to others creates an emotional well of warmth – check this post on HuffPost.

As the week winds down, I am grateful for fruitful and grace-filled days. Though what I call my blessings may look insignificant in human eyes’, it’s wonderful to be alive and well. That is a priceless blessing. I hope you’ve got something to be thankful for?

Gratitude is my tonic. Jacqueline

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Gratitude

Take it not for granted…

jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

Gratitude

The inability to be in an automatic state of gratitude is a shortcoming that most of us have because most times our thoughts are reactionary and not proactive. We are always waiting for something to happen so that we can feel thankful for it.

Our focus seems to zoom in far more on the details of all those things that are not going quite the way we want them, failing to give more precedence to those one’s that are working out.

Then again, when all our lines do fall into place, our worries are reduced and a sense of complacency and taking things for granted takes over our thought pattern.

Thankfulness should be as essential as taking in air, as we wake up each morning to the gift of a new day.

Indeed, there are days that I feel run off my feet or overwhelmed by many things that are not going quite as planned, however training my mind has thought me to learn when to ‘press the stop button on the moaning and to tune into grace.’

I am thankful for this continued transformation and the emboldening of my mind power.

Today, I walked into the nearest supermarket around me to grab a couple of things for cooking and I give thanks for the abundance of food that’s available and the fact that I can afford it when some may not be in a position to do so right now.

I always look at the name tag of the sales person who waited on me to call them by their given name and thank them for their assistance.

Many times I enjoy the reward of watching a face transform with a smile from this little gesture of acknowledgment.

In so many ways, my needs are being met and a lot of times in rather unexpected ways, for all these underserved measures, I give thanks.

It’s the start of Lent and a season of deeper reflection. May your reflections bring you enlightenment.

Jacqueline

If you wish to participate in a gratitude challenge, there are several gratitude/thankful platforms in the blogosphere that you can tune into and get your ithankful going on. I can’t express in words the enormity of Joy and fulfillment that comes from having a heart of gratitude. Please check out Maria’s blog, Colline’s blog and Bernadette’s for thankful/gratitude challenges.

Gratitude

As Fresh As Thyme…

jacquelineobyikocha19 Comments

Cooking, Mashed Potatoes, Photography

In auto mode, I quickly tossed ingredients into the bubbling sauce, rehashed a passage for my book in my head while trying to pay attention to the cacophony of my children’s voices milling around me in the kitchen.

They had just returned from school, each voice was relaying some information, each child wanted some form of attention and as usual, my three ears was listening to them, responding to their inquisition, addressing the accusation from my third child that I wasn’t paying him enough attention, stirring the saucepan, figuring out my passage and reminding myself respond to that request that had just popped into my mind as a reminder…and the crazy beat went on.

Why I haven’t gone batty is a question I ponder fleetingly. When will the hecticness stop, if ever?

My bubbly sauce was almost done, all that remained was to toss in the shredded fresh thyme and as I lifted the chopping board to scoop it in, I literally heard a voice whisper in my head, ‘enjoy the time.’

I smiled at the pun, enjoy the time while scooping in the thyme, but my ever roaming mind gripped those three words and allowed it to marinate.

I realized that in the near future these young children craving my attention right now would all fly out of my coop and spread their wings.

They will go in search of their own dreams and set up their own little spaces and they won’t be underfoot in the kitchen all talking at the same time.

The thought certainly gave me pause.

It reminds me that we should appreciate and enjoy each fresh moment of time that we are given.

To catch the time and hold it as close to our heart as possible because it’s delicate and fleeting.

I am reminded to gratefully relish these moments like no other because no two moments are the same.

Shall we eat?

© Jacqueline

If you wish to participate in a gratitude challenge, there are several gratitude/thankful platforms in the blogosphere that you can tune into and get your ithankful going on. I can’t express in words the enormity of Joy and fulfillment that comes from having a heart of gratitude. Please check out Maria’s blog, Colline’s blog and Bernadette’s for thankful/gratitude challenges.

Gratitude

When the feelings are down…

jacquelineobyikocha15 Comments

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Having spent two scores on Earth, I know from experience that life’s manual is not built to be easy by default. Yes, some may get more free rides than others now and again, but all of us have issues that we are battling with which does seem overwhelming at times.

