Today was a restful day and am blessed to have the opportunity to be able to do so. It has been wonderful to have had time off of work and I have used it to rest, reflect, and renew. Thank you to my sister for prodding me to take better care of myself. This is not one of my strong points and often push myself further than I should (and often pay for it). This time though, I am taking a different path and it has been most enjoyable. I am grateful for this path and will try to do this more so in the future.

What path have you taken differently this week?

Thank you to everyone for all of their support, encouragement, thoughts, prayers, hugs, smiles, check-ins, texts, calls, emails, and posts on Facebook. I am incredibly grateful for each and everyone’s thought, prayers, and messages. Life is so short and making the most I can out of relationships is something I value.

Again, thank you-I’m grateful for everyone’s support.

Whose support are you grateful for?

Heaven gained an angel today. Love you Grandpa and appreciate the acceptance, love, and support you always provided. Enjoy reconnecting with your sweetheart and with Kelly! I’m grateful for you and our time together.

Hospice nurses and volunteers are quite likely the closest beings to angels on earth. Their grace, dignity, and never ending kindness make them amazingly special. The manner in which they care for their patients is simply incredible. We have been blessed to have compassionate individuals helping my Grandfather make his journey into Heaven. I am grateful that such people exist and are willing to offer so much of themselves to others and often times strangers. May God bless you in return.

Who in your life is a blessing?

I woke this morning to learn that I have reached yet another milestone in my DBA journey…..this is such wonderful news and means I am moving forward successfully and am ready to move on to the next step. When I began this program I was uncertain of my capability to first, handle the workload; second, be successful; and third, strive to the expectations that the level of rigor this program requires. Like all goals milestones help us reach the finish line and I’m grateful to be one step closer to the that place.

What milestone are you working towards in your life?

When life gets heavy, distractions are helpful. I am blessed to spend the last days of my grandfather’s life to help care for him. Yet, balancing school, work, and this darn winter has been nothing short of a challenge. While I know these are all temporary they require my attention right now. Today, I was grateful for a distraction away from all pressures, even for just a few short hours.

Distractions are helpful as they pull our attention to something else and can help us maintain the stamina and mental energy to push through what we need to. It is comparable to a mental break……something we all need and should take (and not feel guilty about).

What distractions are you grateful for?

Another day, another snow storm. This time we got hit bad with ice, snow, and more ice. I am so thankful to have arrived at work with no incident. It was a rough ride and wasn’t able to take public transportation. Spring is coming….only 26 more days!

What are you looking forward to?

I wished I would have believed these when I was younger….it’s never too late. I believe it now and you should too!

Which words are you grateful for today?

Ahhh…..finally I’m caught up. I detest being behind in my work and work diligently to stay on top or attempt to work ahead so I don’t fall behind. Ultimately, my goal is always to be ahead, but we all know how that goes. Sometimes we meet our goals and sometimes we don’t. Today, I am happy to report that I am fully caught up once again and seek to stay here.

What are you happy to report about your day?

We all need others….don’t we? Guidance, support, and encouragement are essential to the human experience. I’ve learned the hard way, that relying on and asking for support has been a necessary step to reach my goals. I’m vastly appreciative for those close to me…my parents, bonus parents, grandpa, siblings, son, and friends. All of these people are extremely important to me and I treasure each and everyone of them for their facilitation in my growth and development. My classmates and instructors are also very important member of my life as well.

Today, I am appreciative of my mentor who is helping shape me as a junior researcher. She has been responsive, supportive, and most of all listens to my approach and respects my research goals.

Who in your outside circle are you appreciative of?