grat⋅i⋅tude

   /ˈgrætɪˌtud, -ˌtyud/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [grat-i-tood, -tyood] Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressed his gratitude to everyone on the staff.



Earlier this year, I was inspired by my friend Shelly Steffen-Byrne to keep a Gratitude Journal. It is a very simple endeavor: merely list five things on a daily basis that you are truly grateful for in your life. On busy days, my list reads exactly like that- 5 short sentences. On days where I have more time or have experienced something completely awesome and wondrous, the five items are almost a paragraph each. In any case, the journal serves two purposes. The first is to give life to the blessings that are born each day and by the simple act of writing them down, I am reflecting upon them and giving thanks for their occurrence. The second purpose is that it gives me a chronological detailing of my life as it is lived. I am a journal keeper going way back to the age of 10 and lucky for those who come after me, I have kept every single one. It's quite interesting to use the pages of my past to self-analyze to discover how I came to be the person that I am today. Freud would be proud!


Here's a peek to a randomly selected day:

May 12, 2008

I am grateful for:

1. A wonderful Confirmation ceremony-everything worked as planned.
2. Great bike ride to the library with Mack on Saturday. We made it up both big hills without stopping.
3. Great comments from long-ago XU friends Dan Lally & Vince Weseli via LinkedIn after reconnecting with them.
4. My wonderful group of sister writers (Shelly, Sandi and Laurie).
5. My family and good health.