A Year of Gratitude – November 3, 2024

Good morning!

I found my gratitude at sunrise this morning. The farmhouse was quiet and cozy thanks to the pellet stove. Penny Lane and I snuggled under the blankets a little longer than usual before setting out on a brisk sunrise walk.

We crunched a lot of leaves underfoot and listened as the songbirds began their morning. I was grateful for the feeling as if we were the only beings yet awake, that we were enjoying this moment all to ourselves.

The day is young, but we made the very most of the extra hour we were given. I’m not a morning person, but I certainly did enjoy this early morning moment with Penny and the nature around me.

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On the first day of this year, I decided to begin each morning with a goal to find something in my day to be grateful for. It was a powerful and uplifting way to start the day. Since then, I have been sharing that daily gratitude with you every day right here and on our blog.

Sharing my gratitude with you every day this year has helped me to find reasons for thankfulness throughout my days. I see things that I might have overlooked before. Seeking gratitude has, ironically, given me something else to be grateful for.

I have learned from this practice that gratitude deepens when you share it out loud, when you tell someone about it. There’s something about the act of saying it, writing it, or posting it that seems to make it more real, to give it breath and life.

That shared gratitude multiplies in the loveliest way when others receive it with an open heart and share theirs in return. I have been so touched by your lovely comments on my posts. I have loved reading about your reasons to be filled with gratitude.

I’ve had plenty of reasons for gratitude lately. They’ve been easy to find. Some days, I have to look harder, I need to clear out the cobwebs to find something that has been hiding in plain sight, something ordinary and easy to overlook.

I’d love to know what you’ve been grateful for lately. I hope that the act of sharing it here will multiply and deepen the warmth and fullness of your gratitude just as it has mine. Share a photo of something you’re working on, something beautiful you discovered in your day, a photo of your pet, something blooming in your garden, or something delicious you enjoyed.

If you are struggling through a period of time where you just can’t muster up the strength to find your gratitude, that’s okay too. I have been there. I know the depth of that despair, the feeling that there is nothing to be grateful for. Just as it is okay not to be okay, it is alright to not be moved to gratitude, to just need a moment to gather yourself, collect your feelings, and find a way forward.

Know that I am grateful that you saw this post today, on the day that you needed it most and that I am grateful for you, for the simple fact that you are here. You are all the reason I need to find gratitude for this day.

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.