Thanksgiving gratitude + a new gratitude practice

27 November 2019

Every year around Thanksgiving, like so many other Americans, I reflect on the many things I have to be grateful for.

I’ve had a sporadic gratitude-journal or gratitude-email practice over the years and I know how beneficial it can be to take some time every day to reflect and feel grateful. Over the past year or so I’ve taken up hand-lettering so I decided this week to try to start a gratitude journal that I could use as a practice for my hand lettering. It doesn’t have to be perfect, by any means, but it will allow me to practice my skills and, of course, give me the benefit of expressing gratitude. I’m hopeful that my daily gratitude practice will stick because I know how beneficial it can be for me. I need to strategize about making it easy—perhaps I’ll link it to my bedtime routine.

In years past, I’ve posted some of Thanksgiving gratitude posts and I thought I’d do another this year. I’ve handwritten these items in my gratitude journal as well.

This year I’m grateful for:

My good health and that of my family
My close relationship with my 89-year-old father, even though we live a couple thousand miles apart
My wonderful clients
My wonderful team members
My great friends and colleagues in the organizing community
Yoga with Adriene
The bonding experience that the Whitman College Men’s Basketball season brings my family
Our delightful 70-pound poodle, Bix
I’m almost finished writing my fourth novel-in-a-month
My genealogy blog and the genealogy community surrounding it
The freedom I have in my life to spend my time in ways that fulfill me