Awhile back my T talked with me about gratitude and healing. At the time I was in quite a dark place and couldn't feel gratitude for anything. How could I be grateful when I was mad at even existing?

So...the subject came up again with my good friend who has stuck by me through the years and my journey. She reminded me of myself - the self that does have a core of compassion for others and the world and my ability over the 11 years she's known me to always find that which I can be grateful for.

We talked about how the extreme grief I've been in my my grandmothers death has really overcome all other feelings, and that it is ok. She said she knows the real me and finds my courage to continue with my journey a gift to myself, her and the world. She went through similar work years ago and continues to assure me that it gets better. She is a wonderful person and definitely provides me with hope.

So anyway, I have been feeling gratitude again and have started a daily gratitude journal to keep me focused on the good in life and not always the bad.

I'm curious as to what things you all have gratitude for? Today I have gratitude for a customer service clerk at our impound lot. While I was out of town this week, a police officer showed up at my house with a tow-truck and took my RV that had been parked there for 3 years. My awesome neighbor called me to let me know what was occurring and she got all the paperwork for me. When I returned home yesterday I went to claim it at the impound lot and this woman went completely out of her way to not only help me get my RV released, but she even came out into the muddy lot and helped me find boulders to build up enough room under the jack to help me get it up high enough to hitch to my vehicle. She was the silver lining in the hassle if this experience. I am grateful for kind, helpful people that still exist in customer service ~ she definitely made a hassling situation much more easy than it could have been.

What are you grateful for?

I really enjoyed reading about your experience with your friend. Somehow we will all have more to give back for having been through these experiences/dark places/extreme grief.

Glad you got your RV back!

Tomorrow - treating myself to a 3 hr yoga class/new year's celebration with champagne, etc. Glad that I'm able to go, to take care of myself, to get out of the house, as my default would be to stay at home.

Also, saw my ex today. (as a friend), and he will always be dear to me in some ways. There are many who are not as lucky in that regard. Not just civility, but kindness, gentleness, and respect are still possible under unexpected circumstances.

Thanks for posting this! Grateful that I have a place to post (and listen/read) as I'm going through a tough time as well.

OK, that's 3 things.

I'm grateful that some unknown and beneficent spirit has unexpectedly granted me energy and the ability to focus today. I'm channeling it towards housework and am currently engaged in a flurry of cleaning, straightening, and organizing that I had been too tired or fuzzy headed to tackle for awhile now. It feels so good to be doing this.

I'm also grateful to have a place to post

Today I'm grateful for the kind waitress from my hometown (a different state) who honored my coupon because we connected.

Also grateful for my family of choice and ringing in the new year feeling loved and appreciated!

Happy New Year to you all!

My younger brother and sister (ages 14 and 11) are visiting with me today. We are playing Settlers of Catan and later we are going out for frozen custard. Feeling grateful for a fun, happy, and relaxing day.

Yea for younger siblings! One of my you gets brothers had a birthday today and another had one on Dec 31 so we celebrated last night with a home cooked meal. Grateful for them and being able to spend time with them.

Younger...not 'you gets'....not always grateful for auto correct

Hmm. Good question here. I looked at this the other day but I wasn't sure. Not good news. But come to think of it:

I'm grateful for my family in America who love me. Grateful that I have my own mind to work through things. I contemplate and think an awful lot. Sometimes its not good but a lot of the time, I've found balance in dark places.

Grateful to have a friend who is there for me and grateful for the room I have.

Grateful for my health.

Grateful for this forum!

FMN,

I'll join you in being grateful for the forum today, if that's okay! No one in my real life could begin to empathize with this regressive obsessional attachment I have with T. How cool to have found a whole forum full of friendly, supportive, amazing and accepting folks with the same sorts of issues. Makes me feel much less lonely, and like much less of a freak.

HIC, no probs.

That's why I love the net too. A kind of community develops from all parts of the world on similar issues. Is nice

One thing I've been concerned of as of late is becoming too 'comfortable' in my own depressions. Sometimes I think that T being this caring is something I shouldn't rely on 100%. I always want to be looked after because I didn't get the adequate allowance in learning to look after myself. Lately I've realized that I must start looking after myself without desperately relying on T or anyone else to direct my life for me.

Hard to know this when I'm feeling so up in the air with myself. Maybe it's a matter of relaxing and actually sinking into T's care each week in hope that her compassion gives me some strength to move forward by myself? It's difficult because I want to learn to trust better and rely on friends to help me but at the same time, become an individual!

interesting thought to ponder...comfortable in your own depression. I guess it can be comforting if it's what is predictable and known. I can relate to feeling comfortable when I'm in a particularly pensive or contemplative mood. When depression hits though - I just want to die.

So I'm grateful that I can continue working to ward off the depression. My T, this forum, and a lot of info. I have gained through research have shed light on the subject and its roots for me. This awareness seems to help me from sinking into the deep despair.

Today I am grateful for:

-Amazing dinner out, including creme brulee.
-Being able to drive my lovely new car
-My cough is starting to get better.

I'm grateful that is Saturday which is my lazy day! I'm grateful that I can have the day to myself since my roomie is away for the weekend. I'm also very grateful and blessed to have such wonderful friends that kept me company last night and that we had a fun and laughter filled girls night that lasted til the wee hours of the morning. today is a good day.

I'm going to try to be grateful for my T. Even though I know therapy will end, I still want to try to feel and keep working through my feelings, whatever they are.

I'm grateful for my housemates who do care. Bless them. I just go into my own world when I feel low.

I am grateful for:

-Getting rid of this mattress that I am so allergic to.
-Having a fun grocery shopping trip with DH.
-DH buying me a rose just because.