Gratitude - A Way of Life

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

I've posted a few times on Gratitude, including a post titled "Develop an Attitude of Gratitude" which explained the original reason for starting my Gratitude Journal.

I have many reasons to wallow in self pity:
- I have a prodigal son & 3 grandchildren who I (and all my family) never see
- I sustained permanent injuries from a car accident which changed my life & stole my independence
- I have a degenerative autoimmune arthritic disease which affects every joint in my body
- I live daily with chronic joint & nerve pain

BUT... when I find myself heading down the road of self pity, I force myself to look at the positives in my life (because there really are so many)

- I'm alive
- I am blessed with a wonderful, supportive husband to walk this difficult journey with
- I am blessed with 4 beautiful children. Although I only see 3, those 3 are incredibly loving, supportive & caring towards me and one another
- I have a wonderful team of medical professionals looking after me
- I have my photography which allows me to get totally lost in capturing the beauty of creation & life
- I have a roof over my head, clothes to wear & food to eat
- There are so many worse off than I am
- I could go on....



It's easy to be grateful when things are going well. It takes courage & strength to be grateful when life is difficult. When you choose a life of gratitude, you effectively reduce stress & worry, your relationships improve and you discover happiness you never thought possible.

GRATITUDE... Try it! It works!

** Both images taken on the Hastings river, Port Macquarie, NSW during our holiday there last September.**

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Holidaying in Northern NSW: Part 7

On the final day of our holiday in Port Macquarie, NSW, we decided to head back down to "Greater Port Macquarie region" and drive up North Brother Mountain to Laurieton Lookout. We had been told the views from the lookout were absolutely beautiful. We weren't disappointed!

Looking north east from Laurieton Lookout, the panoramic view shows Camden Haven Inlet with Gooleys Lagoon on the right. The Camden Haven River winds further inland. The large lake to the left is Queens Lake. It was a little hazy due to some fires burning further inland, however, you can just make out Taking Point in the distance.

Looking south from the second viewing point, you can see Watson Taylor's Lake. Far in the distance, to the left, is Crowdy Head.

That evening, I photographed sunset on the Hastings River.

The following morning we checked out and began our scenic drive back to Brisbane. As I was required to make regular stops due to the DVT in my leg, we had chosen a number of towns along the coast where  we would have our drink/food breaks.

Our first stop was the beautiful South West Rocks; a quaint little seaside town with stunning coastline & mountain views. The next few photos are of Horseshoe Bay.

Little Bay...

Southeast of South West Rocks township is a headland called Smoky Cape.
The view north from Smoky Cape Lighthouse

Looking south from the lighthouse, along the 16km long South Smoky Beach.

We encountered some Kangaroos on our way out of South West Rocks. This was the dominant & very protective male.

More wonderful places here:

                        

Holidaying in Northern NSW: Part 6

On day 6 of our holiday, we decided to explore the "Greater Port Macquarie" region of  North Haven, Lake Cathie (pronounced Cat-eye) & Camden Haven.

Lake Cathie entrance

And a mandatory low down "Sea Grass" shot taken on the southern most end of Lighthouse Beach, just north of Lake Cathie entrance.

We stopped for lunch at North Haven, a quiet little town, beside Camden Haven Inlet. The mountain in the background is North Brother Mountain (more on this mountain in Part 7).

We then drove through the town of Laurieton and out to Camden Head where we walked in the Kattung Nature Reserve. Perpendicular Point Walk is a beautiful, easy 3.6 km walk, through bushland full of wonderful birdlife and then right out to the point. The stunning panoramic views and spectacular vertical cliffs provided many photographic opportunities.

Looking north to Grants Head, from halfway along Perpendicular Point.

Out on Perpendicular point looking south you can see the rugged vertical cliffs and away in the distance is Crowdy Head. The power of the ocean against the cliffs was magnificent to watch.

Stunning, spectacular, magnificent, wonderful... all words to describe the coastline in this area.

On the way home, we stopped along Camden Haven Inlet to watch the sun set over North Brother Mountain.

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