At the start of 2016, inspired by a friend, I started a daily gratitude challenge – posting one thing that I was thankful for each day on Instagram. I enjoyed it so much that when I reached the end of that year, I carried on and have kept going ever since. Finding one little thing to be thankful for each day has now become part of my daily routine and I’ve loved seeing friends joining in along the way too.
Finding something to be grateful for each day isn’t about trying to give the impression that life is perfect and wonderful. It isn’t. Those little moments of gratitude can be hard to find at times; particularly after my eldest daughter Jessica died in April 2018. 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.
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 even though having to live life without Jessica is by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do, I will continue to look for those little things to be thankful for, and keep going with this challenge in honour of my beautiful brave girl.
Here are my grateful moments from the first week and a bit of 2020:
Day 1 – I am grateful that, for once, I was organised with sorting out my calendar and it arrived in time for the start of the year instead of a few days into January which usually happens!
Day 2 – I am grateful for a lovely morning catching up with one of hubby’s friends from his school days.
Day 3 – I am grateful for little moments of magic on a walk. We spotted this big fairy door at the base of a tree trunk and Sophie had a little peep to see if we could spot any fairies inside
Day 4 – I am grateful for a lovely day out in London with hubby and Sophie. We visited Trafalgar Square, went to see The Nutcracker (thank you Grandma for the tickets!) and finished off with a trip to Hamleys.
Day 5 – I am grateful that Sophie had fun doing some ice painting.
Day 6 – I am grateful for an inset day and fun at the park with Sophie and Thomas before my baby girl goes back to school tomorrow.
Day 7 – I am grateful for an unexpected extra day with Sophie today and also grateful that the burst water pipe at school has been fixed quickly (obviously not grateful for the burst water pipe itself!)
Day 8 – I am grateful to have revisited a toddler group that I used to go to with the girls and haven’t been back to since Sophie started preschool. Was so lovely to see Thomas’s excitement at all the toys and watch him having so much fun playing.
Day 9 – I am grateful that my old buggy has been fixed and is back in use again.
Day 10 – I am grateful for the beautiful bond between Sophie and Thomas and how it reflects the beautiful bond that Jessica and Sophie had.
Day 11 – I am grateful that Thomas slept through in his cot until 6.30am. Normally he wakes at least a couple of times (and recently we’ve had a lot of nights when he’s woken 4+ times) so to have had a full night’s sleep is amazing even if it ends up being a one-off.
