Thursday
Oct112012
Favourite Thing of the Day: Laura's Gratitude Journal Cover
Thursday, October 11, 2012 
My absolutely favourite thing right now is Cheri's pre-teen daughter Laura's journal cover, which Laura sent to me to show me the new gratitude journal she's started.
When the world says "give up",
hope whispers "try it one more time".
I started Grace in Small Things back in October 2008, a social network based on gratitude journalling, and it has turned out to be an incredible gift to my life. At the time, my cup had been less than half full to nearly empty for 35 years, and I was running out of the wherewithal to keep going the way I was.
I had always resisted the idea of starting a gratitude journal, because I lumped that kind of thing in with goopy, saccharine crap peddled in the growing self-help movement of the 80s and 90s. I can now, without a doubt, say that I was wrong, because my life is nothing like what it was four years ago. I've gone from an unemployed alcoholic who hates almost everything but kittens to a self-employed teetotaller who genuinely likes this being alive gig.
Laura's journal cover makes me grin every time I look at it, and I hope she keeps it up, because if gratitude keeps her heart open the way it has mine, her life will be incredible.
What's got you smiling today?
categorized in general and tagged in GiST, grace in small things, gratitude, journaling, journals
general and tagged in GiST, grace in small things, gratitude, journaling, journals 
Reader Comments (11)
The more you look for things to be grateful for in your life, the easier it is to find them. At least, that's what the practice has taught me.
You make me smile. Actually...most of my internet people make me smile.
following thru on an exercise commitment 2 days in a row, i love self discipline when it comes around for a visit, and i would like it to take up a little more permanent residency
Love that quote. Love it love it love. And try to live it. Also love this site, and knowing it's here, even though I do not get to drop by as often as I used to. (Glad to have a job again, but oh, how it limits one's free time.) Thank you!
Listening to music with my 13 year old on the way home from school.
My husband. Just when I'm so ticked off that life is unfair, he goes and does something goofy or sweet just to make me smile.
Thanks for the reminder to remember what makes this life good.
I'm a complete crabby pants today (and apparently for approximately 7 days out of the month) but this morning my friend Lisa called and made me laugh out loud by being ridiculous. I'm grateful for that moment.
That my son just texted me asking if he could stay at Ethan's house until 5:30, and I said okay but who's Ethan, actually never mind, as long as he's not an axe murderer who smokes I don't really care, and my son laughed instead of calling me lame.
This made me think of a quote a freind of mine posted on FB not too long ago:
"Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I'll try again tomorrow.' "
... to which I had to link http://despair.com/madness.html ....
You got me smiling today.
Today? My daughter has the day off and wants to come over to where I work and have lunch with me. The fact that my grown children want to spend time with me makes me incredibly happy.
Today my tiny daughter spent all day happily with the babysitter, and when we got home she recognized our front door and let loose a gigantic, silent, tongue-extruding laugh.