Thanksgiving in February

So, maybe I went a little crazy. This mama's heart was feeling a little desperate, and when we feel desperate, we sometimes try different things. You see, this girl of mine who is full of life and quite spunky, who is beautiful and smart, who has a huge heart of love and compassion, and despite what some may think is really quite sensitive- this precious girl of mine is a  "glass half empty" kinda girl. And, well, this mama- well, she knows what being a "glass half empty" girl can make one feel like.

However, a little over a year ago, this "glass half empty" mama was given a book (One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp) and introduced to counting gifts. So the gratitude journal began. I started looking and writing down God's gifts to me on a daily basis. As I counted gifts, something happened- I had more joy and a changed perspective. Instead of looking at the negative, I started seeing the positive. God knew that this year I would definitely need this counting of gifts to keep my focus on Him to maintain my sanity :)

So this mama has encouraged her girl to start a gratitude journal of her own, but it just hasn't taken. The journal gets put away or covered up, and we forget to count gifts. But, there is this wall. This little wall right there by my kids rooms. This wall right there in my kitchen, by my kids rooms that they have to pass by when they go in or come out of their rooms. So this crazy mama got an idea. Chalkboard Paint! She asked her hubby if she could paint the wall with chalkboard paint, and totally expecting a "NO", he said, "YES." The wall got painted, and chalk was placed in a basket right there on the wall. A verse was written- "Giving Thanks Always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20, and we started counting gifts. Right there on the wall, counting gifts for all to see as a constant reminder to give thanks.