Ok you guys, let's have it. What are you grateful for? You're cat's miraculous disinterest in shredding your furniture. Your short commute to work. Your local gym having awesome kickboxing classes. Your ability to draw or dance or sing. Your parents. Your kids. Gratitude is the key to living a peaceful existence. It keeps us from wishing things were different or thinking that they should be a certain way. It opens our hearts for more good to come in and even more good to go out. It's a the stuff of life. It can be as effective as prayer and grounding as meditation. It can change your life.
So now that it's the end of the year, take a look back and share what you're grateful for. Everyone who comments will be entered to win a hand-made sketch book from me and made by me (pictured above). Yes, a hand-cut, hand-bound, made-with-love sketchbook. Use it for sketching, keeping notes, writing recipes, to-do's lists, or even better, as a gratitude journal;) It's up to you.
What You Gotta Do To Enter
I'd like you to share at least 3 things you're grateful for. Nope, one is not enough. Three. Or more!
Enter by December 13th. Winner will be drawn at Noon, Central Time.
Leave your email with your comment so I don't have to backtrack through your blog to find your contact info (not that I mind, but time is short these days, so make it easy for me please:)
Ok, go!
What a wonderful contest! I have a gratitude journal I write in every day. It really puts things in perspective for you. Three things that I am grateful for every day are:
ReplyDelete1. A home that is warm and safe.
2. My family & friends who enlighten me and challenge me every day.
3. The sun. Corny I know, but when you've lived in Alaska, you realize how precious that sunlight is. :)
Happy Holidays! Loni
Yay, contests! ^-^
ReplyDeleteThree things for which I am grateful... hmmmm... *scratches head*
1) It snowed today which made my dog and her mates extra giddy and playful on their walk!
2) The ability of music to remove us from ourselves and alter our perceptions.
3) The gift of a new day and even a new moment with which to start afresh!
That's me done ^-^ hollymixtures AT hotmail DOT com :)
1- I am grateful for Facebook and the internet and how I have connected with and made lot's of new friends to chat with, share with and learn from!
ReplyDelete2- I am grateful that I have my parents here on Earth with me to still talk with and enjoy their presence in my life.
3-I am grateful for my warm and comfortable home where I feel safe and loved.
Hmm.... must add a fourth- I am very grateful to have a skill and a talent with to express and support myself financially.
e-mail: lynmartin06@comcast.net
Cyn, thank you for allowing me to talk just briefly about my amazing year. What follows are the top three things I am grateful for:
ReplyDelete1. I am grateful that my wife and I have reconciled just three days before our divorce would have been final. For the past year we put each other and our two amazing children through things no family should go through but we are now truly in love like never before and it grows each day.
2. I am grateful for the new outlook on life I have because of me listening to myself and what my soul has been trying to say for years. I finally fell silent enough to listen to me and the happiness of my being shines through to everyone I meet. I am grateful that I finally got out of my own way and allowed myself to see the true me and all of a sudden the world looks perfect and the future is bright.
3. I am grateful for the love I am able to give to everyone I meet directly or indirectly. It is only in connecting as individuals that we better ourselves and move this human endeavor forward and only in self improvement do we better the world around us. I am so grateful I have been given the gift of love and that others are able to do the same so that each of us may give and receive love for that is truly the reason we all live.
Again, thank you Cyn.
Shawn D. Ross
shawnross@me.com
www.sdrinspire.com
ahhh you beat me to it Cyn...I have a whopper of a giveaway planned for the new year...hope you will take part in it:) I would LOVE one of your books for my collection!!!
ReplyDeleteI am so grateful for my family...
I am so grateful for art making and all the people it connects you too...
I am so grateful that I can wake up everyday and see the sunshine, meet with friends, make art,
live in beautiful surroundings, have a great job....mmmm,,,guess I am really grateful aren´t I.
Have a wonderful day CYN..........
1)First and foremost, I am grateful for 4 amazing, talented, loving kids that are resilient and joyful, even through the toughest times!
ReplyDelete2)For a fun and interesting job, I see too many wonderful people who can't find work, so having my flexible fun & interesting part time job, makes me grateful.
3)Friends who are there, for not only the celebrations and joyous times, but the tough and trying ones too!
4)Family (including my cats with their miraculous disinterest in shredding my furniture)
5)Talent (my children have talents and passions for their talents that keep me rejuvenated and inspired daily)
email: skrunchey@gmail.com
Oh! How fun!!!
