The Guest Gratitude Post

I've been so grateful for the response each of my gratitude posts has gotten and I am so pleased to see more and more gratitude each week. Today I am hosting a guest gratitude post by the lovely Charise of I Thought I Knew Mama, full of wonderful things to be grateful for.

I have been enjoying Amanda's gratitude posts so much, and I've been looking forward to writing my own, so I thought it would be very fitting to write my very first gratitude post as my guest post on Let's Take the Metro!


Here are five things I am grateful for right now:


1. My husband: In addition to these 35 things about my hubby that I absolutely adore, I have practically grown a second heart full of gratitude for Jeff's diligent and dedicated support of our family. He works at a wonderful company with a fantastic team of people, but his job also causes him a high level of stress. Jeff works very hard, and it is this effort and commitment on my husband's part that keeps him in a position to be the sole supporter of our family right now so that I can be a stay at home mom to 14 month old Baby, the love of our lives. My husband is giving us all the most special gift possible - the time to raise our son in the best way that I know how.


2. Getting laid off: If you are a reader of my blog, you know how much I cherish the gift of being a stay at home mom, but before Baby was born, I had no intention of leaving my career as a special ed English teacher. Getting laid off gave me the opportunity to open my mind to a new possibility - a situation that has become the ultimate experience of my life. I will always be thankful to this blessing in disguise.

Here I am with two of the people I am most grateful for.

3. My son: Baby is the best teacher I have ever had. I have learned to be present and to live in the moment, thanks to Baby, and this seemed like an impossibility for me for pretty much every moment of my life leading up to Baby's birth. I often think of him as my little "time lasso-er" because this tiny superhero seems to have the power of keeping my mind calm, centered, and at peace with the moment at hand.


4. My blogging world: When I launched I Thought I Knew Mama on January 3rd, 2011, I had no idea that it would enhance my life so much. I am so thankful to my readers for inspiring me to write - a passion of mine since childhood - on a nearly daily basis. I am also grateful to all of the bloggers out there that provide me with much needed information, laughter, tears, smiles, and hope every day through their writing. And of course, I don't know what kind of mama I would be without the support of my blogging friends, many of whom are also part of the Natural Parents Network community.


5. My health: One of my biggest reasons for committing to creating a green lifestyle for my family is to provide us with long and healthy lives. With my 28 year old brother beating Hodgkin's lymphoma twice in the past three years, my 22 year old cousin and close friend passing away suddenly of a brain aneurysm two years ago, and several other close relatives being inflicted with cancer - including my amazing dad who beat kidney cancer, I can't help but worry about my family's good health being taken away at a moment's notice. Each day, I feel thankful for another day of having health and the awareness and dedication to do everything I can for my family to keep us healthy and enjoying this beautiful world.


Of course, I am also very thankful to Amanda for giving me the opportunity to guest post on Let's Take the Metro and for making me laugh so much each week!

Charise is the proud mama to an incredible son born in June 2010 and wife to the husband of her dreams. As a special ed English teacher turned SAHM, she is now living what she thinks is the ultimate life as she spends her days mothering and writing. Her blog - I Thought I Knew Mama - is a window into the adventures of stay at home mamahood, natural parenting, and green and healthy living. You can also find I Thought I Knew Mama on Facebook and Twitter.