Remembering gratitude

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." ~Cynthia Ozick, writer

One of my goals this year is to be more grateful, so a few days ago the kids and I started a Gratitude Jar, an idea I first read about on my friend Fran's blog, Broken Cookies Don't Count. All that's needed is a jar—in our case, it's a clear plastic cookie jar with a frog on it—and slips of paper to write on. The idea is that each day family members will write down the things they're thankful for and then place those papers in the jar. Then on New Year's Eve, we'll empty the jar and read about all the good times and blessings we've enjoyed throughout the year.

To me, this jar is the perfect way to practice gratitude—and not just for the kids but for me as well.  Too often, I think, it's the bad or less happy parts of the day that stick in our minds: the fight we had with our spouse, the speeding ticket, the time we tripped and fell in front of a bunch of people we were trying to impress (ask me how I know this!). The memories of the small—and sometimes not so small—good things that happen each day are too often fleeting, at least in my experience. This jar will help us remember those moments.

And it will remind us just how much we've been blessed.

Wishing you all a Happy Monday!