Card of the Week - Appreciation

As you can see by the title of this blog post, the card for the week is appreciation.  Speaking from experience, it's often hard to refocus the negative thoughts and emotions into a positive one like appreciation.

This weekend didn't start out so well.  I had to run Friday and pick up things for the kid's Easter basket.  Then put it together at work.  Well, I left work, got 30 minutes away to remember I left it at work.  So I took a road to go back to work and ended up going really really out of the way -- soon brought out the navigator so I could get myself situated back to where I needed to go.  But this meant getting home late.

Then Saturday, my husband wanted to clean the downstairs, so I normally would have taken them up to the top floor to get them out of the way.  I decided to get them out of the house. So we went out for breakfast, then to the library, then to Target and then grabbed lunch before heading home.  My youngest apparently caught a cold during that time.  Well, she doesn't walk yet, so there was a lot of lifting and carrying and "helping" her walk.  By the time I got home, I was beat.

Sunday morning comes and I'm in the process of trying to make breakfast, when my back goes out.  So no church for anyone.  Of course, it just gets worse and worse.  I take Monday and Tuesday off.  Still having to watch the kids a bit here and there and to make matters worse, the other 2 kids and myself have now caught the cold.

So how do I appreciate what's happened?  Well, I had the money to take them out for some Mom & kids time.  We got to go to the library and do something other than watch TV or play video games.  It was a beautiful day on Saturday and for the most part, they were pretty good.  That I have the leave to be able to take off.  Today, I'm at work and I'm grateful my back allowed me to do that.  I have a long commute with a manual transmission.  With my heating pad, I was able to make it.  That I have a job that's understanding when things like this happen.

So the card reading states:

Appreciation and gratitude are important components to spiritual development. There is beauty in those who find the value in everyone and everything, and it is also important to see our own efforts, and to acknowledge our own contributions and progress.

Love blossoms with appreciation, and intimacy grows deeper when we know we are seen and valued. Our hearts never tire of receiving appreciation. Appreciation has the ability to turn sour situations around, to uplift us, to empower us, and to inspire us into positive action.

Appreciation can be expressed in many different ways - a hug, a special gift, verbal acknowledgement, saying thank you…etc. Appreciation is greatly enhanced when we give others specific reasons for our gratitude. It is nice to hear, “thank you for being my friend”, but hearing the specific reason like, “I really felt cared about when you took the time today to listen to my problem”, can add richness to the other person’s life, and give them an understanding of what their unique contributions are. Open your eyes to see one another in a fresh light, and notice the abundance and contributions around you.

The card Appreciation reminds you of the importance of making statements of appreciation and to share your appreciation in some visible way. Each small act or words of gratitude, re-ignites the warmth in our hearts and in the hearts of others. People who show appreciation enhance their relationships and create a world that is continually rewarding!

So, how can you find appreciation in your life this week?