For days, waves of anger and depression have lurked under the surface of my emotions and I have found myself snapping and breathing fire like a Dragon over minor issues at my family; as a matter of fact, after tossing and turning at night over the issues behind my mood, this morning during our quick prayer session, I had to apologise to my children for my snarling and snapping at them unnecessarily, because I not only have to be accountable for any bad  behaviour on my part and the possibility that I hurt their feelings through my expressions, I equally have to teach them by example.

I could list loads of reasons behind my poor thoughts and depressed feelings at present and choose to marinate in them as well, but going down that track only creates more chaos, ill-feelings within me and most likely won’t resolve my challenges.

Would I wish that everything is in perfect shape? Yes!  Of course. Is it ever going to be perfect? NO! The lesson that I have learnt over time is that by focusing on the small things that are not going as well as one wants, takes away the focus on all  the blessings that we’ve received.

Sometimes we have to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and jumpstart our gratefulness. I had to start praising and expressing my gratefulness and not only did I feel a shift in my soul but calming answers dropped into my heart.

The power of praise uplifts and opens up the spirit while the spirit of gratitude takes little and turns into a lot. I enjoy listening to the renditions of “Women of Faith.”

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

There are several gratitude/thankful platforms in the blogosphere that you can tune into and get your ithankful going on. I can’t express in words the enormity of Joy and fulfilment that comes from having a heart of gratitude. Please check out Maria’s blog, Colline’s blog and Bernadette’s for thankful/gratitude challenges.

InLinkz

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Gratitude

Waking with music…

jacquelineobyikocha17 Comments

“We thank thee each morning for a new-born day,” an old classic tune by Jim Reeves woke my brain up this morning and has been on redial all day in my head in the background of everything else that’s going on around me.

Do you find yourself stuck at times with a particular tune that follows you through the day, humming in the background of your mind?

This old song was a daily staple in my family home when my dad was alive. He would wake up early and start playing it followed by a medley of other music and I believe so much that this helped to set a happy mood and tone of the day as the household rose to this sound of music.

My thanks for today stems from having beautiful childhood memories that make me smile and warm my heart when I remember them.

It makes me know that even when a loved one is no longer here in the physical realm, that I have been blessed to have shared some time here on Earth with them and hold close the candle that they lit in my life.

Along with our thankfulness to God, our state of appreciation for our loved one’s should be expressed to them while we still have them with us. There’s never a better day to say ‘I love you’ or ‘I appreciate you’ than the day that you have.

Let me share the beautiful Jim Reeves song We thank thee with you.

There are several gratitude/thankful platforms in the blogosphere that you can tune into and get your ithankful going on. I can’t express in words the enormity of Joy and fulfilment that comes from having a heart of gratitude. Please check out Maria’s blog, Colline’s blog and Bernadette’s for thankful/gratitude challenges

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

P.S. Our monthly Meet and Greet/Blog Party comes up this weekend Sat 27th/Sun 28th August. Hope to see you there.

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My Thinking Corner

Tuesdays Trickles – My Thinking Corner 29

jacquelineobyikocha16 Comments

Every Tuesday, I share snippets of thoughts that I call ‘My Thinking Corner.’

I would like to invite you to participate. The challenge is quite simple. You can check this link for more details.

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♥ Sometimes, it takes a downpour in our lives to unveil the rough gems that we’ve got hidden within.

♥ When going through a rough time, be patient with yourself, for your impatience will only aggravate the situation.

Life does grant us ups and downs and sometimes upheavals that can send us off track, however, experience has shown that when we keep our peace within us and steady the ship that’s our life, we are better positioned not only to come out victorious, but probably have the chance of self-discovery and inner strength that we had no idea we possessed.

Find more snippets of wisdom from awesome bloggers below and do take a moment to read.

And the Sun will rise. These are worth memorizing and remind yourself of it ever so often.

52 weeks of thankfulness: Bernadette rightfully said this that there’s power of positive group energy and this Challenge is a great idea. I believe in the power of thankfulness.

You are not powerless: I love this quote and as difficult as it may sound it’s very possible.

Tuesdays Nuggets: The wisdom of Audrey Hepburn say’s it all. Is your beauty skin-deep?

