Happy New Year! I’ve now completed my fourth year of doing a daily gratitude challenge, sharing a photo of one thing I am thankful for each day on Instagram. What started as joining in and being inspired by a friend who posted a daily gratitude post has now become part of my everyday life. It’s helped me through some of the darkest times and I am grateful to the friend who inspired me to start doing it, and to all my friends who have since joined in along the way. A few of my friends started a year ago and managed to complete the year which made me very happy.
Four years of daily gratitude posts is almost 1500 grateful moments (1461 to be precise). They’ve not always been easy to find, especially since my eldest daughter Jessica died. Some days, I struggle to find my grateful moment; some days I just feel broken and bruised. But even when it has been hard to do, I have still managed to find something. Even if it is something small, and silly, and trivial.
My eldest daughter Jessica was an inspiration to me throughout her short life. She had so much strength and such a wonderful zest for life. Her godmother described her once as a “joy carrier” and it was the perfect description for her. She was a little ray of sunshine, full of smiles and gave joy to all who knew her. I am, and will always be, grateful to be her mummy. She taught me to enjoy the little moments and to make the most of everyday because tomorrow is never promised.
And so, at the start of a new year, and a new decade, I will continue to find those little moments of gratitude and embark upon my fifth year of the daily gratitude challenge. This year being a leap year, I’ll be doing #366daysofgratitude rather than #365daysofgratitude. Let me know if you’ll be joining in!
In the meantime though, here are my grateful moments for the last week of 2019:
Day 356 – I am grateful that Sophie enjoys singing. Was so lovely to hear her sing the first verse of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ as a solo in church this morning.
Day 357 – I am grateful that Thomas enjoyed seeing the animals on the feed run this morning.
Day 358 – I am grateful for National Trust membership.
Day 359 – I am grateful for getting outside and enjoying some outdoor fun in the middle of our Christmas Day and the little robin that hopped over to say hello – I am sure it was Jessica reminding us that she is still here and wishing us a Merry Christmas too. It’s been an emotional day so far but moments like this help carry me through.
Day 360 – I am grateful that our food scraps aren’t going to waste!
Day 361 – I am grateful for a lovely stay at Coombe Mill. Christmas is a tough time of year for us but going away and seeing the children making friends and having fun feeding the animals each morning made it a little easier.
Day 362 – I am grateful for Auntie Fizz and Uncle Tony keeping Thomas entertained.
Day 363 – I am grateful that the children had fun at the park with Auntie Loraynne.
Day 364 – I am grateful that Christmas has been nicely spread out with being away and visiting family and that today we were able to enjoy opening the last of the presents at home. Thank you to everyone for our lovely gifts.
Day 365 – I am grateful for four years of this gratitude project and for everyone who has helped inspire and encourage me and those who have joined in along the way. It’s helped me to find little slivers of light on the darkest days, and has reminded me that there is always something positive to find, even when it is hard to do; even if it is something very small and mundane. It’s not about trying to pretend that life is rosy because life can be incredibly hard and full of heartbreak. But it is about holding on to hope and finding light in the darkness. Thank you to everyone who has followed my gratitude project and joined in along the way. I’ll be continuing into 2020 with #366daysofgratitude. Let me know if you’ll be joining in too!
It is so inspiring how you find something to be grateful for each day. I have a little diary and I have started writing a list of what I am grateful for each day. We’re only two days into the year but I hope to continue for the rest of the year.
Lovely photos! How wonderful to visit Coombe Mill. It looks such a special place.
Happy new year! Wishing you all the best for 2020 x
Thank you Kim, Happy New Year to you too. I love doing the gratitude project – it’s really helped me through some of the more difficult days and now that I’ve been doing it so long, it’s become part of my normal routine x