A Year of Gratitude – January 15, 2024

I believe that our gratitude should be found in both large and small quantities, for the grand gifts we have in our life like family and love, for the small treasures like a single bloom discovered in the garden. Both are worthy of gratitude. Neither are gifts that I want to take for granted.

Today, I found a bit of gratitude by showing gratitude to the gift I am most grateful for: my family. I count myself so lucky to be surrounded by the family that calls this farmhouse home. They love me on my good and not as good days. They support me, they cheer me on, and they take care of me and each other. I hope that I have returned those favors to them tenfold.

Today, I surprised them with a pan of brownies. The smell of warm chocolate filled the entire farmhouse and brought my children down the back staircase that leads into the kitchen to see what I was baking.

As we gathered around our table to share a warm, gooey brownie together, I told them how thankful I was for each of them. I told them how much I appreciated them and how incredibly fortunate I felt to spend my days with them.

It’s important to show our gratitude and to speak it into existence. I have learned not to assume that someone knows that I am grateful for them. It’s so easy to tell them and I always feel a warmth in my heart for having done so.

The brownies were delicious, but I enjoyed the moment of telling my family how much I love and appreciate them even more. Of course, the combination of the two was even better. I mean, they are very good brownies and gratitude seems to multiply when it is shared. I hope that you found your gratitude today.

In case you need a brownie to pair with your gratitude, these are my favorite:

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.