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 little things to be grateful for isn’t always easy, especially when living through scary and uncertain times. I have found though that trying to find something, however small and trivial, to be grateful for has helped me through some of the hardest days of my life.
My eldest daughter Jessica, who died in April 2018, 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 past week:
Day 229 – I am grateful that Sophie had fun learning to roller-skate at the park.
Day 230 – I am grateful for old shoeboxes.
Day 231 – I am grateful that both of Sophie’s Girls’ Brigade sunflowers are doing well and starting to flower, even if we didn’t manage to grow really tall ones.
Day 232 – I am grateful for a fun afternoon doing some crafting with Sophie.
Day 233 – I am grateful for how much fun the children got from some sticks, bark, grass, water and a few toy dinosaurs in the tuff tray.
Day 234 – I am grateful for my assistant cake maker.
Day 235 – I am grateful that something as simple as finding an acorn on a walk can give so much joy to a little one. What a wonderful place the world is through a child’s eyes.
Sophie looks like she’s having a great time roller skating.
It looks like you’ve had a fun week. The crafts look fab and you are doing well with the sunflowers. x
Thanks Kim, it was a fun week 🙂
Can’t beat a shoe box for imaginative play. Sophie is looking so grown up all of a sudden Louise. What a lovely little helper you had. #366
She is getting so grown-up bless her. We had fun making things together 🙂
How cool learning to roller skate. I used to love it as a child. Wish N had had more of a go at it, but we don’t have anywhere at home so would have to head into town to the park. Wouldn’t be worth getting skates for not many times to use them.
It is more difficult when you don’t have anywhere nearby to practise. Our local park is perfect for Sophie.
I love roller skating, it is great fun and used to love it as a kid. We have a few roller skating rinks here, well not that they are opened just now. Such lovely sweet photos xx
Thanks Susan. I used to love roller skating as a child too 🙂
Lovely crafting activities. I’ve got roller skates, need a bit more practice though
I suspect I’d be the same if I tried to roller skate these days!
Looks like you have had a wonderful week with lots of happy activities. My two love hunting for acorns too. We have grown sunflowers and some of ours look identical to yours I think they are a dwarf variety. Sophie looks pleased with them though xx
It was a fun week. I think our sunflowers must have been a dwarf variety too although we’ve tried a few varieties over the years and never managed to grow really tall ones.
Sophie is looking so grown up all of a sudden. I used to love rollerskating, I really should get the kids some skates
She is getting so grown up, bless her.
Aww that sunflower is cute! Don’t think I have seen one that size before!
Glad she had fun roller skating. Bee loves it!
Roller skating is fun. I’m glad Bee enjoys it too.
The tuff tray game looks fun. I do love the look on your son’s face with the acorn in his hand.
Thank you. He was so pleased with himself.
Sophie looks cute roller skating. That’s a clever way of using a shoe box. Pretty sunflower. Interesting playground. Wow, what a chef! Truly, the world is a wonderful place through a child’s eye
It certainly is. I do love seeing things through my children’s eyes.
Awww so cute so see the big smiles over finding an acorn ! Bless ! Looks like a really fun week with loads of cool activities going on 🙂
He was so proud of himself 🙂
Aww bless, finding an acorn is always a cause for a big smile. And shoeboxes are great for all sorts of fun activities and crafts. Your sunflowers are pretty. Sophie looks super cool, skating in the park.
Thank you. We had a fun week 🙂
Awww such a fabulous collection of pictures this week! What a really awesome idea to make with a shoebox! What an awesome cake too! I’ve had to give up cake for the moment, I indulged far too much during lockdown… it really was the greatest time, however, when your jeans are feeling a little tighter, you know you need to give up carby treats 🙁 I hope you enjoyed a slice for me! 🙂 Have a fab week! Sim x
Thank you. I can relate to having indulged too much during lockdown too!
I love how you have transformed that shoe box! What a great idea and perfect for a stage/puppet show. That cake looks amazing, how nice to have a helper!
Thank you, we had fun making our shoebox theatre and it is lovely to have Sophie’s help with baking 🙂
We have so many shoeboxes around the house as the kids need a couple each per year for school crafts: I never think to use them at home! But then I am not a craft person… We use an old seed tray for our outisde ‘witches brew’ of grass and mud etc #project366
Seed trays are great for things like that 🙂