4Real Forums: Gratitude Journal

Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.

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Topic: Gratitude Journal

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Mary Chris
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Posted: Nov 20 2008 at 8:17am \| IP Logged

The other night at our neighborhood homeschool group get together we had a guest speaker. She talked about using our words and gifts and also about listening. She gave us a lot of things to think about. One idea that I really liked and have shared with a few people is the Gratitude Journal.

I know most of us know what this is and a lot of you probably keep one, or tick off a list of things you are grateful for at the end of the day. She gave it a new twist, list five things you are grateful for before you get out of bed in the morning.

It struck me as such a good idea. It really challenges me not to wake up and think....here we go again. Even the things that cause me stress can be looked at as gifts when framed in gratitude. Another day of fighting over math......turns into how lucky I am to have my children at home with me.

Any thoughts?

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CrunchyMom
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Posted: Nov 20 2008 at 9:08am \| IP Logged

I love this blog (which I had sort of forgotten--thanks for reminding me!). She is a wordsmith, and while she isn't Catholic (I think she is evangelical), she expresses beautifully ways to live sacramentally and her emphasis is gratitude. Here is a recent post on gratitude, but I could spend all day browsing her blog!

Holy Experience

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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony

[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR

nissag
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Posted: Dec 02 2008 at 8:51am \| IP Logged

I've been doing this - and teaching my kids to do this - since I read "Simple Abundance" back when I had my 3rd babe.

I wrote a post about it just this past Saturday, actually.

Blessings,

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Nissa
Deacon's wife, mother of eleven, farmer, teacher, creator, cook.

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Paula in MN
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Posted: Dec 02 2008 at 11:02am \| IP Logged

I thought about what you had written at the same time I was trying to think of (something homemade) to give a very close friend. It seems I always fall back on recipe-jar kind of gifts. After browsing around the internet I have come up with a great gift idea.

I'm giving my friend a Gratitude Journal Jar. I'm filling it with slips of paper that either have questions on them (favorite game to play growing up, weirdest dream you had, how you met your spouse, etc) or statements (I'm grateful for my daughter's ______________, My husband's _________makes me grateful, etc).

I'm going to tell her to blindly pick a slip every day, tape it to the top of a piece of paper and start writing.

So, thank you Mary Chris, for the idea!!

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Paula
A Catholic Harvest

Mary G
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Posted: Dec 02 2008 at 6:36pm \| IP Logged

Mary Chris and Paula -- these are both great ideas ... the journal and the jar are so clever. I think becuase this is the time of year I get SO STRESSED! that I sure need to hear these ideas ...

THANKS so very much!

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MaryG
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Servant2theKing
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Posted: Dec 04 2008 at 2:24pm \| IP Logged

Thank you all for these thought-provoking posts. We have a prayer intention jar, with a vigil candle topper...a gratitude jar will beautifully enhance the "attitude of gratitude" we're trying to build in our hearts!

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Lisa R
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Posted: Dec 04 2008 at 4:18pm \| IP Logged

Paula in MN wrote:

I'm giving my friend a Gratitude Journal Jar. I'm filling it with slips of paper that either have questions on them (favorite game to play growing up, weirdest dream you had, how you met your spouse, etc) or statements (I'm grateful for my daughter's ______________, My husband's _________makes me grateful, etc).

I'm going to tell her to blindly pick a slip every day, tape it to the top of a piece of paper and start writing.

So, thank you Mary Chris, for the idea!!

Paula,

I love this idea but did you come up with 365 slips?

I'm not sure I could come up with that many but I really want to do this with my boys.

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God Bless!
Lisa, married to my best friend, Ray and loving my blessings Joshua (17)and Jacob(15), Hannah(7) and Rachel (5)!Holy Family Academy

Paula in MN
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Posted: Dec 04 2008 at 4:48pm \| IP Logged

Lisa R wrote:

Paula,

I love this idea but did you come up with 365 slips?

I'm not sure I could come up with that many but I really want to do this with my boys.

I needed a laugh so badly and you came through for me!!!

I came up with 52. I know my friend would be overwhelmed with writing every day. I think once a week is more her style, at least in the beginning.

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Paula
A Catholic Harvest

Natalia
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Posted: Dec 04 2008 at 5:06pm \| IP Logged

Paula in MN wrote:

I came up with 52. I know my friend would be overwhelmed with writing every day. I think once a week is more her style, at least in the beginning.

I am glad Lisa asked. That was my first thought: how in the world can she come up with 365 slips? With my creativity maybe 12 would be more my pace

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Paula in MN
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Posted: Dec 05 2008 at 6:41am \| IP Logged

I did just come up with an idea that would add slips to the jar.

If the person knows Latin, French, Spanish, German, etc., you could have many of the same questions in that language. They would have to answer the questions in that language too.

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Paula
A Catholic Harvest

CrunchyMom
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Posted: Dec 05 2008 at 8:48am \| IP Logged

I guess there is nothing wrong with repeating some of the slips 10-20 times since I would hope one could come up with that many different things to be grateful for about their spouse or child

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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony

[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR

Lisa R
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Posted: Dec 05 2008 at 3:36pm \| IP Logged

Paula in MN wrote:

Lisa R wrote:

Paula,

I love this idea but did you come up with 365 slips?

I'm not sure I could come up with that many but I really want to do this with my boys.

Paula, glad I could help!

Natalia, I'm thinking 12 might do it for me, too!

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God Bless!
Lisa, married to my best friend, Ray and loving my blessings Joshua (17)and Jacob(15), Hannah(7) and Rachel (5)!Holy Family Academy

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