It is FINALLY time to *open* our 2013 jar & re-visit the many things for which we were grateful. If you didn’t join us last year–consider this your invitation to find a jar, snip some papers, and git ready for 2014!
From the time the Tornado was TINY we’ve focused on gratitude with her.
Each night we pray for others, ourselves, and add a snippet of what we’re grateful for that day.
This has definitely been a process.
Before she was in our lives GRATITUDE seemed such a *simple* concept to explain: a feeling of thankfulness or appreciation.
This has definitely been a process.
When she was littler and it was her turn to say what she was grateful for we’d frequently get responses like:
Thank you G-d for Mama got a flat tire today.
OR
Thank you G-d for I fell and got a boo boo on my knee today.
Or the even more cringe-worthy:
Thank you G-d for I got in trouble and Mama took away ______ today.
As with seemingly everything in parenting-life she eventually learned by example and as she’s grown her moments of gratitude are really those.
Now that she’s older her thoughts of thankfulness provide amazing insight into what’s important to her.
As anyone who works with/knows a child has realized so often what we’d imagine they are thankful for (amazing Hanukkah gifts. over-the-top birthday parties.) turns out to be not at all what they focus upon (thank you G-d for mama read me an extra long story tonight).
As a result I jumped upon the idea of a gratitude jar as soon as I spied it on the Book of the Face.
I have a gratitude journal and, in a way, this felt like a FAMILY gratitude journal with one big, important (whether youre single, have a partner, married sans kids or married with a gaggle of kids) perfect addition:
VOLUME
Our gratitude jar allows us at a glance to see all we have to feel thankful for & all that’s gone RIGHT for us over the past howevermanylongweeks.
Some days I need this.
I like to think some days ALL OF US NEED THIS.
We started our jar in the waning days of 2012 & plan to spend New Years Eve 2013 pulling out papers, reading and reflecting on all we have been given & all we are thankful for.
Join us?
Need an extra FITNESS & HEALTHY LIVING push?
Studies show people who operate from a place of gratitude feel 25% HAPPIER than their peers, are more optimistic about the future, feel better about their lives *and* exercise 1.5 more hours per week.
Go forth.
Snag those extra ninety minutes.
Get yourself a JAR and some GRATITUDE.
2014 awaits.
Runner Girl says
January 1, 2014 at 4:29 amI am grateful I am awake and able to RUN this morning.
Happy 2014, Miz!!!
Therese says
January 1, 2014 at 7:35 pmI actually say that after every run-especially the bad ones-because there are lots of people who would run if they could. I think of times I’ve been injured and am grateful for every run.
Emma says
January 14, 2014 at 2:48 amI agree. My husband hurt his knee and can’t run. So I’m grateful for the fact that I can. I used to hate running, but all this has made me appreciate it and the fact that I can do it.
lindsay says
January 1, 2014 at 4:30 amyes, we need this every day! overflowing jars. I need big one.
Mary says
January 1, 2014 at 4:36 amI love the idea of volume and seeing what’s gone well.
I tend to focus on what I need or want and this would be good for me.
I planned to do it last year and never started.
:/
AmyC says
January 1, 2014 at 4:52 amI love this idea!
Satu says
January 1, 2014 at 5:13 amI don’t always like my life the way it is now, but after thinking about this for a while a couple of things popped into my mind.
I started two new hobbies – singing in a choir and salsa. I love them both to death. π
The second thing was that I enjoyed coauthoring a fairy tale with my niece Siiri. I hope it won’t be the last one we write together.
I need to get a glass jar and start filling it…
MizFit says
January 1, 2014 at 5:21 amOH ID LOVE TO SEE THE FAIRY TALE!!!
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast says
January 1, 2014 at 5:27 amWe push gratitude as well but haven’t been writing them down… I really like that it allows you to look back over everything from the year. My daughter is getting old enough that we could do this!
Linz @ Itz Linz says
January 1, 2014 at 6:02 ami love this! i would love to start something like this with my students at school!
Alicia at Poise in Parma says
January 1, 2014 at 6:19 amOver New Year’s Eve dinner last night, a friend was telling me of a yoga teacher that said something along the lines of “if you have gratitude in your life, then all your worries will disappear”. I LOVED that concept, and love the concept of this jar. Off to find one for the PIP household. xoxo
Coco says
January 1, 2014 at 6:34 amI am generally grateful, but I like the intention and focus this practice brings to it.
Barbara says
January 1, 2014 at 6:39 amGrateful daily, hourly, even by the minute. Happy 2014!
crabby mcslacker says
January 1, 2014 at 6:46 amHAPPY NEW YEAR Miz!
I’m grateful to have met such fine friends in the blogosphere, and grateful for so many other things as well. I am a ridiculously fortunate person and try not to ever forget that, even if I do find myself cranky about trivial matters at times. Or ok, at a LOT of times. Still a work in progress! π
Love the jar idea!
deby says
January 1, 2014 at 7:47 amI like the idea of the gratitude jar okay, but what I REALLY like is the idea of spending New Year’s Eve reviewing what I was thankful for during the year. I’m going to try to put this into practice this year!
Jana @ Happy Wife Healthy Life says
January 1, 2014 at 7:58 amI love the gratitude jar so much! I think my husband and I need to put this into place for 2014!
mimi says
January 1, 2014 at 8:08 amWe have a gratitude list on a favorite website, and i try to list something daily. Each morning, i try to put at least 3 things i’m thankful for in my morning pages.
Yet, i need to do this, too. Those lists are buried among other posts or writings, and don’t stand out the way this will.
