2012 Gratitude Challenge- 30 Days of Thankfulness

November = 30 Days of Thankfulness being shared. Last year I was inspired by an Attitude of Gratitude Challenge put forth by Kendra at My Insanity for the month of November and while my blogging skills about it lapsed considerably- I enjoyed the focus it helped me put on being thankful and expressing it to others. So this year I’m going to once again do a daily tally of what I am thankful for in my life. Whether I can find another blog that’s hosting a similar challenge to join or if I go solo- you can bet I’ll be counting my blessings daily. I’ll even try and find the time to share them virtually- but no promises because life’s full of fun & crazies and needs to be enjoyed more than by just sitting in front of a computer screen.

I think my personal challenge this time is to do more than virtually write & verbally express what I’m thankful for. I’m going to strive to show others in a more personal way that they are blessings in my life.

 

Day 1: I'm thankful for the journey of my life- it has made me the person I am today. All the trials & tribulations, joys & sorrows have taught me so many lessons. And the greatest one is that you should always focus on the good things- for there is always something to be thankful for every day of your life.

Attitude of Gratitude- Weekend Edition

On the weekends whatever time I’m not working are devoted to spending with my family. I try not to spend much time on the computer- so no Facebook, no blogging & limited Pinterest.  ;o)   But that doesn’t mean I’m not committed to my Gratitude Challenges for this month, so here’s my belated blogged things I was grateful for this weekend. 

Day 4

Saturday I was thankful for my surroundings. I am blessed to live in this beautiful state of Michigan, in a wonderful community & now a great neighborhood. We got to enjoy a gorgeous Michigan fall day and see Mother Nature in her autumn glory. Hubs & I went for a walk in the neighborhood- letting Bell have a field day smelling the scents & playing in the leaf piles in the road. While my little salesman Tank, with his little brother as his helper, went door-to-door (within our sight) in our new neighborhood selling candy bars to earn money to go to the Michigan Youth State Bowling Tournament. Thanks to the gracious & wonderful new neighbors we have now he sold almost an entire box & was one very happy camper!

Day 5

Yesterday the thing I felt most grateful for was my awesome husband. I worked a long 10 hour shift on little sleep (my own fault) and there’s no way I could of made it through the day without his help. He brought me food to work (including a Frosty!), took care of the kids all day by himself- including taking them to do their make-up games for their bowling league, cleaned the house and cooked dinner. He even had my plate ready when I got home! I got to sit down right away and eat, then just relax & enjoy his company for what was left of the evening.            

Attitude of Gratitude Challenge- Day 3

Today I am feeling extremely grateful for having such awesome friends & family. I put out a last minute plea on Facebook asking for people to support my youngest Cub Scout & his pack by ordering popcorn. I was feeling bad for my little man- he only had 6 orders and we have to turn it in tomorrow morning- usually we fill his entire sheet & then some. I kind of felt bad asking like that on FB, especially when it seems like every time you turn around now-a-days there’s a kid asking you to buy this or that from a fundraiser. But this is truly one of the few fundraisers I’ve pushed every year since I know it’s the pack’s main source of funds that pay for the Cub Scout’s activities and if we’re lucky (which we have been the last few years) pays for the complete cost of all the boys to go to the Cub Scout Camp in the summer.

 

So- I swallowed my pride & the thought of how impersonal it seemed to ask in such a way and blatantly put it out there thinking maybe I’d get one or two more orders for my lil’ man and hoping that I wouldn’t annoy my FB friends too much by asking. And the response from my friends & family has humbled me. I’ve been able to add 4 more orders to his sheet- that’s helped us reach almost half a page! I know to many that might not seem to be much. But to me it means a lot. It’s not something they had to do- they could easily ignore a FB posting. But because they could help, they did out of the niceness in their hearts. That’s 4 more people willing to help me out, help Dante out, help out a wonderful group of men & women who are trying to help young boys become great men. That’s 4 people who are volunteering to spend their hard-earned money on popcorn, even in this tough economic times, because they care.

Dante & His Cub Scout Leader

I tell you- it’s little things like this that make my day. :o)   I’m so grateful to all of you- those that ordered & those that couldn’t. You all are great people & I’m glad to have you in my life!

Attitude of Gratitude Challenge- Day 2

I am thankful for this sweet little boy who every school morning by climbs in bed and cuddles  with me. It’s the absolute best way to wake up!

Attitude of Gratitude Challenge- Day 1

I am Thankful for a sweet & understanding husband that listens to me rant and supports me in whatever I want to do. :o)

My insanity: Attitude of Gratitude Challenge

Another kind of Gratitude Challenge- this time from Kendra at My Insanity. This doesn’t require but a moment of your time. Take a moment and reflect on something that you are thankful for- be it something that happened to you during your day, someone in your life, or something you are grateful to have (like a roof over your head, food on your table or a job.) Then share it with your family, friends, followers, the world via one (or more) of the social tools you frequent. If you’re not on Facebook or twitter and don’t own a blog- then email it to a friend. Help us create a wave of gratitude starting with one little ripple.

Here is the challenge: Once a day think about an publish one thing you are grateful for! You can tweet, FB, respond to her FB, blog it, whatever!  Read more about it here:  Attitude of Gratitude Challenge

I’ll be posting this challenge on my Facebook page as well to encourage one and all to stop thinking about what they don’t have and start cherishing what they do. I hope you decide to join me!

Being a little more Grateful

I’m going to ignore the fact that it’s been 7 months since I last blogged and just continue on in the haphazard way that is me.  :o)  Ok? Ok!

What prompted this writing is a blog post from My Creative Stirrings- she posted a Gratitude Challenge and I think it’s just what I need to try and do in my already-crazy-busy life. ;o)  Actually- it really is. I’m really good at thanking everyone for the little day-to-day things they do for me. But I’m really bad about thanking the people I love for the larger things they do- like putting up with my non existent emails, phone calls & visits. I rarely remember to take the time to relax with my besties & family b/c I get so absorbed in my own life events. And it’s one of the biggest regrets I have, but I can’t seem to find a way around it. It’s on my “must work on to become a better person” list.  :o)

Anyways- I’m somehow going to try and fit a special thank you into each and every day of this month. If I can squeeze the time out to blog about it I will- but I’ve learned that I shouldn’t make promises about that b/c in my life there’s no guarantees.  :o)

I hope if anyone’s reading this that you make an effort to be a little more thankful for the people around you and good things you have- even if it’s only a couple times this month.