During my first year of teaching, I wanted to decrease the negativity I heard from my fourth graders. I thought by counteracting the negative with more positive we could change the culture of our classroom. Starting small we read a joyful quote each week. It began to blossom into a special day of the week called, Thankful Thursday. As a result, I saw the change of mindset from mostly negative to more and more positive thoughts. Each year I expanded on this idea into writing down our weekly gratitude practice, which helped my students reflect on the positive.
Practicing What I Preached
It wasn’t until I became a mom and my world changed (for the best) that I needed positive thoughts more and more. Weekly gratitude dedicated to one special day was something I could do for my students. I loved creating special projects that helped them to become more positive. However, when I was no longer creating things for my students I fell into a rut. I was about 14 months postpartum and my mindset needed a shift. That is when I started following my own advice and began a daily gratitude practice.
“Count Your Blessings”
Friends had given me a journal for my birthday a few years ago and labeled the front “Count your Blessings” inspired by a song by the JJ Weeks Band. In October 2019, I was inspired to start writing down five things I was grateful for each day. For me, the best time to reflect and find a moment of peace is in the mornings before my son wakes up. Now I have over 1,000 small moments of gratitude that inspire me to look for the positive in each day. They range from hearing my son’s belly laugh to a much-needed phone call with a friend.
Moms and Caregivers Need This Now More Than Ever
I truly believe when we look for the good we can find small moments that surround us. Some days are harder than others to write down five things, but afterward, I am in a better place to start my day. This gratitude mindset has carried over into our prayer before meals and our two-year-old lovingly lists the people or things in his life he thanks God for. His sweet words of gratitude bring a smile or laugh to my husband and me. I am thankful my son will grow up valuing gratitude and incorporating it into his daily life.
