Texting Appreciation Revisited

A few months ago I did a blog on texting appreciation to build joy. I want to revisit that concept with a guest “blogger,” my granddaughter, Kayli. We began texting each other every night in April 2021.

Recently one of Kayli’s appreciation was  “I appreciate life beyond depression and hopeless despair.”  When I read this I almost lost it. Later I asked Kayli if she would allow me to share her progress at a speaking engagement. She said, “Yes, and I will write out a testimony.”

So with permission, here is my guest blogger, Kayli. By the way, she calls me “Babs” sometimes–and other times I’m “Nana.”

From Kayli

For about a year, Babs and I have been texting appreciation 3 times a day. At the end of each day, we text one appreciation statement about something good that happened in our day, one thing we appreciate about the other person, and one characteristic or thing we appreciate about Jesus.

A Rewired Brain

Within this past year I have noticed a massive re-wiring in my brain and shift in the way I think. Before I started doing this every day, I naturally focused on my pain, doubts in myself and God, and general misery. Obstacles were personal attacks from others and God. All it took on my ride home was to hit 10 green lights but get caught at 1 red light and I would be upset, angry, and impatient.

Then Texting Appreciation Started

However, each night at 10 P.M. I received the sweetest text from my Nana telling me about the good things happening in her life. Not only that but she encouraged me with the sweetest words about how she thinks and feels of me. Strangest of all was her appreciations she did for Jesus. She thanked God for her difficult times and His unwavering presence throughout.

Over this year, I began to see God, myself, my family, and my world differently. I truly began to realize just how blessed I was, and no matter how awful my day had been, I chose to thank God for Jesus, for my Nana, and for something he allowed me to experience. When we started it would take me 15 minutes to think of something to appreciate. Now I have to pick between the 500 amazing blessings I have made mental notes of throughout the day.

I began to thank God more frequently and started to experience a significantly lessened sense of doom regarding my life. I went from not wanting to be alive, to genuinely thanking God daily for not letting me give up and for not giving up on me.

I’m a huge advocate for therapy, and medication, as both have helped me tremendously with overcoming mental illness. However, learning to appreciate my life, is an irreplaceable gift that I thank my Nana for giving to me before it was too late.