A Year of Gratitude - November 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.

November had its ups and downs, heavy on the downs… we were able to spend a lot of time with friends and family and we did lots of fun, festive things to kick off the holiday season, but there was a cloud hanging over me all month as my debilitating tension and dizziness was back in full-force… worse than it has been in months.  The outcome of the election also put a huge damper on the month for me personally, and although I’ve accepted the outcome, it took me a long time to shake the sadness.  We also had some sickness in the family (as to be expected this time of year), but our Thanksgiving attendance for my family was meager.  As always, though, I tried to look for the good amidst the bad, because there’s always good if you choose to find it.

In November I was grateful for…

 

1. A beautiful school Mass with Olivia, my Momma, Mama Cass, and my Aunt Joy.
2. A yard full of fall leaves.  Such a beautiful sight!
3. An extra hour in the day!  Contrary to what most people think about the time change, I actually love when Daylight Saving Time ends in the fall… we get an extra hour in the day, it feels like we’re sleeping in (until our bodies eventually adjust), we don’t have to drive to school in the dark anymore, and it’s extra cozy in the evening with the darkness and all of our Christmas lights.
4. Surprising relief from my jaw tension after my braces adjustment (although it got really bad again the next day).
5. Kindness from a complete stranger (the sister of a singer who I love very much) for taking the time out of her day to contact me about my vertigo and dizziness since she has struggled with the same thing.  She gave me a new potential diagnosis to research, gave me suggestions for books to read, and gave me lots of advice.  Thank you, God, for putting her in my life.  I truly believe God had His hand in this one.
6. That the kids got to have a long conversation at the red light today with Jacob’s old piano teacher.  We see him most days now on our commute, but it’s usually in passing.  Today, he was parked right next to us at a very long red light, so they got to chat, and seeing their joy always makes me grateful.  And also, for worship music – the balm for my soul after the sad election results.
7. An Instagram DM from an old friend I hadn’t heard from in a while.  It was good to catch up!
8. A poker night with friends who are like family, the best conversations, and a safe space for me to discuss the yucky week I’d had.
9. That Maui is eating her new food so well… she needs to gain weight, and I’m praying this is our solution!  Also, for Threads for being such a bright light in the midst of darkness.  Their algorithm is *chef’s kiss* and I hope it never changes.
10. The glow of the Christmas tree in the living room and a trip down memory lane as we decorated it tonight.  It makes me so happy.
11. All of our Veterans who have fought for our country throughout the years.  And for Brandon Lake’s new song Hard Fought Hallelujah.  I can’t get enough.  It’s perfect for this difficult season of dizziness, tension, and instability.
12. My microwaveable heating pad for my neck, Ibuprofen, and the few hours this week that I haven’t had debilitating dizziness.  This week truly sucked. 
13. My therapist called and moved my appointment up because she had something come up… it worked out perfectly since I was so ready to see her after the week I’d had.
14. Olivia’s music teacher had learned Hard Fought Hallelujah on the guitar to play for me during her lesson because he knew I loved it so much.  And Jacob learned Way Maker on the piano tonight, and he played it for us.  Music truly is everything, and hearing my baby create it makes it a thousand times more special.
15. A really fun night chaperoning the middle school dance and being the DJ request line for the night.  The kids were so much fun, they were all super sweet, and I had fun catching up with the DJ who is one of my old friends… he even let me play with the DJ board a little.  My dizziness also miraculously disappeared and stayed gone all night, which was a blessing since I was worried it was going to be worse being around 150 middle schoolers + loud music all night.  That night was just what I needed after a crappy couple of weeks.
16. A super fun tailgate with family and friends, gorgeous weather, an electric atmosphere in Sanford stadium, surprise fireworks in the stadium, super fun stadium seat neighbors who we love so much, making the best memories with our little family, and a MASSIVE Georgia win!
17. Brian, for unclogging the shower drain since my long hair wreaks havoc on all drains.  Haha.
18. An amazing appointment with my therapist… she always knows just what to say and she always, always makes me feel seen, heard, and validated.  I know that’s her job, but she is so genuine and she makes me feel connected, and that’s what I crave the most the older I get.
19. A productive day FINALLY getting ahead on the blog.
20. Disco ball throw pillows and being 11 days ahead on the blog.
21. The best school principals for taking such good care of Jacob while he had a massive nosebleed until I could get there to pick him up.
22. Nine straight days of fun, relaxation, and sleeping in ahead!
23. Clean sheets.  There’s nothing like getting into bed with freshly laundered sheets.
24. That my scratchy throat didn’t turn into full-blown sickness as I thought it was going to.  And for Vital Proteins Collagen for my crazy amounts of hair growth… this stuff has been nothing short of miraculous for my hair and nails.
25. Wicked – we saw it today and it was phenomenal.
26. That Olivia’s teeth extractions went well today and she recovered very quickly.
27. The most fun day with Brian, the kids, and Olivia’s friend – hanging out at our new local bookshop, finally being able to attend a story time with Grammy Trish (my friends’ mom), and a festive night at Fantasy in Lights + a cozy dinner at IHOP with my parents, brothers, my SIL, and my niece and nephew.
28. A cozy morning watching The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, a yummy breakfast, doggie snuggles, an invigorating run, and an evening with my extended family for Thanksgiving, although about 70% of the family was not there, including my mom.
29. Getting my hands on 2/3 of the Taylor Swift merch items at 6 AM, and for a kind friend who went out of her way to get her daughter to pick up the missing merch from her Target since I wasn’t able to get it here.  Also, for a fun afternoon at my father-in-law’s celebrating Thanksgiving and for a nail-biting, heart-attack inducing Georgia win after EIGHT OVERTIMES.
30. That our kids still love the magic of our elf and the North Pole Breakfast (even though I’m certain Jacob no longer believes) and for a delicious Thanksgiving lunch and time with Brian’s family including his step-sister and her family who we rarely get to see.

 

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my month! 

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