Sonya's Story - To be grateful is a blessing!

From a very young girl’s age, I’ve used gratitude in my life. Being grateful is something that I was innately doing, and at the time, not knowing what it meant.

When I look back over my upbringing, I came from a single-parent household. My mom, who raised me and my two siblings, did the best that she knew how to do for the time, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.

I never saw my mom with men, EVER; and though she was a woman whom I am sure wanted companionship, I am grateful that she put her children before her desire to be with a man.

I am grateful for the loving kindness that she displayed to us throughout our lives. Though she rarely said I LOVE YOU, as I grew older, I knew she did by her actions.

I once asked her why she never told us that she loved us, and she said it was because her mom did not say it to her much, and so I knew when I had my children, that I did not want to pass on not telling them that I loved them constantly.

I’m grateful for her help in my life when I became a single parent on my own to my oldest son. I often told her when she was helping me out with her first grandchild, that I am thankful for her helping, and I knew why she did so.

She wanted the best for her grandchild and did what she could to make it happen, and for the wonderful memories that she left behind for us, l am grateful.

Being her daughter, and the oldest of three taught me gratitude at an early age because of the responsibilities that I had as being the oldest and helping her out with everything that she needed help with.

I am grateful for her existence before she departed this earth because, like her, I am a gracious person for what many take advantage of. I have been practicing gratitude all my life, and did not know it!

Before COVID, I was grateful for breathing on my own, good health throughout my body, and living in the moment when I thought about it

To have a gracious heart has kept me from trying to keep up with the Jones and being afflicted by any earthly possessions that I felt the need to have. I am grateful to my mom and God for this.

Though someone else may have a bigger house than me and drive a newer car and have more expensive clothing, I am very grateful for my small home that is heated and cooled at the times that it should be, for food on my table, and for my vehicle that I have money to put gas in.

I am grateful for having healthy children. I have seen one become an adult and I look forward to seeing my now six-year-old become a wonderful, gracious adult as well.

When I found the app, I thought of what better way on purpose, to show gratitude, and so I downloaded it. The app is helping me to remember, at a glance, to be gracious for many things at that moment, and that is keeping me in check.