As my mom says, "There's always something to be thankful for"

Mom has been through a lot, more than I can quantify...and yet, she continues to give so much more.

Whenever I speak to her on the phone (she lives in the Philippines), she starts our conversation with a cheerful "Good morning, Good evening". She then lists the usual inconveniences of taking care of a very sick loved one, and being so far away from her children and grandchildren.

I occasionally insert my usual simple complains in life, but then I picture what she's been going through, and I feel so totally guilty of even complaining about the cold rainy day when she one day longs to escape the sometimes gruesome heat wave in the Philippines.

No matter what time of the day, our telephone conversations usually happen when she's either cleaning the backyard or while I am washing the dishes. I guess her and I are always busy attending to the needs of our families.

This weekend, the kids and I went to church -- to say praise and thanks. We believe in God, say our prayers daily and I grew up in a very religious setting, but unfortunately, for whatever reason, Sunday mass services have lost it's hold on me. (I'm not totally giving up yet...)

There's plenty to be thankful for, and sometimes we need to go out of our way to express our gratitude.

I woke up in the middle of the night, feeling scared and depleted. Baffled, I was. It took quite a few toss and turns to push away the negative thoughts, failures and mistakes that came with the unwelcomed anxiety. But once I started focusing on what matters most - my children, my family, anxieties were slowly replaced by calmness.

When we commit to begin, live and end the day with feelings of gratitude in our hearts. Before you know it, we will be blessed with so much more to be thankful for.

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