A Year of Gratitude - August 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 (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.

August was pretty good overall aside from the ridiculous heat, and we’re now entering my favorite four months of the entire year, so I’m feeling extra grateful as I type this.

In August I was grateful for…

 

1. That Momma and Daddy were willing to care for another kid (Olivia’s friend) on a whim since they were watching our kids for me during a doctor’s appointment and Olivia’s friend ended up having to stay longer than expected.  I was also grateful for a spontaneous get together with some friends and lots of girl time and conversation.
2. That we were able to turn lemons into lemonade today when the pool wasn’t open as expected.  We decided to take a trip to the aquatic center and the kids had the best time!
3. Brian, for spending the whole morning trimming hedges, pulling weeds, edging, and doing lots of other yard work to get our house looking in tip top shape for Daddy’s surprise birthday party that we hosted.
4. A sunset walk with Maui last night.  The weather was gorgeous.  The sky was beautiful.  And I got some one-on-one quiet time with my tiny old girl.
5. One last day of fun with the kids to end summer break.
6. Excellent first days of school for both kids!  They both raved all the way home about how amazing their days had been and that made my Momma heart so happy. 
7. The new friendships at school that are already forming for Olivia.  Two of her best friends moved away this year and her other friends are in the other class this year, so we were worried this could be a tough year for her.
8. For 70 years (and good health) for my Daddy!!!!  Happy birthday!  Oh, and also for my acupressure mat because it’s about the only thing that helps when I get these horrific tension headaches in my neck and head.
9. Pajamas at 4:30 PM, pizza, and Moscow mules after an exhausting day/week.  And for God’s grace since I have been grumpy, tired, dizzy, and in pain all day.
10. Momma, Aunt Joy, Uncle Greg, Uncle Billy, and Kaki for aaaallll the help setting up for Daddy’s surprise party today and for a successful surprise!  Oh, and for Ibuprofen, Tylenol, my acupressure mat, and beer… because I had to pull out all stops for a massive headache to go away.
11. For 80 years (and good health) for my father-in-law!  Happy birthday to him on this milestone birthday!
12. Big hugs from all of my Home and School Advisory Board ladies and our resource officer… it’s good to be back volunteering at the school after a couple of months off!
13. God and our guardian angels for watching out for us today when we were hit on the highway today while going 70 mph.  We escaped without a single injury and with very minimal damage to my vehicle.  Also, shoutout to the Kia Telluride for being a fortress that didn’t even so much as swerve outside the lane when we were hit.  And shoutout to my Daddy for teaching me the importance of driving defensively.  Things could have been soooo much worse today.
14. A fun conversation with my “car line buddy” (a fellow parent who is always in line right near me most days) to pass the time while I waited to pick up the kids from school.
15. Mr. Steve, who pours himself into teaching his students.  Olivia had her first guitar lesson with him today and he truly made it so.much.fun.  He is just great with her, and I think he is going to be such an inspiration to her as she takes on this new hobby.
16. A sweet text from Jeannine today in our girls chat first thing this morning.  It got my day started on such a positive note!
17. Sleeping in.  Amen.
18. My beautiful office.  It is such a haven for me and it’s my favorite room in the whole house.  It makes me feel so happy and cozy and all the things.
19. A long, thought-provoking conversation with our resource officer while I waited to pick up the kids in the car line.
20. Movie time with Momma and Aunt Joy… at the movie theater… in the recliners… with snacks.  Yes, ma’am.
21. Just being happy today.  Truly happy.  For no particular reason at all.
22. God’s love and peace during random disappointments. 
23. The most fun poker night with friends and laughing until we cried.
24. ESPN College GameDay and college football on my TV!!!!  AND FALL DECORATIONS!!!!
25. One-on-one time with my girl.
26. Feeling validated at my appointment with my therapist today.  She is so good at what she does, and I’m so grateful for every visit with her!
27. Time spent with Mama Cass at her house.  It is such a treasure to still have a grandparent around at the age of 42.
28. My Telluride since I have to spend so much time in it.  And also for the sounds of Jacob’s piano playing spilling through the house at various times of day.  He is so talented, and I love every second of hearing him play.
29. Time spent with my girls, delicious food, and good conversation at our girls dinner tonight.
30. Having a guitar displayed in our living room.  My whole adult life, I’ve wanted to have a guitar as part of our décor in the living room, but I could never justify buying a guitar since nobody in our house could play.  Well, now Olivia is playing, and we bought a stand for it, and it looks so beautiful standing there in the corner… it was the missing piece to our décor all of these years and I feel like our living room is finally complete!
31. The best day with Brian, Jacob, and Olivia at the Georgia vs. Clemson game.  Our kiddos are always up for an adventure, and we all thrive traveling and going to events like that.  We had such a fun time together!

 

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my month! 

Happy Monday, y’all!  What is something you’re grateful for today?