I know life is busy for everyone. I think maybe that’s one of satin’s tactics, to keep us all so busy, we don’t have time to reflect on the good things in our life. Gratitude makes us better people. It’s easy to be so focused on work and whatever is the next thing on our calendar, that we over look the small, simple good things in our lives. A gratitude journal is a way to record the small things that get over looked. I’ve had one for years now. I don’t write in it every day but I try to write in it often. When you have these things written down, you can go back and look over them and remember, “O yeah, I forgot about that” or ” Wow that was so special at that time” or “Yes, I am still thankful for that one”. I got the idea from a book I read by Sara Ban Breathnach, called Simple Abundance and again when I read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. They both recommended this type of activity. I highly recommend Voskamp’s book if you are trying to be more grateful about things in your life.
I am so glad I started my gratitude journal so I can look back on fond memories such as, ” I am so grateful that my grandson ran up and hugged me today when I got to his house.” and ” I am so grateful that my granddaughter called me today to thank me for her gift.” It reminds me not to take things for granted, like the entry that I wrote, “I am grateful for sunsets and green fields and flowers.” Or the one I wrote, “I am grateful for good music.” And even when there were hard times, I found something to be grateful for such as, ” I am grateful my son is out of the hospital and healing now.” or “I am grateful for my new job” and ” I am grateful that God helped me through my loss.”
Even if you just write that you are grateful for the roof over your head and the food in your refrigerator, it’s a good reminder not to forget that some people have it worse than you do. This helps you not to have self-pity. That doesn’t help anything get better. It doesn’t take long to write a sentence or two. Some day you might be really glad you have your gratitude journal to look back over. It will be a storehouse of good memories. Good memories that you are grateful for. It might lift your spirits when you are feeling down. It’s proven to be therapeutic to write down what you are grateful for.
In the bible Jesus taught us to be grateful. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach, admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. I know life is busy and hard, but try this for a week, then look back over what you wrote and see if it doesn’t help your attitude be a little better about your life.
