Sure, we all teach our children to say "Thank you" as toddlers. But, are we really teaching them to mean it?
Last fall, four friends and I embarked on a journey into gratitude. Each night we shared, via group text, 3 or 4 things for which we were grateful that day. Sometimes, they were big things, and other times it was being grateful for the glass of wine in our hands - but overall, we were reframing our thoughts from negative to positive.
At the beginning of each school year, we parents get crazy with new schedules, new activities and the challenges that change can bring about in our families. Shortly thereafter we enter the hub-bub of the holiday season - leaving us very little time to truly appreciate the present.
My challenge to you, dear friends, is to keep yourself a gratitude journal for this month. Each night - or anytime, really, - take note of 2 or 3 things for which you are grateful. Put them in a calendar, a journal or the notes section of your phone or tablet. Share them with friends or your family. And, for added bonus, ask your kids to do it with you. It can be as simple as asking your toddler: what made you happy today? For your teens or pre-teens, ask them to keep a gratitude jar (any mason jar or vase will do the trick). At the end of the month, go back and review your blessings - read over what you've written. I bet you will enter the holiday season with a whole new perspective. You may even find joy where you never knew it existed!
