So last week I wrote about developing a grateful calendar, and here is what I came up with. I don’t think it’s too bad. It’s not the worst think you’ll ever see buy it also isn’t the best either. The Fall leaves are hand drawn;Â I didn’t use a stencil. Behind each panel is something that I’m grateful for:
The first seven days I have uncovered my sister driving a tractor, a Tai Chi retreat I attended years ago, my sister playing the piano, my brave friend and her sons, the son of the very first family that hired my services, Babysitters In a Pinch, LLC, beautiful flowers that I took a picture of more than 30 years ago, and my lovely cat, Opey. When looking at this first 7 days of my grateful calendar I’m flooded with positive thoughts, love, gratefulness, and it brings recollections of all of the wonderful blessings I’ve been able to take part in.
The first picture of my sister driving a tractor makes me grateful for the lightheartedness my family shares. We love being silly and my sister can be one of the silliest people I know even when she is 11 years older than me.
The second picture brings to mind all of the wonderful experiences I’ve taken part in my life. I took a Tai Chi class for several years and I got the opportunity to go to this retreat because someone had registered to go but ended not being able to attend so she donated her spot to me. This was a class I couldn’t afford and it was a wonderful place and time.
The third picture is my sister playing the piano which brings back a wonderful memory of my sister and I making our own Christmas tape every year with her playing the piano and both of singing carols. We would record it on a tape recorder and keep all of the mistakes, and tons of laughter because of all the silly things we would do.
The fourth picture is of my friend and her sons. My friend had her first son out of wed lock and her second one she got when she went to a sperm bank because she loved being a mom so much and wanted a sibling for her firstborn. These boys are now in their early twenties and late teens. At the time she had decided to make the decisions she did this way of having children wasn’t acceptable but she did it anyway. She is and was very brave and I’m super grateful for her example and friendship in my life.
The rest of the week’s pictures all have meaning behind the picture and the pictures aren’t just pictures to me. This project has been so much fun, and heart filling that I’m grateful that I thought of doing this. Just looking at my pictures old and new I got more and more filled with love and gratitude. I can’t wait to uncover the rest of the calendar.
There are other ways to do this calendar if you were wanting to do one. I found a little cardboard drawer chest at a hobby store that you could paint, leaves etc on it and then put things your grateful for in each drawer this year and then next year open each drawer and be reminded of all the things you were grateful for next year.
I hope you decide to make it a month of gratefulness and do something similar to remind you of how very blessed you are, and how you really have more than you ever thought possible, and while you’re doing this so will your children.
