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 (okay, maybe sometimes more than one) 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.
Unfortunately, as I type this, they changed my rubber bands at my last appointment, and they are causing tons of face and neck tension, so the dizziness has come back, but at least I had a good run in July! Haha.
Anyway, enough of the chatter, let’s get to the best parts of the month…
In July I was grateful for…
- That my vehicle broke down at home instead of while we
were out somewhere running errands.
And it broke down on a day that Brian was working from home, so we
were able to use his vehicle to get where we needed to go. I was also grateful that it ended up
just being a dead battery.
- So.much.productivity at home. I was able to dive deep into the master
to-do list and check things off of the list that have been on there for
years! I haven’t been able to do
that in a very long time!
- That Brian cleaned off the porch for our Fourth of
July party, so I didn’t have to. It’s
one of my least favorite chores and I dread it.
- A super fun day swimming and hanging out with friends
and then eating dinner and doing fireworks with family for Fourth of July.
- A lazy day on the books after an exhausting Fourth…
and the sweet sounds of Jacob playing Clair de Lune (one of my very
favorite piano pieces) on the piano.
- Brian’s homemade chocolate chip cookies.
- A trip to our newly renovated museum, quality time
with my little family, and a surprise seeing my Big Daddy’s picture
hanging in the museum!
- Happy mail from a friend that made my day. You know who you are. <3
- Finally getting my vehicle back after having it sit at
the dealership for a while because they were too busy to get to it.
- A fresh haircut for Maui… she always looks extra cute
and snuggly after she gets groomed!
- The ability to walk, drive, and do normal activities
on this one-year anniversary of my vertigo.
- A guitar gifted to Olivia (since she is about to start
taking lessons) from my aunt and uncle since they had one that they weren’t
using.
- Drawers under our bed that no longer slide out constantly! Brian installed magnets on them, so they
no longer open randomly throughout the day and night. That has been a pain point for nearly 15
years and it is finally solved!
- Having both of my babies under the same roof again
after a couple of days of outings and sleepovers with friends. I always miss them so much when they’re
away!
- A good, cozy thunderstorm that cooled things off outside
tremendously.
- Everyone who shopped through my links on Amazon Prime
Day… it’s because of all of you that I get to do what I love and provide
for my family!
- One-on-one time with my Boo that was spent browsing the
local music store.
- That Olivia’s new guitar teacher is so enthusiastic that
she is going to start taking lessons.
We all love Mr. Steve, and his excitement to take her on as a
student is great for her confidence.
- A fan-girl moment when one of my favorite new artists
sent me the kindest DM, for my Momma and Daddy who were willing to step in
at a moment’s notice to watch the kids for a bit since Brian couldn’t get
off of work in time for me to go out with my girlfriends, and for time
with my girlfriends making flower arrangements. Time with them always fills my cup.
- A successful birthday party for Jacob with his friends…
and for his tribe. He has such a
great group of friends!
- Olivia’s hugs.
She is such a loving, cuddly child and she is constantly giving me
hugs and snuggling with me. I hope
she never stops.
- Tennis skirts from Amazon. They are seriously the most comfortable things
ever, and they are so cute!!
- Thirteen years with my rainbow baby! Happy birthday, Jacob! Oh, and for the look on his face when he
opened his birthday gift from us – his first cell phone – it was truly
priceless, and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.
- The outpouring of love from family to Jacob on his new
phone. He was thrilled to get so
many calls and texts from family members and friends.
- A seamless transition from voice lessons to guitar
lessons for Olivia… we thought for sure it was going to be impossible to
get a good time slot with Mr. Steve since he’s so popular, but as luck
would have it, the day we canceled her voice lessons and booked her guitar
lessons, the slot right after her normal voice lesson slot permanently opened. So, she and Jacob will still have
lessons on the same day, and they’ll be back-to-back so we don’t have to
split them up or have some awkward waiting period in between times. Thank you to the people who moved/canceled
their lessons in that time slot!
Haha.
- So much laughter and fun at poker night.
- Electricity. It’s
something we take for granted until it goes out for nearly eight hours. Especially in the summer when it’s blazing
hot.
- Lunch at my mother-in-law’s and step-father-in-law’s
after weeks of not seeing them.
- How each of the kids come straight into my office and
give me the biggest hug every single morning when they wake up.
- Lots of upcoming fun plans!
- Pool time and sleepovers for the kids.
I hope you
enjoyed this glimpse into my month!
Happy Monday, y’all! What is something you’re grateful for today?
Grateful for walking around without crutches. Hoping to ditch the boot soon too.
ReplyDeleteYES! I pray you heal completely really soon. I know you're so tired of being in that boot!
DeleteWell, I guess at least you now know for certain it's all the brace/teeth work causing your problems so there is a light at the end of the tunnel that eventually you will be done and it will be all gone! Today is one of those days where I feel so productive and you've just gotta love those days!
ReplyDeleteYes, I really do think that's the culprit. And YES, productive days are the best days!
DeleteI'm so glad your vertigo eased up a little so you could more fully enjoy the month!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Me too!
DeleteSuch a great list of gratitude and I am challenged to do this to find the good even in the hard things on the surface.
ReplyDeleteYes! That's exactly why I started doing these posts. I had such a rough end to last year and I was focusing on all of the bad, so I knew I needed to do something to put my focus on the good!
Delete