Remember the Little Things

A goal of mine this year was to slow down a little and enjoy everyday life.  I think if we can enjoy our everyday life we can be so much happier.  Even things that seem mundane that need to be done like cleaning can bring us joy.  Or maybe we need to stress less about keeping it so tidy so we can play LEGO's with our kids. (Can you tell my house is a mess at the moment!)

photo from Stephanie's blog: nieniedialogues.blogspot.com

Someone who is an example to me about how to enjoy everyday is Stephanie Nielson, a well known mommy blogger.  Her book, "Heaven Is Here," is about her life and focuses a lot on how her family is the most important thing to her.  She cherishes things like Friday night pizza, laying beside her babies at night and just being alive.  In 2008 Stephanie and her husband were in a horrible plane crash that Stephanie barely survived.  She was burned so badly she was put into a sleep induced coma for three months. When she awoke her children didn't recognize her; her baby didn't even remember her.  She had to go through months of surgery and years of rehabilitation and will never fully recover from her physical scars.  Her soul however, is stronger than ever.  Before the accident she was already a happy person, but after being stripped of many physical abilities, she learned to appreciate the little things even more.  Some of her temporary setbacks were the ability to speak, see, and walk;  she and her family celebrated the day she was able to hike her favorite trail. She is a monumental example of how to enjoy the little things!  She blogs about her every day life in nieniedialogues.blogspot.com.

download free 8x10 printable here

Gratitude is like a present

My grandfather once told me that a good intention is just that...unless you follow through.  He had found a letter of mine that was expressing gratitude to someone that hadn't been sent yet.  Unless I actually sent that letter it wouldn't have benefited anyone...not even myself. 

When we feel grateful, one of the best things we can do is express that gratitude.  I know that will make us experience even more happiness than we had just from feeling grateful.  That's why feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.  Wise word from Willam Arthur Ward.

I also changed a few of the printables I had made for earlier this month.  I wanted them to coordinate so you could have a nice Thanksgiving display of quotes about being thankful.  Enjoy!

for free 8x10 printable click here

click here for "it is thankful people who are happy" printable

click here for "enjoy the little things" (blog entry to come soon)

click here for "gratitude is a present" printable

click here for "gratitude turns what we have into enough" printable

Gratitude Turns What We Have Into Enough

I often find myself saying, "If only I had (fill in the blank), life would be so much better."   But we all know that pining after what we don't have never made anyone happy.  Even wishing for worthwhile things such as more patience, friends, or love disturbs our efforts to be happy.  Yes patience, friends and love will bring us great joy, but when we are hoping for anything we do not have, it becomes too easy to forget what we do have.   That's where gratitude comes in.  Gratitude turns what we have into enough.

When I get discouraged and feel like I was dealt an unfair hand in life, I think about individuals what have suffered so much more that I.  Lately I have been thinking about Elizabeth Smart.  I can't imagine going through even a fraction of what she endured.  But after nine months of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, Elizabeth remains grateful for the things she has and realized that things could have been worse for her.  I am in awe of her courage and perspective on life.  She doesn't show signs of a victim but a person who is truly happy.

download your free 8x10 printable here

download this 8x10 printable here

Gratitude

November is the month of thanksgiving, so SURPRISE...this month I will be focusing on quotes about gratitude.  I love this time of year!  It forces me to reflect on all the wonderful blessings in my life.

My sister sent me this video from Soul Pancake about how expressing our gratitude makes us happier. Apparently it has been scientifically proven by psychologists!  Who knew!

I believe it to be true.  After expressing my gratitude, I become more aware of all the blessing I do have.  The past few months I have been keeping a gratitude journal.  I try to write down anything big or small in my life that I am grateful for.  The more I do it, the easier it is to recognize even the small blessings I receive daily.  The printable for this week focuses on just that.  Thanks for reading!

download 8x10 printable here

download this 8x10 printable here