When we first moved from Florida, I was having a pretty rough time adjusting.  Now, don’t get me wrong – I was super excited to be near family and so grateful to see them more regularly.  But, come on – we moved from Florida to Wisconsin – in January!!!  (I’m going to give you a minute to let that soak in…)

Again, it was all God’s perfect timing, but my clock really wasn’t in sync with His at the time.  At times, it was a real struggle for me to adjust to all of the changes and to honestly accept what was happening in our lives – let alone be grateful for them.

From the outside, I’m sure it looked to everyone like we were all readjusting to life up north pretty well.  Brad was doing great in his new job, the kids really loved their new schools, and I was at home trying to help everything go on as seamlessly as possible.  But, while I think I was doing all right in my new role as Home Manager (thanks again, Spencer!), I really missed Florida.

Now, to my family and friends up here – this was nothing against you! There were just so many changes at once, and I was pretty overwhelmed.

Mind you, I didn’t share this with many people.  After all, we had just moved (back) across the country to be near family again.  I was pretty sure they wouldn’t want to hear that I really just wanted to be down in my old house in my old neighborhood, teaching at my old school with my good friend.  But, honestly, I thought about it a lot.  It was super hard to be grateful for what I had when I was living in the past…

Lord, with all my heart I thank you.  I will sing your praises before the armies of angels.                                         Psalms 138:1

So, I prayed.  I prayed a lot.  I read a lot in my bible and did quite a few devotionals.  But, nothing was routine, and I wasn’t consistent with any of it.  And then came Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day

Last Mother’s Day, I got a gift from my sister-in-law.  (I did get some great stuff from my kids, too!) But, this one was pretty much an answer to my prayers.

Lori is a teacher, and for one of the teacher in-services, Josie Robinson, came to speak.  She is the author of The Gratitude Jar: A Simple Guide to Creating Miracles. Lori was super impacted by what Josie had to say. She thought they would make perfect gifts, so she bought a few copies of her book at the in-service and ordered some Gratitude Jars – made by Josie herself!

Now, I wasn’t familiar with the book or anything about it, but I really liked the idea of finding ways to be grateful.  Plus, it had the word guide in the title.  It was perfect for me! But what got me the most was what Lori had placed in the jar before she gave it to me – her gratitude for me.

So, let me just say that I completely lost it when I read that little piece of paper.  She had no idea I had been struggling and having a hard time adjusting.  But those nine words were exactly what I needed at that time.

I read the book in under 24 hours, and the next night, put it into practice.  (I followed the guide…)

I’m Grateful for…

In The Gratitude Jar, Josie suggests writing down what you are grateful for over 30 days.  So, for the next month, I took some pens and little pieces of paper with me when I went to say goodnight to the kids.  We would talk about our day, and write down what we were grateful for.  Again, just like what we found during our Family Meetings, our kids never cease to amaze me!  While there were inevitably some nights Spence was grateful for beating some video game, there were others when his kind heart came through while writing about friends and family. And, then there’s Eliana.  She is definitely an old soul.  I will just continue to learn patience, love, and empathy through her as she shares her heart with me.

It was amazing what happened over that 30 days.  The kids seemed a lot happier, and I started to look at things a lot differently.  While there were definitely things I missed – and still miss – about Florida, there are so many things that I have here to be grateful for! It is amazing how what we focus on impacts our mood and our life!

I think back to my first post, A Faith-Filled Family.  I wrote about how you need to focus on the good in your spouse and children – but I missed a lot!  Of course, we need to find anything good in our family, but we need to try to find any possible thing good in what is around us as well!!!

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.                                        Philippians 4:8

The Centerpiece

The Gratitude Jar now sits as the centerpiece of our dining room table.  We have long since finished our 30 days, but I know we could always benefit from another round.  And, while I thought it had just been a decoration for a few months, apparently, I was wrong.

Last weekend we had friends over and all the kids were eating in the dining room.  I heard them open the jar, and one of the friends say, ‘Let’s read all the gratitudes.  I have one in there – I did it last time we were here!’

I love that.  I love that our kids have shared how they are grateful with their friends.  I love that we are more aware of all the things we have to be grateful for.  I love that it is so much easier for me to do as Paul instructed the church at Thessalonica…

No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Jesus Christ.      1 Thessalonians 5:18

Your Thoughts

Have you ever done something like The Gratitude Jar in your home?  How did it go? Did you see any changes around your house?  I would love read about your successes and challenges.  I can’t wait to hear from you!