I don't know about you, but flowers have a way of lifting my spirits and making me feel grateful. Having fresh flowers around can make me remember to smile and to be thankful for the day I'm in. Okay, so having flowers may make me feel grateful and happy, but they aren't the only thing you can do to grow in gratitude. What I'm thinking of doesn't require purchasing anything and only takes minutes a day to accomplish.
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Gratitude is the Key to Joy
And we all want to have a little more joy in our lives, don't we?
By cultivating a life of gratitude, we will be able to feel joy no matter what our circumstances are. As dark as things might seem, if we can dig deep and find something to be grateful for, our whole attitude can change.
According to an article in Psychology Today, "Scientists say that these techniques (focusing on gratitude) shift our thinking from negative outcomes to positive ones, elicit a surge of feel good hormones like dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, and build enduring personal connections."
Being grateful shouldn't be reserved for those times when it's easy to be grateful, either. We need to make sure that every day, good or bad, we take the time to show God that we are thankful for the things He has given us. Fostering this kind of attitude in ourselves and our kids will bring joy.
A Simple Way to Grow in Gratitude
If you're a beginner at this, I'd like to just pick one simple thing that you and your family can do each day that will help foster this attitude.
Each day, have everyone state one thing that they are grateful for.
That's it. Simple, right? It won't even take that long to do. At some point at the end of the day, when you're all together, go around and state what you're grateful for. You can do it:
- During your evening meal
- Before the family rosary
- As part of a bedtime routine
- In the car on the way home from the night's events
- Over a family chat if you are all in different locations
- Spontaneously whenever you're together
There are so many opportunities to share your thankfulness with each other and with God. I love when the kids add this on to their rosary intentions each night. Once in awhile, though, it gets me in trouble! If one child gets a special treat and then "forgets" and says they are thankful for it, the other kids have been known to be a bit miffed!
Whether you're alone or with the family, showing God you are thankful in the good times and in the bad times, will always help you grow in holiness.
Always be Thankful
I've noticed lately that many homeschooling mothers are having a hard time. Adding in schooling to all of the other things that need to be done is difficult. It is so easy to get bogged down in the negatives of homeschooling every day, isn't it? Sometimes we're so bogged down that our perspective is off and our attitude stinks.
By focusing each day on things we are thankful for in our homeschool, we can totally shift the mood of the day.
To that end, I'm excited to announce that I have a Gratitude Journal just for homeschooling moms to use during the school day. Each day you can highlight three things that you are thankful for, whether they're big or small. This will be a great way to track all of the good things that go on during your school year. It will also be a great thing for kids to look back on as they get older.
It's such an easy way to keep the habit of gratitude growing! I hope you'll consider adding this book to your homeschooling journey.
As we grow in gratitude, we grow in joy and in holiness! What are you grateful for today?