Got this message in my Whatsapp this morning.

Agar muskurahat ke liye eshwar ka shukriya nahin kiya

toh aakhon me aaye aasunon ke liye shikayat ka haq kaisa?

Meaning: If you do not thank the Lord for all the smiles you receive then do you have the right to complain to Him about the tears in your eyes?

Shukriya. Thanks. Gratitude. A word that says it all.

In the half year that has gone by so far, I have smiled many times. I am thankful to the Lord for that.

Shukriya for helping me successfully complete the A2Z Challenge in April. I took part in this mammoth exercise for the first time and this experience has helped my to grow as a writer. My blog reached amazing stats. The fact that some other bloggers found time to read, comment and like my writing has made me smile a lot. I came to read the works of amazing writers. I loved it so much that am looking forward to the next edition. I bore my daughter to talk about possible topics for the next year! 😀

Shukriya for helping my child complete her 12th in flying colours. I admit I was so worried (Though she was not!)

Shukriya for a summer vacation that gave so many smiles to us. The trip to the water theme park, the picnic on the roof in moonlight, the trip to Shukavana, a bird sanctuary (if you have not been there, do plan it).

Shukriya for making it possible for my mother to stay with me for almost a month this year (that has never happened before). She made my life so easy! Moms are the greatest gift to humanity!

Shukriya for the smiles of my kids for the trip they took to attend a wedding. They got to make so many memories for the future.

Shukriya for the 3 day yoga vacation camp at Shivananda ashram that I went to with my husband. A much needed break from the ordinary.

Shukriya for the early monsoon. I hope the rains are adequate this year for all the farmers.

Shukriya for the elections in my state. All roads in my city were repaired just before the elections. Now all rides are as smooth as butter! 😀

Shukriya for a million other things that have made me smile this year. Isn’t it so strange that we forget all our reasons?

Written as a part of the Festival of Words hosted by Write Tribe.

This is my take on the prompt for the day: “The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.” – The Lion King