Want, want, want, want........gratitude

I have come to realize I am never quite happy with what I have been given in life. I'm not an overly materialistic person, in fact, I'm trying to downsize our life so we have more time for the real moments! I have so much to be thankful for but I don't feel gratitude as much as I'd like to say I do. I complain. I want to change things. I want more of "this" and less of "that. I want to relocate. I want to......

wait. how can I complain? really! ....... 

1. I wake up everyday surrounded (often literally) by 4 beautiful healthy children 
2. I wake up everyday next to my committed husband (seriously to be with me this long, he's got to be!) who loves me even when I don't love myself. He's my best friend too! 
3. We have a place to call home, a cozy home with everything we could ever need and then some and it's always at room temp
4. We press down the shower lever and we instantly (okay maybe a few seconds later) have really warm water to clean ourselves with or better yet, a bathtub to fill and soak in! 
5. We have toilets that flush! 
6. We have well-made comfortable clothes and a machine that we stuff dirty ones into and 40 minutes later, they come out fresh & clean
7. We have a machine that we place our dirty dishes in and VOILA! clean dishes 40 minutes later
8. We have healthy food waiting in the refrigerator & pantry to feed ourselves at any time during the day or night
9. We have a working stove to cook on
10. We live in a safe neighborhood where our kids can freely play outside in the sunshine
11. Our four children go to the alternative school I used to dream of sending my future children to! 
12. I have a minivan that is really reliable, fairly good on gas and very safe! Oh and I turn a dial inside and I get cold air in the summer and hot air in the winter!
13. We have a beautiful yard with plenty of sunshine, green grass & flowers
14. We can walk under a mile and stand face to face with the ocean
15. We can walk to the park and nature trails in the same amount of time
16. We have our health and when we don't, we have access to pain-relief, holistic care, doctors and hospitals all within minutes 
17. We have music, beautiful music to lift the mood 
18. We have awesome local restaurants to dine at when the mood strikes
19. We live in an amazingly alternative area where sustainable, earth-conscious living is becoming the norm!
20. We have access to a world (read---WORLD!) wide web! It's AMAZING! Any information we want at our fingertips!
21. We have our extended family to love and be loved by! 
22. We have a book on our bookshelf which provides all the spiritual truths needed to find within ourselves that which we will never find without 
23. We have FREE-WILL to choose at any given moment to be in alignment with our Creator! FREE-WILL! 

I could go on and on......I can't complain, really, how could I! Why do I? Something to ponder......something to pray & meditate about!