Two years ago, I posted a Gratitude challenge on the blog and decided that this year, I would share it again. I’ve updated some of the post but wanted to keep most of the original content in tact. But before we get started with those post, today I wanted to talk a little bit more about why I am such a big believe in gratitude.
When it comes to gratitude, all the quote and what everyone says is true. Once you have an attitude of gratitude, everything really does get better.
I’ve always journaled and have kept gratitude journals over the years but when my Mom was diagnosed with early onset dementia that quickly transitioned to alzheimer’s, it was a season of my life that was hard and heartbreaking. It would be no surprise to anyone if the last thing I wanted to do is a daily gratitude journal, but that’s what I did. Every single day I’d write down a list of things I was grateful for. Some days, I’d only write one thing. Other days I’d write 5 things. But what I discovered in doing this is something that I’ve carried with me to this day. That even in our hardest most difficult days there is good and it’s in those hard days when we need to see it the most. It’s what keeps us going.
I often look back on the pages of my gratitude journal from that time and I’m shocked that I kept it going. With time my list grew to more than 10 things and while I lost my Mom, there is so much from that season I am grateful for. It doesn’t make losing her any easier, it just shown me that even when life is hard good is still all around me.
