Lydia Johnson Consulting

WEEK 13 The Power of Gratitudes

Xmas 2013 067A key focus for this week’s MKMMA is Gratitudes. Seasonal? No. Timely? Well it could seem most certainly at this time of year we have so much more to be grateful for, yet gratitudes truly are a daily practice. If we want to experience even more to be grateful for, than feeling genuine gratefulness for what we have now, is essential.

Gratitudes have been a daily practice for me for quite some time and the feelings I get when I verbalize my gratitudes is a warm wash of comfort and joy. What I enjoyed so much about this week’s lesson was the simple fact that being grateful is the CAUSE in the Law of Cause and Affect- what an important reminder! The more we are grateful for, the more we get in return and therefore more gratitudes again and again.

The class is writing out 3 gratitudes every day…with no repeats! How cool is that? The gratitudes don’t have to be for the big things in our lives…all gratitudes are great! A morning coffee, a hug from your loved one, the washing machine for easy clothes cleanups, your eyesight so you can read this…..many many things all around us to be truly grateful for. It is a fun exercise and what was particularly fun was sharing this with my 7 year old granddaughter, Cadence. She now has her own supply of index cards and has begun the same fun exercise. Seeing her enjoying it as well, is…well…another gratitude for me!

I heard of an idea a long time ago on a radio show and implemented it last year….I journaled every day about what I was grateful for about each of my 3 grandkids ( 10, 7 and 3). I made the journals from an on-line book making program…super easy and super fun. Each grandkid has their own journal filled with pictures of them and each day I handwrote a gratitude. It was a year of gratitudes for each….small things to big things, and everything in between…..the best part is not only the feeling of each day’s notes…a few sentences, but the feeling I now have knowing I will be giving them each their journals in the next couple of days. The oldest will have no problem reading my handwriting. The middle and of course the little guy will, so it will be an added bonus to cuddle and read out loud to them….a full year of gratitudes.

My vision is to do a journal like these, A Year of Gratitudes, every year, and some day when they are teens, or in their 20s or even older, they can reach for a particular year’s journal and read some or all of what I was grateful for that day, of that year. Maybe they will do something similar for their own children one day.

So as I wrap up my gratitudes for the year-end gifts to these small important people in my life, I wonder how they will be feeling about getting these gratitudes from the months, weeks and days long gone by. If they will feel a tiny bit as excited as I have felt adding to their gifts each day, it will be a thrill for them.

Gratitudes….sharing them is where the beauty and the power starts. What a gift to self!

17 thoughts on “WEEK 13 The Power of Gratitudes”

  1. busines4u says:

    Gratitude for your eyesight so you can read this….

    1. lydjohnson says:

      Thanks for the connection!

  2. I am so grateful for your blog Lydia…it is an astonishing simple reminder about remembering small things everyday and how much more we attract into our life when we focus on what we have. Thank you! I have a blue rose for you this week waiting to be taken.

    1. lydjohnson says:

      Thanks Tom…..all the little things add up to the big things!

  3. Lydia, the picture of your grandchildren put a big smile on my face. What a great idea of writing a ‘Gratitude’ book for each of them. When I clicked on your related article of Expressing Gratitude, I couldn’t stop the tears. Super great post!

    1. lydjohnson says:

      Thanks so much for allowing me to share my heart with you Cyndria :)

  4. You are such a rock star!! … I’ve been thinking about these journals for sometime, last year I think ?? It’s now going on my service card to start my own journal for my midgets. Thanks for inspiring me AGAIN!!!

  5. Lydia… I love your post!! I have 3 grandchildren, 9, 5, 3. What a wonderful idea! I know exactly how you feel when you are journaling!!!

    1. lydjohnson says:

      Thanks John. Yes, it sure is special…way more so as a grandparent, than as a mother!

  6. Nicole W says:

    Hi Lydia,
    What a beautiful gift you are giving your grandchildren! The value will increase even more as the years go on. I loved the related article you posted – the video brought tears to my eyes. Thank you!

    1. lydjohnson says:

      Thank you Nicole. Yes I envision one day in their 20s or 30s or older, they will reflect and pause about how many great things they did way back when….like our index cards, except done for them….from my perspective.

  7. Heather says:

    Legacy! Very cool. You have some very lucky grandchildren. :)

    1. lydjohnson says:

      Thanx Heather. the differences we make today, changes all their tomorrows.

  8. Wonderful and brilliant idea, I am going to that for my children as well.

    1. lydjohnson says:

      It has been a real joy to do and I am sure it will be such for you as well. I made them on line so personalized with pictures of them throughout and of course blank pages for the journal notes. A different option, but buying a journal is just as effective.

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