Visual Gratitude - December 2014

Visual Gratitude Journal for the Month of December 2014

It's a new year and my gratitudes for December reflected the feelings that come up as one year closes and the next is anticipated.

I ended 2014 with strong positive feelings for 2015... lots of optimism, a sense of infinite possibilities filled with light. I was excited and looking forward to the new year. I wasn't trying to rush through the last days of the year, but I definitely was more excited about the start of this year than I can remember feeling in prior years.

Here's some of what filled my painted gratitude journal for the month of December:

• The comforts of home as the weather gets colder: hot tea on a cool day, the ability to heat water for tea, being able to heat the house, the smell of home baked breads, muffins and cookies, wood burning stove, warm blankets, and Spring-like days in late Fall and Winter.
• The basics: clothes to wear, having shoes, a roof, sight, hearing, a bed.
• Everyday gifts of life: books, exposure to new things, a working refrigerator, a great dog, to name a few.
• Feel good things: a loving family, the gift of giving, belief and trust.
• The experience of my inner world: clarity, healing, inspiration, letting go, growth experiences.
• and so much more.

Wishing you all a joy-filled, gratitude-filled, and light-filled 2015!!! 

The other monthly gratitude journal images can be found at: Visual Gratitude Journal.

Visual Gratitude - November 2014

Visual Gratitude Journal for the Month of November 2014

I love the way gratitude is in the air throughout the month of November. With Thanksgiving taking up the rear of the month, gratitude is on the minds of many and seems to become more of a priority in people's lives. During those weeks, it feels as if the world around me becomes a gratitude bubble. I Love It!!

That bubble effect helped support and increase my feelings of appreciation for the many, many good things in life. But on top of that, there was lots to be thankful for in November, particularly the three Thanksgiving dinners we were invited to and attended. Yes, three Thanksgiving celebrations within one week (on three separate days).

We live on the west coast of the U.S., while our families are all on the east coast. So, spending the holiday with good friends is always special and very much appreciated. We are blessed with wonderful friends who we can enjoy spending time with and who make us feel so welcome. 
 
My gratitude journal image for November is filled with non tangible entries such as intuition, peace, and happiness. I felt particularly thankful for the gifts of sharing a world with others: kindness, support, and friendship, the experience of sharing, caring, and compassion, and being able to give and receive love and comfort. I also included appreciation for passion, wonder, and the WOW moments of life; for understanding, wisdom, focus, and so much more. Most of the "things" I was grateful for this past month are not "things" at all.

Hope you had much to be thankful for last month and I wish you a December filled with that which will tickle your fancy and make you smile!

The other monthly gratitude journal images can be found at: Visual Gratitude Journal.

Visual Gratitude - October 2014

Visual Gratitude Journal for the Month of October 2014

I almost forgot about posting the latest Visual Gratitude Journal for last month. What a wonderful month it was! The days of October seemed to overflow with blessings and reasons to feel grateful.

Among the many "gratitudes" that filled the month of October, were the gifts of the creative process. Creative doors seemed to open and I am so thankful for the perpetual smile I've experienced over the past four or so weeks.

Much of this month's gratitude stems from having taken the opportunity to spend time painting every Monday and doing a quick pencil drawing each day. Here are some of the stand out "gratitudes" of my month:

• the feeling of being in the creative flow, the spark of new ideas, focus and direction
• determination, inspiration, and the feeling of accomplishment
• and I am so very grateful for the joy of drawing and painting, for the paints and the drawing tools, for the time and opportunity to create, and the anticipation of my next drawing or painting session.

Wishing you a Thankful November!

The other monthly gratitude journal images can be found at: Visual Gratitude Journal.

Visual Gratitude - September 2014

Visual Gratitude Journal for the Month of September 2014

October has begun (Wow...can't believe it's already October!!) and here I am with another Visual Gratitude Journal to share. I love my growing collection of painted pages and the ability to look back on the visuals of the past 6 months of gratitude.

After a summer of travel, activities, events, and spending time out and about, September was filled with opportunities to get quiet, reconnect with my inner wisdom, and reflect on my thoughts, goals, growth, projects, and passions.

Among the many things I am grateful for in September, were the wonderful experiences of connecting to my:

• inner joy
• inner guidance
• inner strength
• inner wisdom
• inner peace
• and lots of personal insights.

I posted this on The Gratitude Facebook Page this past Friday.

There's so much to be thankful for!! Enjoy October!

All six months of the gratitude images can be found at: Visual Gratitude Journal.

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.)

Visual Gratitude - Month of July

Visual Gratitude Journal for July 2014

So much to be grateful for this past month. Many of my "gratitudes" were for people who have added to the quality of my life. I am thankful for all those who make me smile and:

• for time spent with new friends.
• for the opportunity of spending quality time in conversation and getting to know people better.
• for the large gathering of 60 or so people at our home and all the good food, warmth, and friendship shared... and for all those who helped with cleanup after that gathering.
• for the kindness of my daughter's coach and his generosity of time.
• for friends who open up their home for fun filled annual gatherings.
• for the generosity of others.
• for spontaneous "get-togethers" with people we love.
• for wonderful and friendly neighbors who I so appreciate.
• for my dentist and all who work in his office who make going to the dentist a pleasure.
• for great friends who love and care for our dog when we are away.
• for the gift of all those great telephone conversations with loving, long distance family members.
• for a loving and supportive husband and daughter and for all they do to make my world a joy.

You may resonate with some of the above. What would you include in your gratitude list today? This week? This month?

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and gratitude filled August.

(About the above image: I painted an 11" x 14" sheet of bristol board and filled it with daily gratitude for the month of July. Click Here to view all of the completed Visual Gratitude images.)

Visual Gratitude - Month of June

Visual Gratitude Journal - June 2014

I am happy to share my third month of filling a bristol board with paint and gratitude. I do love combining two of the important passions of my life.

These visual gratitude boards give me the opportunity to fill my month with paint and color and then add the many things I feel extraordinarily grateful for on top of that. The foundation of paint becomes the platform on which to record my blessings.

The July poster is already in progress and I will be back to share that with you next month. Wishing you all an excellent July.

You can view the completed monthly gratitude posters at: http://thegratitudehabitjournal.blogspot.com/search/label/visual%20gratitude


 

Visual Gratitude - Month of May

I so enjoyed the Visual Gratitude "Journal" I completed in April that I had to create another one in May. Here's what I did. I love doing these!!

Once again, I began by painting a sheet of bristol board (11" x 14") and then glued some papers and sheet music to the page. Each day, I wrote 5 things I was grateful for using an ultra fine Sharpie.

Here's what it looked like before I began to write on it. 

I'll be back to share my June Visual Gratitude sheet next month. At some point I want to try creating a months worth of weekly pages...but I'm not ready yet. I'm enjoying these monthly painted gratitude sheets too much.

Click here to view the April Gratitudes page.

A Visual Month of Gratitude

I had fun last month with gratitude. Rather than using a journal book for recording my daily gratitude, I added each day's entries to a painted page.

Before the month of April began, I painted an 11" x 14" sheet of bristol board and cut out numbers from magazines. Then each day, I glued one of the numbers in place and wrote 5 things I was grateful for that day.

This is how the board looked before I began to add my daily gratitudes:

What a fun way to keep a gratitude "journal." I loved the visual aspect of this 30 day project. I am looking forward to doing this again for May. I had the new background painted and ready to go before May 1st. You can expect to see the May Visual Gratitude page sometime during the first week of June.