Visual Gratitude - Month of August

Visual Gratitude Journal for the Month of August 2014

August was another month filled with gratitude. I love being able to look back on my visual gratitude posters and see the richness and volume of so much appreciation. And as I look at this month's poster, I am aware of how much more I have to be grateful for than the things I have included on that image. In essence, what I see before me, at the end of each month, is only a smidgen of my gratitude... and that knowledge makes my heart feel so full.

This past month was filled with gratitude for the joys of summer; like gardening and the gifts the garden yields, hiking, camping, concerts, travel, and precious time with far away family. I am thankful for the great weather and all the time spent outdoors.

It was impossible to ignore the beneficial impact of technology on our lives, during this past month:

• We were hoping to go camping for the three day Labor Day weekend but no campsites were available anywhere we looked. My husband called and left a message at a place we have visited in the past, just in case they happened to have an empty space. Later that day, while we were on a 3 hour hike in the woods, he received a phone call, letting him know that there was indeed an empty spot. We were able to book the campsite right there in the middle of the woods. This just wowed me.
• On our camping trip to a lake in California, I was able to give my parent's, in New York, a tour of our pop-up camper and the campsite... thanks to the iPhone and the ability to Face time. They were thrilled and I was wowed once again.
• While we were out whale watching earlier in the month, I was able to capture photos of those amazing animals and share the experience with family while out on a boat in the Monterey Bay. 
• While driving hours away from home, we were able to easily speak to friends, thanks to the miracle of the Bluetooth device. We had a crystal clear connection in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.
•  I am wowed that a phone can be so mobile and taken anywhere and everywhere. That fact in itself is quite a miracle. But, having a phone that takes great photos as well, adds to the WOW factor. Then you add the text ability, music player capability, internet access, WiFi, and this couldn't get much more remarkable. I couldn't be more thankful for the technological advancements that have occurred during my lifetime. (and I haven't even mentioned the miracle of computers, laptops, iPads, Nooks and Kindles and more.)

There's so much to be thankful for!!

Check out my other monthly Visual Gratitude Journal images. (I began creating them back in April 2014.)