A True Sense of Gratitude

I am grateful for so many things in my life, and although I may complain about stuff from time to time, I truly know that I am a blessed person. I have a supportive family, an education, good friends and so much more. And although I always try to stay focused on these things in my life, I think Thanksgiving just gives us a special opportunity to reflect on what we are truly grateful for.

The ability to just slow down our hectic lives once in awhile, and enjoy the small things that bring us pleasure, is a blessing in itself. For many years I was just unable or incapable of doing that, but now that I am a wife and a mother I truly enjoy those simple pleasures that life has to offer. I especially love those little things that make my son giddy with excitement. One of the ways I have been nurturing this excitement is by creating little traditions for each holiday that he experiences. This is all so new to him, since this is the first year he is really enjoying and getting the holidays, and we have plenty of time to build on them. But one of my simple traditions, and one that my mom has passed down to me, is just decorating the house for the holidays. Yesterday, Zolie was running around the house yelling "Happy-ween" and pointing to all the pumpkins we have out for decoration. It was adorable. So, now that Happy ween is behind us I'm trying to think up special ways to commemorate Thanksgiving. I'm thinking of putting a scrapbook together with pictures of the family at dinner and ask everyone to write down a few things that they are grateful for and incorporate that into the book-- I'm still working out the details though.

I've been working on a few Thanksgiving cards that I plan to send out to friends and family, just to remind them how special they really are. I think it's going to be a nice surprise because we don't usually send cards for Thanksgiving. I just think that the sentiment that this time of year conveys is perfect for hand made cards and I also love the color pallet of the autumn so that fits in lovely as well.

I found the sentiment for the first card on the Pursuit of CraftYness blog. I just love it and it really speaks to me on a personal level. I know my photos are pretty awful (I'm still really new at this) and I am working out a way to improve on them-- mainly I need a better light source. It's been exceptionally wet and rainy hear for the last week, so that's not helping. Anyway, the sentiment reads; "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." That just rings so true, and it's one of those quotes that I'm sure I'll find myself reflecting on throughout the year.