A friend of mine, Betsy, sent me a few of her gratitude quotes which she has hanging in the appropriate places around her house.  She is married with two children, one of which has not been the easiest to raise. (I think she’d say that is quite the understatement.)  Betsy’s a positive, loving and caring woman who bubbles over with life.  I’m wondering if quotes like these that she lives by have anything to do with her enthusiastic nature.

This one hangs over her kitchen sink:

Without these dirty dishes to wash I wouldn’t have hungry mouths to feed. I wouldn’t have the hands to hold and the people to love. Thank You Dishes!

This one hangs in the laundry room:

Dirty laundry reminds me that someone has worked, someone has played, someone has eaten, someone has slept, enjoyed their day just as they will tomorrow, if someone like me takes care of what they wear.

Reading these quotes are helping me shift my grumbly attitude about cleaning up messes and doing the laundry….the later I’ve disliked with a passion.  I’m going to think differently about it.  I’m going to look at each piece of kid clothing as I’m putting it in the washer or folding it and try to remember the fun she had in it that day.   I want to feel grateful for the fact that I have children.  And when I cook for my family, rather than thinking, ugh…another meal I have to prepare…who’s going to complain about which part of it?  No, rather than this, I want to begin to be grateful that I have a family to cook for.  Perhaps my attitude will spill over to my family who might begin to feel grateful that someone is preparing yet another meal for them.

If I can do this, I’ll have come a long way to transforming my day-to-day attitude and the energy I’m putting out into the universe. 

I once said to my husband who was complaining about stepping on little toy pieces on the steps, “You know honey, one of these day…and it will be sooner than you know…you’re going to miss seeing and stepping on those little toy pieces, because your children will be grown up and gone.  And you will miss them and the time you had with them when they were little.  So try to enjoy it while it’s here.”

I need to take my own advice.

Thanks Betsy.