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for:
*the opportunity to wake up every day and set to work doing what I LOVE
*being a stay at home/ work from home Mom enabling me to have a very close relationship with my children and husband
*I am SOOOOO grateful to have crossed paths and journeyed with some of the best people I could ever meet - I've learned so much from others generosity and love
and..........................
I am grateful for dark chocolate fudge brownies fresh from the oven xoxoxo
ACK!! And my email is JLNilsson.art@gmail.com (sorry, Cyn, heehee!)
ReplyDelete1. Paper, I'm glad I have so much and that it's easy to get a hold of so I can draw!
ReplyDelete2. My family
3. Flip flops.
and um, water, snow, fall, my computer, dr who, jeremy, lunch, seeing things...
manellelovestodraw(at)yahoo(dot)com
3 Things I am grateful for:
ReplyDelete1) My son, I cannot believe how much being a Dad has enriched my life.
2) I have good relationship with my father. Met him at 25 and my life is better because of it.
3) I have made an effort to be an artist, I am grateful to the support from my wife and I feel so much more fulfilled since I have made a decision to be an artist.
Thank you to everyone for all the beautiful entries and thoughts so far! Keep 'em coming!
ReplyDelete1.) My health. Watching my Mum battling cancer makes me realize that when you are healthy, you have it all
ReplyDelete2.) My family and good friends as without them, life would be a scary place.
3.) Enjoying really good chocolate and coffee. I want to enjoy the little things in life. That is the most important thing.
I am grateful for my son's laugh, my husband's arms around me, the joy of inspiration and creation, and a billion other things.
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for:
ReplyDelete* a daily dose of hugs and kisses (given and taken) from my family
* love and support from my husband
* listening to my daughter's playing music every night
* my mom and dad who are able to visit us almost every year
* having two places in my heart I call "home" America and Ukraine
* my friends
* my mother-in-law kind words said to me yesterday
* my singing dog
* my imperfect English and my native Ukrainian and Russian......
...................................................................................................
* for this post and hope to win that darn cute sketchbook!!
starikova@me.com
Becky, so true.Good health is a blessing not to be taken for granted. I don't remember a time in my life when my mom wasn't ill with something or another. She's in constant pain. It's heartbreaking to watch our mom's suffer.
ReplyDeleteToday I'm grateful for the beautiful snow on the ground because it reminds me that ski season is here! I'm grateful for my husband Ian who continually inspires me, challenges me, and who is one heck of an awesome musician/songwriter! I'm also grateful that my parents don't live too far away. It's nice to be near them:)
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for a lot of things: my husband, my dog, my safe and warm home, and my health. No complaints here!
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for:
ReplyDeleteHugs and kisses from my wife, 5 kids and 6+ grandkids.
The opportunity to use my talents
Friends ( Near and far)
Being surrounded by God’s beautiful creation. (even Chicago snow!)
Prayer (my hotline to God)
My sense of humor
Sketch contest book entry...
ReplyDeleteHi Im John Soukup
Im thankful for...
1) My hands... they can do lots of cool things, sometimes my art turns out pretty cool
2) baseball... i love the history of the stats, all teh numbers... how you can almost predict the future based on past occurances,, this guy hits .288 with runners in scoring position when its a night game, on natutral grass, when its a weekend game....
3) Girls with short haircuts- well simply i love it...
kettleart@gmail.com
I'm grateful for :
ReplyDelete1. Being alive. Life is short, and I try to live it as if it were my last.
2. My family. They are my steel support!
3. Living in the US - despite the ugliness between parties, which is nothing compared to the true ugliness of some governments.
All the best Cyn!
John, gratitude for working body parts is essential! Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteToday I'm grateful for being able to bake holiday cookies (that turned out delicious!), for my cat Tucker who constantly fills me with joy, and for Blogger, because it's pretty darn cool (and free!)
ANNOUNCEMENT: Lyn is the lucky winner! I pulled her name from a hat (well, a box actually) yesterday as promised. I wanted to make a video but there simply wasn't time with all the holiday preparations and festivities. I'll be having another give away soon! Thank you to EVERYONE for you beautiful, honest, candid replies. Gratitude is a favorite subject of mine, and I'm very grateful to each of your commenting!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Lyn!