Monday, August 29, 2011

step two: a grateful heart

when my girls were younger, i placed two small journals on our kitchen table.
a thankfulness journal & a prayer request journal.
they were nothing special as far as books go
but my hope was that these little guys would pack a powerful reminder to each of us
to find something each day in which we were grateful
&
a physical reminder to pray for others.




i'll be honest
every page isn't full in those books
but i do have a keepsake of sweet prayers
& sweet reminders of things their hearts were grateful for.




i wrote last week about some things i need to do 
in order to get my time and my priorities in line.

the first and obvious step for me personally 
is spending quality time each morning reading scripture.
the second step
is cultivating a heart of gratitude.

i saw this little gratitude journal at one of my favorite stores in Seaside
but you can grab it here 

Gratitude: A Journal




i've placed this journal
once again,
beside our kitchen table.
my prayer is that each of us will take a moment to reflect on something
each day
that we are thankful for.
something each day
to remind us to look for the good
to look for miracle in the simple every day
to be wowed by the things that might otherwise be taken for granted.


i think many of us have been blown away
One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

let me share a few of Ann's thoughts~~

"when I give thanks for the seemingly microscopic, I make a place for God to grow within me." 

"Eucharisteo—thanksgiving—always precedes the miracle."

& possibly my favorite~ 

"Being in a hurry. 
Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me.
I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing.... 
Through all that haste I thought I was making up time. 
It turns out I was throwing it away."
ann voskamp
~

my hope for you today
is no matter where you are,
whether your personal gratitude journal
(whatever that may be)
is overflowing with blessings
or your gratitude is truly a sacrifice of praise
lifted up when your day is painful or your heart is dry,
that we each take the time
& enter what truly is in front of us
&
find that for which we are grateful.
i'm betting the length of that list would
blow us away

xo

15 comments:

Kelli said...

Rushing absolutely takes away from focusing on what is right in front of us. This journal looks wonderful...I love the idea of everyone writing down praises and prayers.

Alecia said...

Wonderful! I need to do that very thing...it's so easy to get caught up in what's driving me crazy or how my day was xyz....I love the quote about being thankful makes room for God to grow within me...thanks for the brilliant idea! :-)

Bethanie said...

What a wonderful idea...we have so much to be grateful for...and take too little time to write it down. Have a blessed day friend...

just call me jo said...

What a special reminder! I rush and stumble and rush some more. You'd think I'd learn to take my time. I've never been swift, but sometimes I'm sure. I'm in a terrible slump right now. I so appreciate your post. I need to go write in my journal of things I'm grateful for. I tend to skip over that...'cause I'm so busy rushing!

Heather said...

I love the idea of these journals, especially for children to participate too.

Valerie@chateaualamode.typepad.com said...

What a great reminder to be grateful each morning.

Lulu and Co. said...

I'm feeling thankful for calm skies today! And this wonderful reminder to focus on what we have to be thankful for!
xo,
Lulu

Kat said...

Love this post Paigey K! That little gratitude journal is darling!

Privet and Holly said...

Honestly, this
is a book I've
started and stopped,
started and stopped.
I need to finish
the dance.
Thanks for the
reminder, sweet friend!
xx Suzanne
PS: I almost bought
this very journal in
Seattle....I think it's
a sign : )

Bravehearted Beauty {formerly LLH Designs} said...

I love the idea of your whole family taking part in the journal. What a great idea!

You have GOT to read today's Jesus Calling. And of you don't have it, run and get it! (Or download it on iTunes; I have one real book version and the app.) I just know you'll love today's words! I keep rereading them...wanting to let it soak down deep.

Xo,
Linsey

Between You and Me said...

totally copying the grateful journal and the prayer journal on my kitchen table idea.

I've always kept prayer journals for my kids, but I've never had something out for my kids to write in...

LOVE that idea..so thanks.

yay!

Tiffini said...

love this idea. Your finding a groove:) Isn't it a treasure to read the things our kids write when they are little...so sweet.
I am captured by the devotional Jesus Calling. Linsey @ LLH shared with me one day and I just went out and bought the book today. That is what I'm doing in my quiet times lately...a dialogue not so much a monologue. Just changing things up helps sometimes.
xo

sle said...

I loved this post! We all need little reminders sometimes to realign our thinking and priorities. Thank you!

Suzanne said...

Thank you Paige...for the sweet reminders and for being a blessing to all of us!
XOXO
Suzanne

Rachel said...

This post touches my soul deeply. I plan to take your idea and implement into my family's daily life. I just recently found your blog and love the simple yet profound thoughts you share. Thank you and God bless!