November is for Gratitude 🍂

November. You have come so soon this year. And yet it feels like I wait all year long for you. November is my favorite month of the year because I can officially kick off the holiday celebrations with decorations and holiday candles and the Tran-Siberian Orchestra Christmas album. It’s also that time of year where gratitude is always knocking on my shoulder, reminding me of all the things I have to be grateful for.

I am a Pinterest girl at heart. I get such a thrill from creating projects each November that center around gratitude. When I was in college I created a huge poster board with little pockets for each day of the month. I hung this up in my dorm for girls to write little things down on sheets of paper and drop it in the day of the month. It was so fun to stop by and read what people were grateful for and to constantly be reminded to ask myself the same question. Last year my family all came together in Chicago for Thanksgiving. At the beginning of the month I sent little moleskin journals to everyone in my family so we could write down fond memories, or capture a moment from that day or a person in their life they loved and were thankful for. On thanksgiving evening we went to this beautiful hotel for a pre-set thanksgiving dinner (sometimes that is the way to go...no dishes, no fuss, just family). We all brought our journals and after we ate, we went around the table and shared our entries with each other. There is nothing I love more than moments like this.

So this year rolled around, and I did not have a project yet and it was already three days into the month! The devotional I’m going through is different passages in the bible centered around gratitude. The first days reflection was on how gratitude is the core of man’s relationship with God and how fitting and right it was for humans to be grateful. I spent some time journaling that morning about the ways that God has shown me grace and mercy over the years. How he’s led me to where I am now in my life. How he’s blessed me with such a transformative education. How he gave me women who didn’t settle for just seeing who I was on the outside, but constantly challenge me to share my heart—the good and the ugly. How he led me to my wonderful husband who has taught me so much about forgiveness and unconditional love. My list of things I was grateful for went on and on and I started to see a trend. Most of the things I was grateful for centered around people. My friends, my parents, students I work with, people in my office, mentors. And then a thought popped into my head. I am so deeply grateful for these humans…but do they know that? Have I told them recently how much they mean to me? How they have kept me sane in this new season of motherhood? How I’ve been changed by a season where they were so intentional with me?

 Out of this reflection birthed my November Gratitude project!!! Each day this month I am writing a letter to one person to express my gratitude for who they are in my life, and to affirm and encourage them. So I’m on day 6 and let me tell you…it has not been as easy as I thought! Taking the time to sit down and write a thoughtful letter each day is a discipline (especially with a little 3 month old babe always babbling for your attention!) But as I get older I really love the art of discipline. I love the feeling I get when I finish a letter, and write the address on the front. My heart is overflowing with gratitude and excitement as I think about the person receiving my letter unexpectedly in the mail. I am so convinced that gratitude is the most proper and accurate stance of the human heart towards God and the life he’s given us. So today (and for the next 24 days) I choose you gratitude. 

Psalm 147:1 --Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.