A Year of Gratitude - January 2024 Snapshot

I mentioned at the beginning of the year that my word for 2024 is GRATITUDE.  To help myself keep the focus on this word, I started keeping a gratitude journal on January 1, and I’ve been writing at least 3-4 things I’m grateful for every single day.  Some days I’ve felt so overwhelmed with gratitude that I haven’t been able to pick just 3-4, so I’ve listed even more. 

To hold myself accountable, and to keep this word at the forefront of my mind all year, I thought I might share a little snapshot of the musings from my gratitude journal each month here on the blog.  I’ll only be pulling one item from my gratitude journal per day to share here as I don’t want to go overboard, and also because some of the things I write are things that I’d like to keep private.  :o) 

Some of the things will be really big things like good health and good relationships, some things may be humorous, and some things will be the little things that most of the time go unnoticed.  Overall, though, the purpose of this whole exercise (and my choosing of this word this year) is to remember that even on the very worst of days, there is ALWAYS something for which to be grateful.

Always.

Overall, January was a really good month for me.  We had lots of downtime, so I was finally able to get caught up on lots of things.  I was able to make a huge dent in our house cleanout for 2024.  I spent lots of quality time with family and friends.  I read a fantastic book.  I read my Bible every day.  I had a great conversation about spirituality with an old friend.  I had some down time.  And I was even able to get ahead on some things. 

I know a lot of people hate January, but I am not one of those people.  January is always a breath of fresh air for me.  No, I don’t care for the cold, but I do like the slower pace, the extra time, and the coziness. 

Anyway, enough of the mindless chatter… let’s get to the good stuff.

In January I was grateful for…

 

1. An able body that took me on a 2.44-mile run… I am so grateful for my good health and the ability to move my body!  Getting outside in the sunshine and fresh air was the perfect way to kick off the new year!
2. Kind words from a blog reader… I was told that I had inspired her to read The Bible Recap this year, and there’s nothing better than being one of Jesus’s disciples!
3. A close friendship that was rekindled a few years ago after several years of being somewhat out of touch.
4. God’s help holding my tongue when I really wanted to say something to one of the kids (who shall not be named) because said kid made a massive mess.  And also, for vacuums… because they clean up glitter quickly and easily.  ;o)
5. One-on-one time with my girl.  She is so much fun these days, and I’m trying to soak up the “little girl-ness” that still remains while also embracing the fact that she’s growing up.  I’m also incredibly grateful that Jacob has become close with a really great friend from school these last couple of years.  Their friendship is so special, and I pray they remain lifelong friends.
6. Friends and family who share God’s Word and their own personal experiences with me because they know that I’m working every single day to improve my relationship with Him, too.
7. Brian, who woke up early to pick up donuts for us for breakfast.  Oh, and for donuts.  ;o)
8. A warm jacket and hot cinnamon tea… it.was.freezing.
9. A roof over our heads to keep us dry and protect us from the storms that came through in the middle of the night.
10. Special time with my Boo (Jacob) last night cleaning out his room and cooking with him.  He is the only one who truly “gets me” when it comes to keeping things organized and tidy.
11. God winks in the form of words from my devotional yesterday.
12. That school wasn’t canceled yet again for the weather like it was in so many other places.
13. A tidy house.  It does wonders for my mental state and my productivity.
14. The means to take a special day trip to Atlanta with my faves to see the Aladdin Broadway show at The Fox Theatre.  It was fantastic.
15. That Maui finally let me put on her sweater.  Lately she hasn’t been wanting to wear it and it’s been stressing me out because it’s been SO COLD.  And she’s so tiny.  And she’s always shaking.  “JUST LET ME PUT ON YOUR SWEATER!”  Haha.
16. A great conversation with the kids on the way home from school.  They’re growing up so fast, and the older they get, the more I love our chats.
17. That I had no place to be all day so I was able to cozy up and stay out of the cold until it was time to pick the kids up from school.
18. An orthodontist who is kind, caring, smart, quick, efficient, and great at what he does.  Oh, and Ibuprofen.  Because my mouth – OMG – it was the sorest ever after that visit.
19. A wonderful lunch date with an old-coworker.  It was so nice catching up after not seeing him for a few months.  We’ve been friends for 20 years (OMG), and we always pick up exactly where we left off.
20. For such a fun night with our poker night group last night.  Those friendships mean everything to me.
21. An amazing online sermon.  And music.  My gosh, I am grateful for music every single day.
22. Heated seats in my SUV.  Seriously the best invention for a car ever… well, that and Apple Car Play.  ;o)
23. My therapist, who has done and continues to do so many wonderful things for me.  Her genuine compassion and wisdom have helped me tremendously these last four years, and I’m grateful for every single session with her.  Everyone should have a good therapist (counselor, etc…. whatever you want to call it).
24. Dinner with my girls last night.  There’s nothing like some good mid-week girl time!
25. A safe drive to and from school this morning in the dark and torrential rain.  It was scary and I was happy to be home safe and sound, especially after seeing a terrible wreck on the highway.
26. A life-giving conversation with a friend and prayers prayed over me yesterday.  And another God wink… I just know it was straight from heaven.
27. Brian’s foot rubs and couch naps.  We had the laziest night last night.
28. The best night out with Brian and our friends at the ball last night.  And for hugs and kisses from my babies when they got home from spending the night out at Nana and Poppie’s.  They’re always genuinely excited to see us after a night away and I’m so grateful for that.
29. The slow cooker… because it does all of the work for dinner so I don’t have to.
30. Abundant sunshine and time spent driving with the sunroof open!
31. A good book completed and lots of good book recommendations from a friend.  *Adds to cart*

 

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my month! 

Happy Monday, y’all!  What were you grateful for last month?