Jennifer FIsher says
January 1, 2014 at 8:17 amYour gratitude jar is not normal-shaped — symbolic or happenstance? Anyway, I love it!
misszippy1 says
January 1, 2014 at 8:27 amI really love this idea, especially with kids. More than anything I want to raise children who are NOT entitled and this is a great step toward that.
Happy new year!
Meegan @redstar5 says
January 1, 2014 at 9:54 amI really love this idea. I have this mug on the counter that Tara got me for our first anniversary. It’s handle was broken off a few months back. It’s really exciting for me to think about filling that mug up with love notes of gratitude and giving a new purpose that’s so much bigger.
Happy 2014! Sending love (and gratitude) to you and the whole family for the New Year from Halifax.
mindy artze says
January 1, 2014 at 10:23 amWhat a beautiful idea! I could see us doing this and reviewing them while we are feeling down or stressed. Beautiful!
Jody - Fit at 56 says
January 1, 2014 at 11:01 amIt is a wonderful idea & I loved some of the shares thru the year of the child gratitude from you. π I do my Monday post which helps me at least start the week out that way. π
Happy New YOU this 2014 Carla!
GiGi Eats Celebrities says
January 1, 2014 at 11:03 amI have a jar like this – it’s invisible, but I have one! π
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
January 1, 2014 at 11:25 amI made a “jar of good things” last year and I’m doing it again this year! It was such a great way to look back on the new year and all of the wonderful things happened – big and small. π
Kim says
January 1, 2014 at 2:03 pmWe do gratitude things for the month of December but I love the idea of carrying it through the entire year (especially the looming winter months!).
Elle says
January 1, 2014 at 3:16 pmSweet! We usually talk about what we are thankful for, every day or so, to each other, but so fun to look back over the year.
Abby @ BackAtSquareZero says
January 1, 2014 at 3:40 pmI love the idea of having a gratitude jar with your children.
RageMichelle says
January 1, 2014 at 5:36 pmI need to do this. I focus way too much on the negative, when I have so much to be grateful for.
The fact that I’m not hungry, I have shelter and access to clean water is amazing. I need to remember to be grateful for the everything I have good that goes above and beyond those basic needs.
Also, I am TERRIBLY grateful that my youngest child has made it to nearly 16 years old and is STILL pleasant almost always.
purelytwins says
January 1, 2014 at 6:54 pmwe need to do this…we have so much to be grateful! thanks for the reminder π
Christine Yu says
January 1, 2014 at 10:57 pmLove it. This was the first year that we did this in our house. We dumped out our jar this afternoon and the boys got a kick out of reading everything. Toys showed up on many slips of paper as did some other silly things. But there were also some really great and simple things too. We’re continuing to do it again this year and I have a feeling that it will bring on a different meaning each year.
Kat says
January 2, 2014 at 4:29 amWill you yell at me I need to SO MAKE ONE OF THESE!!
Chloe Baker says
January 2, 2014 at 5:41 amI wish I had seen this site a year earlier. Now I have to start my gratitude-jar today! At the start of 2015, I’ll see what the volume of jar is like! =)
Katie @ Pick Any Two says
January 2, 2014 at 7:10 amIsn’t it wonderful how children surprise us with their insights sometimes? We can learn so much about living life to the fullest simply by seeing it through their eyes – and being grateful for that extra long story as well.
The Girl in Yoga Pants says
January 2, 2014 at 9:39 amWhat an awesome idea! 2013 was rough for me health-wise (2014 has started off much better, as I am sick *again*). This is something I am definitely going to start. I need it. Instead of dwelling on illness, I can focus on all the positive things in my life. Happy New Year!
Sado Training says
January 2, 2014 at 9:55 amLike the quote says “Fitness is not about being better than someone else…it’s about being better than you used to be.”
Happy New Year!!
Jenny says
January 2, 2014 at 9:59 amHappy New Year to you and your family!!
Dr. J says
January 2, 2014 at 11:09 amEvery day I say “Thank you for the gifts I have been given!”
Gratitude is the best answer I have ever found for the ultimate question.
Dr. J says
January 2, 2014 at 11:12 amBlack-eyed peas is the good luck dish in the South, but I think it’s the thought of the tradition that really matters!
Kierston @candyfit says
January 2, 2014 at 12:12 pmI love the gratitude jar. I so looked forward to reading this post, and was excited to read that the Tornado was excited to open it π
She Rocks Fitness says
January 2, 2014 at 1:32 pmI need to do this. Such a cool idea for the young and “the older”. Here’s to a happy, healthy, and positive New Year both personally and professionally. XOXO
Deb says
January 5, 2014 at 4:41 pmI remember when you first wrote that you were doing it and it really doesn’t seem like a year ago. I think it’s a lovely idea to focus more on our blessings and something I definitely need to do more of!
emmaclaire says
January 8, 2014 at 12:41 pmI love the idea of seeing your gratitude grow throughout the year and revisiting it on NYE! My husband and I have grateful journals, each page having a a day and month on it, which allows us to add a new grateful for the current year. I’m starting my 5th year in the same book, so each night, I get to revisit what I was grateful for that particular day through the last 4 years. Not as visually impactive as a jar, but still fun to reflect daily.
Meredith says
January 12, 2014 at 6:42 pmThis is the best idea. Not only acknowledging something at the time , but savoring it later.
Andrea says
January 13, 2014 at 4:58 pmGenial! great idea! Writing is big step forward to a more lovely way to see our living. Muchas gracias!