January 3, 2022 – Monday
Joy in Gratitude
I’m happy because I am thankful;
not thankful because I’m happy.
Joy is a byproduct of gratitude. We become increasingly joyful as we become increasingly thankful. To focus on joy we must focus on gratitude. The children and I have gratitude journals. Much to my chagrin, I have become lax at mine. As they grew more independent over the past year, they would sit down (in the dark red parlor room) to do their journals as part of their morning independent work. This would give me time to clean up the breakfast dishes or get dressed for the day. But I miss sitting and focusing on gratitude together. Those were precious moments I long to regain.
What we focus on we magnify. Who wouldn’t benefit from gratitude magnified? As we begin this New Year, I am making a commitment to dust off my gratitude journal and magnify thanksgiving alongside my children.
Another really fun way to journal gratitude is daily beauty walks. I have done this in years past, though it is not my current practice. The kids and I would head out into nature and search for something beautiful. We would then capture it in a photo and share it on social media. Even in the dead of winter – we would find the most extraordinary beauty.
Whatever the ailment – nature is the remedy.
