Connie's Cup of Joy: The "Thankful" Mom

Book of Gratitude!

My awesome cousin, Jenny, years ago gave me a blank journal as a gift. I still have it! I labeled the first page, "Book of Gratitude!" and had the idea from reading and hearing a segment by Oprah (whether you are a fan or not, keep reading!) and this segment talked about how journaling each day of what we are thankful for can impact your entire life. Well, this impacted me enough to start journaling myself. As I look back at what I was thankful for at that time, it brings back a ton of great memories, happy memories that I would've never remembered if it were not for this journal. Simple thoughts were written and great memories came up:

1. Laughed at lunch with friend Carolyn!

2. Walked to class and caught up with Monica!

3. Russ stopped over, we were all so glad to see him!

4. Mike invited us all out tonight!

5. Mom and Dad called, they rock!

Since then, I have a ton of journals that followed the years after. In fact, each time my mom, sister or family member gives me a new journal, I can't wait to start digging in and writing the minute I receive it. I love their motivating messages in each one they so graciously give me!

As moms, taking a little bit of each day and putting it in writing will be memories written of our children that will last a life time! Take this month, purchase a fun colorful journal, and start a Book of Gratitude, even if its only a sentence a day. Even take it a step further, have your kids write down what they are thankful for each day as well! WOW! What an impact this will make on the entire family!

Keep it simple:
1. Buy a Journal (or use a simple spiral notebook they can color!)
2. Write the date.
3. A sentence a day of what you are thankful for!
4. Have your children join in on the writing fun!
5. Make it a tradition each year at Thanksgiving Dinner to read the journals from the past years to see how fortunate we all are!

Other "thankful ideas!"
Make it social on Facebook: Start 30 Days of Thanksgiving, posting each day what you are or who you are thankful for for the month of November! See how far it can go with others duplicating it, being thankful each day!

Take a bulletin board to have the kids write on a post it each day what they love about each other and pin it on the board! (You'll be surprise at the reactions when they read these compliments from one another!) Or take a string, hang it up and clothespin each thankful note stringing it up across the hall or room!

Use an old large picture frame and grid wire on it, (making large squares), lean it up on a desk or hang it up. Take mini clothespins for the kids to pin all their notes of thankfulness!

This excerpt below was taken from the To Do Institute of Wellness,

Cultivating Gratitude: http://www.todoinstitute.org/gratitude.html

I once traveled with a friend who had great insight into human nature. He said, “Wherever you go you can find something to complain about.” If we travel, we can complain about lumpy beds and crowded airports. But if we stay home, we can complain that we never go anywhere interesting and there’s never anything good on television. In Japanese language there is a term -- on. The meaning of on often includes a sense of gratitude combined with a desire to repay others for what we have been given. It’s not just that we feel grateful, or that we express our gratitude, but that we actually experience a sincere desire to give something back. We might think of it as appreciation that stimulates a sense of obligation. Not an externally imposed obligation. But a sense of obligation that arises naturally within us as we recognize how we have been supported and cared for by others.