Gratitude Journal

Sometimes life just feels so hard and the happy moments seem rare.  As we head towards the end of January, it feels right to focus on abundance and blessings and gratitude

 

I've been keeping a gratitude journal for several years, but my entries are sporadic.  Writing a list of things I'm grateful for every day doesn't work for me, it becomes just another job on my endless to do list. 

 

I've made a small Gratitude Journal as a way of focusing on a year of gratitude during 2014.   Here is my list for January...

 

 

So. Here. Now. I Celebrate...

 

* the love and support of my family and friends

 

* the joy of reading books

 

* the opportunity to travel, even it it's just down to Cape Town on a business trip

 

* always having something to look forward to, especially a mini holiday to the coast with my family, to play in the sand on the beach with my nieces

 

* my beloved cat, Ruby

 

* my healthy hands and strong body

 

* the priviledge of growing old - there are many people who don't have this priviledge, like my sister Rose-Marie who passed away in 2011 just after she turned 50

 

* the wild birds

 

* helpful technology, like my iPad and Kindle and GPS

 

* great coffee, especially first thing in the morning (Nescafe Alta Rica is my favourite instant coffee, and a good Nespresso is pure joy)

 

* ice cold bottled water on a scorching hot day in Africa

 

* long walks at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens

 

* the joy of a simple crochet hook and some wool

 

* the comfort and encouragement and challenge of being a born again Christian

 

* a hot bubble bath in the evenings before bed

 

* autumn and spring

 

* the soft warm fleece of winter sweatshirts

 

* a room full of art and scrapbooking supplies

 

* perfume (my favourite right now is an oldie - Giorgio)

 

* my camera

 

* shoes - especially Tsonga (handmade shoes from South Africa) and Green Cross shoes

 

* the many helpers and healers in my life - like my chiropractor Bridget who sorts out my sore back, my homeopath Jaci who uses natural remedies to keep me healthy, and Heather whose deep tissue massages ease the tension from my body

 

* my PVR machine to record all my favourite TV programs

 

 

What are you grateful for right now?