A Year of Gratitude - October 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.

October was a great month!  We were able to travel to Chicago where we had the best trip, we spent lots of time doing festive things, hanging out with friends, and celebrating Halloween, and there was much for which to be grateful.

In October I was grateful for…

 

1. A fun conversation with an old friend.
2. That the kids got to see Jacob’s old music teacher today and chat with him for a few minutes at a stoplight.  They were both SO excited, and that always makes me happy.  <3
3. Our kids’ wonderful music teachers, especially Olivia’s guitar teacher today.  Olivia got frustrated during her lesson for the first time ever because she was struggling to learn something new and challenging, but Mr. Steve knew exactly what to do and how to help her, and her mood turned right around.  A great teacher is such a gift.
4. The best night with friends at Pumpkins at Callaway!  We had PERFECT weather, got to enjoy a gorgeous sunset, and we had so much fun.  I sure do love this group so very much!  What a blessing to have them in our lives.
5. A safe trip to Athens and back, a fun time tailgating with friends before the game, and a Georgia win over Auburn.
6. That my headache and dizziness subsided a little bit today after struggling a lot with both during the game yesterday.
7. Electricity, food, water, gas, air conditioning, and so many other things that many people are without after Hurricane Milton.
8. My therapist.  She has a gift, and I’m so grateful to have found her all those years ago.
9. A great first day in Chicago and being able to see the Home Alone House!  BUCKET LIST CHECK!
10. A cool, crisp, fall-leaf-filled, sunny walk along Michigan Avenue with Starbucks in my hand with my favorite people.  We love Chicago!
11. Being able to meet my longtime blog friend, Emily, in person for the first time!  We had the best day together and it was everything my heart had been hoping for all these years!
12. A safe flight and drive home after an amazing trip making memories we’ll all hold for a lifetime.
13. Home sweet home.  It’s always so fun to travel, but man, I sure do love coming home!
14. That Jacob’s teeth extractions went well and that he had very little pain afterward.
15. Our angel baby in heaven and my two healthy babies here on earth on this Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.
16. That I finally had the opportunity to watch Jacob play golf in his city tournament.
17. School Mass with my girl… I never tire of hearing those sweet little voices singing church hymns.
18. A lowkey weekend ahead.
19. That Jacob is flourishing socially in middle school and that he has found his people.  He is on the go with friends constantly these days and as much as I miss having him at home, I sure do love that he is enjoying getting out and about with friends so often.  Also, for a Georgia win over Texas even though everyone was out to get us during that game.  Sheesh.
20. The kids’ excitement for seeing each other after spending time away from one another.  They are truly the best of friends, and they genuinely miss each other when they’re apart.
21. The right to vote!  I will never take for granted all of the women who came before me to pave the way for this privilege. 
22. A caring, compassionate ENT doctor who isn’t giving up on me even though nobody can figure out exactly what’s wrong, for one-on-one time with my girl, and for Chick-Fil-A banana milkshakes.
23. Being able to celebrate Jacob’s first place win in a city-wide art contest and being able to spend some time with my old high school art teacher.
24. A conversation with my old friend/boss from waaaayyyy back.  I hadn’t seen him in a long time, and it was nice to catch up in person rather than on Facebook.
25. An amazing concert experience from Abe Parker and Judah & the Lion + being able to MEET ABE PARKER.  He was kind and gracious and humble and it just makes me even more happy that I found him and his music.
26. Music because music = healing.
27. All of the happy Taylor Swift content on Threads and twinning with my girl in our Taylor Swift shirts.
28. Ibuprofen and prescription medication that I’m taking for my vertigo… the neck tension and dizziness have both been awful lately.
29. Target frosted sugar cookies… my gosh, they are delicious.
30. To be ahead by three days on blog work.
31. The best time trunk-or-treating with the kids at school, beautiful weather for Halloween, and all of our wonderful Halloween night traditions + the best family and friends with which to share them.

 

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my month! 

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