Grateful for All I Have ~ Lexa Fisher

Grateful for All I Have

From a friend's FB post

Our current house is half the size of our previous one and has highly limited storage space. This means we no longer shop at warehouse stores--there simply isn't room for bulk purchases. 

Lack of space has also necessitated a new rule: one thing in, one thing out. I have to give a lot of thought to what I buy, because something has to go. In with the new, out with the old, as the saying goes.

This flowchart I recently saw on a friend's Facebook page depicts the decision process that helps my purchasing choices.

Gratitude turns what we have into enough. ~~ Anonymous

Though I purchase less, I'm grateful for so much. As we reflect on all that we are thankful for later this month, it's also the perfect time to consider what we need. No doubt our needs are far fewer on Thanksgiving Thursday than they are on Black Friday.

One day we give thanks and express gratitude for what we have, and the next day kicks off the biggest shopping spree of the year. If we're so grateful, why this need to have more or to give more?

"[There are] Two kinds of gratitude: The sudden kind we feel for what we take; the larger kind we feel for what we give." ~~ Edwin Arlington Robinson

Photo by Mel Poole on Unsplash

There are many reasons to give, and not all pertain to unnecessary excesses or filling voids in ourselves. Gifts are the most common form of expressing thanks and showing appreciation to the people we're thankful for.





As I've composed this post, I've found I can reconcile the opposing ideas of gratitude for enough versus needing to express it by buying more, with this quote:

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." ~~ William Arther Ward

I struggle to find the right gift for friends and family each year. But this year I'll focus on giving holiday gifts that express gratitude to the recipient--for their support, the knowledge they impart, the love they give, or the joy they bring to my life. And, of course, something small or consumable--space considerations, you know.😀

Card by Lexa Fisher