The Practice of Gratitude

In 1997, my mother hosted Thanksgiving for a group of her friends and me. Normally, the holiday mainly consisted of just the two us, so Mom relished the opportunity to go all-out and create a festive environment.

Along side all of our plates was the book Simple Abundance--an oldie but a goodie--a book that really spoke to Mom's heart.

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My mother was a huge proponent of keeping a gratitude journal. In times of strife, trouble, or sadness, she took great comfort in reminding herself of all that she had to be grateful for.

My gratitude plate is bountiful, and these are some of the things for which I am grateful: both meaningful and superfluous:

• my Beloved
• my BFF
• Duchess Elizabeth and how she gets all crazy with her toy, Squeaker
• my nieces and nephews!
• being "Auntie Meme!"
• doggie daycare
• my job/colleagues
• my friends
• the new people who have come into my life
• Instagram (silly, I know! But I just figured out how to download it to my Android phone.)
• my Kindle because my mom gave it to me
• Amazon two-day shipping--again a small thing, but I just ordered supplies to make candles, and I can't wait for them to get here!
• my health
• any manner of cosmetics, clothing, or shiny baubles in my possession--lipstick cheers me up!
• the luxury of having these things and the opportunity to be frivolous
• Christmas: it's my favorite holiday
• my education
• my life: as it has been and how it will continue to be.

 What are you grateful for?

FITD love!

xoxo,

Bran