Words of wisdom: Deb’s words are indeed filled with commonsense and deep wisdom. Take a read.

Five quotes for you when you feel lonely even when you have a partner: these are really useful thoughts, for a lot of times we may be in a crowd, surrounded by others yet a chasm seems to exist somewhere in our moments.

I hope that you find these little drops useful now and again and it would be lovely if you can share your thoughts with us.

Thanks and blessed be.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

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“Beautiful Poetry of Life and Love.” Amanda

Out of the silent breath

Gratitude

My full plate…

jacquelineobyikocha20 Comments

Crowded, Nest, Egg, Full, Overflowing, Overcrowded

For several weeks, I’ve felt listless and dissatisfied and recent incidents in the World emphasizes the sense of futility that I feel about life. My morale justs dips and I practically have to hang on with tenacious tentacles to all the positive mantras and pick-me-ups that I can think of.

My plate is heaped full of things to do and sometimes, taking a mere glimpse at them makes me want to go and lie down and sleep and hopefully, they will get themselves sorted out without much of my help and mental exertion.

I woke up this morning with a message tucked into my head that kept telling me to be appreciative of the privilege to be alive and the opportunity of having interesting things to tackle.

The message kept reverberating in my head that the gift of each day which is given, should never be taken for granted irrespective of our struggles because the death knell is a final and last call on this side of the divide.

As long as there’s life, hope lies within and today I’m grateful for my full plate of busy-ness and the opportunity to feel the Sun’s shine on my face.

I hope that are you grateful or thankful for something today. We have a lot of privileges surrounding us.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Stars, Five Stars, Logo, Icon, Symbol, Five, Rating

From the very first poem, “Dreams,” this book captivates with passionate and perceptive words. Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha captures a broad expanse of the human experience in this book of richly layered poems.

Out of the silent breath

Family

Laughter and Love…

jacquelineobyikocha21 Comments

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Laughter and love are the best things in life, no doubts about that!

I am thankful for such a time as this honestly. For family and fun times. For Spring break and a chance to generally loaf around a bit, creating memories that last a lifetime.

Good and beautiful memories interspersed with sibling squabble and lots of food.

If the truth be told, I feel outrightly lazy and decadent from these past few days of sleeping late and waking up late. Very unusual practice, that my body is about to go on a riot.

As I write this, I am reminded of a happy post shared by dearest VAN and I urge you to take a quick peek. 🙂

You can thank me later.

Are there itty-bitty things that your heart knows thanks for?

Do share if you will. Thank you.

You can join Colline’s  or Maria Jansson gratitude challenge platforms.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

 

Gratitude · Inspiration - Motivation · Lifestyle

Why Not? Are You Too Much Of A Man?…

jacquelineobyikocha39 Comments

Is it possible to wake up and express a heartfelt gratitude for everything, without a ‘but?’1453822435428[1]

Some gentleman openly made a scornful statement, asking why we should have to express our thankfulness and gratitude for all to see? Why couldn’t we just be thankful in our minds?

I thought it through and my wonder is, maybe he feels it’s not manly enough to be seen doing something as sissy as being grateful or thankful? Who knows.

Anyway, to this retort I say, why not? We talk about virtually anything and everything under the Sun. So why not gratitude and thankfulness? Must we save it only for the day of Thanksgiving, on 24 November?

Is it because the word carries the connotations of Religion or Christian tenets?

Well you are wrong! I think it would be wise to remember that the state of gratitude is a life tenet, which does not respect any doctrine, dogma, race, religion, age or sex.

Thankfulness is a state of being that is the mother of all virtues. When we are thankful, we have less to grumble about. When we are thankful, it makes the little that we have enough. When we are thankful, we are not going to be envious and envy breeds wickedness.

We don’t have to look far to find things to be grateful for: family, food, shelter, friends, clothing, seasons, life, nature, beauty, truth, salvation. The list could go on for decades.

A heart of gratitude opens doors of love, peace and plenty.

Today, I am grateful for life and good health. It’s really a privilege and nothing can truly compare to the promises that I have in God.

A grateful heart will always find satisfaction. May your heart find a grace for gratitude. Like the Bible tells us, ‘God inhabits the praise of His People.

You can join Colline’s  or Maria Jansson gratitude challenge platforms.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha