I absolutely love the Fall! For me, there’s a special and intangible element of possibility at this time of year. I really enjoy the time spent with my family watching college football. I live in San Diego so the weather and the sunsets are amazing at this time of year! I find the change of the season and the shift from longer to shorter days beautiful. I sense a quieting at this time of year. I love to watch as much of my garden begins to go to sleep. This year I am grateful for the roses that are continuing to bloom so late in the season. They are a wonderful and sweet surprise at this time of the year.
A couple of years ago, we began a tradition in our family during the month of November that evolved into what I call “Gratitude Month.” Gratitude Month really began years ago, when our kids were young. Before our Thanksgiving meal we would go around the table and each take a turn to say something that we were thankful for. Over time, that tradition expanded to include the 3 days leading up to Thanksgiving (also known as “Gratitude Week”). You guessed it… a couple of years ago; it became “Gratitude Month!” I’ll admit, Gratitude Week and Gratitude Month were my initiatives and I was met with a few eye rolls. As always, my husband and our kids support me and jumped in and joined me in sharing daily gratitude. Our daughter got married earlier this year and now lives nearby with her husband. We see each other often but not every day so I wasn’t quite sure if we would be able to keep our November tradition going. I wasn’t quite ready to give up the daily gratitude sharing tradition so I decided to create a Gratitude Month text group this year. This has been a definite departure from our previous years… and I think it’s even better! I am so happy to have our daughter’s husband join us in our tradition and our new format is pretty great because we will have a shared daily diary of our gratitude for the month.
So just like my November roses, this year’s Gratitude Month is a wonderful and sweet surprise… and I am so grateful! I wish you a month that is filled with wonderful and sweet surprises.
Happy Gratitude Month and Happy Thanksgiving!
From my heart to yours,
Donna