THE GRATITUDE JAR!

​In January of 2016, I came across an idea for documenting a year’s worth of gratitude. I found a jar- actually, it was a flower vase that I perched smack in the center of my fireplace shelf with a sign that read, “Be Grateful.”

I purchased a notepad and every Sunday night I reviewed the week I had just completed and wrote down what I was grateful for that week. I then folded the weekly gratitude list and placed it in the jar.
My goal was to fill the jar and read them at the end of the year to remind myself of how gratitude filled every day, every week, and every month of my life. 

Sometimes it was simple things and sometimes splashy memorable experiences. I wrote notes of gratitude about lessons I learned. I wrote notes of gratitude about things I shared and taught to others.  I wrote notes of gratitude about people, places, and things I love.

A year goes quickly. As the weeks and months went by my jar filled higher and higher with gratitude in the shape of folded paper. The end of December arrived and as I dumped the jar out to read each grateful memory, I relived the tasty morsels of my year. 

Reading through my jar of gratitude I realize all my notes revolve around the three reasons I believe we are here in this life….to learn, to teach, and to love.  I rarely wrote notes about material things. It was learning, teaching, and loving that I was the most grateful for. 

Now, as I am looking forward to the completion of my 5th year of a filled gratitude jar, the simple concept has become a tradition. In the bottom of the jar, under the mounting pile of folded papers, are rubber-banded bundles of gratitude notes from the years past. My husband has joined in, writing his gratitude notes every week. We created a new ritual of dumping out the jar on New Year’s Eve and reading through our abundance of gratitude from the year we just completed.

As I look to the bright and shiny new year ahead of me, as always, I want to exercise, eat better, and improve my health. I will also hold a special ‘word’ for the year as my theme for the next 12 months, which I have done for many years. (More on this soon.)
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What I won’t do is set myself up for broken resolutions that revolve around things, money, or unreasonable expectations. My plan for the year ahead is simple… to learn more, to teach more, and to love more. I plan to once again critique my weeks – not by mistakes or regrets, but by moments of gratitude. With this plan I know my life will be full, my heart will be bursting, and my gratitude jar will once again be overflowing by the end of 2021.
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Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Be grateful for your ability to learn more, teach more, and love more.  That is why we are here.” 
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YOUR TURN...        
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                                                Thank you!  ​
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