Small is Great

Some of the greatest things in the world, are often the smallest. 


Newborn babies
A loving glance
A helping hand
A smile


Most of you know that I've began a huge undertaking. I've committed to doing 365 Days of Gratitude. One acknowledgement of gratitude per day, one blog per day, one tweet per day, and usually one journal entry per day.


I seem to have found a pretty good rhythm for seeing that all get posted. Though, it's not been easy each day. 


During every single time I've taken time to consciously give thanks and send it out into the world, I realize that at a certain point - usually about day 20 ish, I find that it's not as easy as I thought it would be. 


Things happen and don't always go my way or as planned. People disappoint. Circumstances develop. 


This is exactly why being grateful everyday is necessary. The practice of gratitude teaches us, grooms us for those days or times that may be difficult. The practice helps us to realize that IN ALL THINGS we should be thankful. 


This past holiday week, I've found that I've been more grateful for the simple, small things. 


Small tree, simple ornaments, hanging lights, making hot cocoa, playing video games, listening to the girls play for hours on end, watching Jace delight in the newness of the holiday season or squeal in excitement when he sees a sister, being able to relax with my husband, cooking with no pressure, letting the day take us where it may, giving up control. 


Life is not perfect, but we must be able to see all the perfect moments within it and be thankful. 

365 Days of Gratitude & Simplicity Day 14

November 23, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

The Gratitude Journal

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.  ~Melody Beattie

It's been exactly 14 days since we first started this journey. I asked in the beginning that you go out and purchase a journal. My hope is that if you did you took a special trip to find one and that the journal reminds you, pulls you in each day in order to record your thoughts, questions, and gratitudes. 

If you haven't found your journal yet, and your are following along in this extensive part of 365 Days, you must get the journal. It is not an option. It doesn't have to be expensive. Here's mine: 

It cost exactly $2. It's purple and is soft to touch, has a ribbon bookmark and makes me smile because purple is one of my favorite colors.  

The point of the journal is to practice being conscious and writing down specific gratitudes. 

As I've said, I've went on this journey before and the transformation after the first several months is amazing. You will begin to find yourself more content that you ever thought possible. 

"Gratitude is the heart's memory." 

Today's challenge: If you haven't already, GO GET YOUR GRATITUDE JOURNAL! :)  

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment. 

365 Days of Gratitude & Simplicity Day 13

November 22, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

Gratitude: Awakening the Heart
"The eyes of my eyes are opened. ~e.e. cummings

The author, Sarah Ban Breathnach, writes " One ordinary morning I realized I was emotionally and physically exhausted from concentrating on things I wanted to buy but couldn't afford. I felt trapped in a vicious circle. The more I focused on lack and on what I didn't have, the more depressed I became. I hungered for an inner peace that the world could not take away. I surrendered my desire for security and instead sought serenity. As I started my life's inventory of assets my list grew and grew." 


This attitude of gratitude is the road to learning how to live our lives abundantly. When you begin to give thanks for everything - big and small, in all things,  the flow of thankfulness comes so fast and furious that we cannot help but begin to live in a serenity that never was before. 

Today's challenge: Open your eyes to and give your life another look. Are your basic needs met? Food? Clothes? Is there a regular means of income? Do you have your health? Can you walk, talk, hear? Do you have family and friends?  

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment. 

365 Days is Moving. . . .

After a lot of thought, I've decided to move the 365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity to it's own blog. 


I didn't truly realize how big the concept would be and I want to have others follow along without having to read all my personal epiphany blogs mixed in there. So, I am separating the two. 


I'll still keep reminding you to visit me here as well as 365 Days of Gratitude & SImplicity.  


For the next few days I will post my gratitude blogs  in both spots and then taper off and only post them in the new spot. 


I didn't get A LOT of feedback from my previous posts and inquires, but I'm thinking more people are reading and probably not posting. This is okay and actually great, I think. 


I'm finding that many people are being affected by our gratitudes, especially those that aren't saying anything. :) 


Spread the attitude of gratitude. xoxoxo

365 Days of Gratitude & Simplicity Day 12

November 21, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

There Is No Scarcity

"When money is plenty this is a man's world. When money is scarce it is a woman's world. When all else seems to have failed, the woman's instinct comes in. She gets the job. That is a reason why in spite of all that happens, we continue to have a world. ~Ladie's Home Journal, October 1932

When you worry about someone's health - yours or a loved ones there is a sudden clarity about what is important. Living is important. Everyday is a gift. 

But when we worry about money it mocks us. Those worries steal our joy and follow us around like a dark shadow. 

Money ebbs and flows in our life. We must accept that and find gratitude no matter what our situation is at the time. 

Today's challenge: Concentrate on what you have today. Not what you lack. Accept what you can change and do not allow worry to take over what you cannot. 

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment. 

365 Days of Gratitude & Simplicity Day 11

November 20, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

Is It Recession or Depression

"No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit." ~Helen Keller

I, personally, am finding it ironic that the Simple Abundance book has discussed recession at this time. The book was first published in the late 90's and as I read the entry for today, I realize that it is still applicable. 

Perhaps the recession has personally affected you and yours. Millions of women are scaling down their expectations of what constitutes the good life, redefining their values, reordering their priorities and accepting the challenge of making a virtue out of necessity. However, it's very easy to surrender to emotional depression when a financial one occurs. 

It's time to put the thoughts of lack behind us. We will have to make a change. Change does not happen overnight. Lasting change happens in small increments at a time. We will slowly learn to become optimists. 

Today's challenge: Smile at everyone you meet. Make eye contact when you smile. Expect something good to happen no matter what happened yesterday. The past can no longer hold you captive. Let it go. 

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment. 

"The past can only continue to hurt you if you hold on to it." 

365 Days of Gratitude & Simplicity Day 10

November 19, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

Until It Is Carved in Stone

"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth - and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up - that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had. ~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

In one of my favorite plays of all time, Our Town by Thornton Wilder  a deeply poignant scene takes place in a graveyard. Ghosts comfor teh young heroine, who has recently died from childbirth. Emily, still longing for the life she has just left, wishes to revisit one ordinary, "unimportant" day in her life. When she does, she realizes how much "the living take for granted." 


It eventually becomes too much for her to bear and she begs to leave one last time. ". . . goodbye clocks ticking, goodbye sunflowers, goodbye sleeping and waking. . . "

Today's challenge: This is the season of epiphany. Today seek everyday epiphanies. Give them a voice. Say out loud to someone which "unimportant" experiences you're thankful for and have previously taken for granted. 

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment. 

"Appreciate the authentic moments of happiness in the everyday."