Writing about Gratitude

I am hoping that this blog will be a way to come together to focus and share gratitude for all that we have and enjoy. So many of us have talked about the power of positive thoughts and feelings and yet it seems we don't take the time to share those positive thoughts with each other often enough. We always seem to share our frustrations with our friends and family but forget or hesitate to share our joys and triumphs.

My hope is that you will join in this online gratitude journal by posting your best things and then go a step further and invite your friends and family members to share in this blog and post their best things. By doing this not only are we helping ourselves by focusing on what we are grateful for, we are also helping each other by building connections and sharing joy.

My inspiration for starting this comes first from Judith Gould's presentation on writing and the idea of being writers outside of work just for our own pleasure. Her discussion of blogs and authentic writing for students led me to a renewed interest in Blogger. While creating and updating our elementary school blogs I used the profile interest search in Blogger to find blogs with a variety of interests. It didn't take long to discover several that inspired me. The Mill Yard is a personal blog by a mother new to rural New Hampshire who shares stories with an engaging writing voice, her postings are both interesting and entertaining, she also made me wish that I too, was a writer. I especially enjoyed her post about her experience in buying their house.

The Happiness Project blog by Gretchen Rubin first resonated on a personal level in giving me ideas and tips to find happiness in my life but then made me want to go a step further and connect with others. Finally, over lunch at the Olive Garden, Bella asked what my best part of the day was, it was of course lunch at the Olive Garden with Shannon and Bella! So the combination of hearing a fellow educator talk about the importance of writing, my discovery of the inviting lure of blogs and Bella's great question led me to the idea of creating and sharing a gratitude blog with all of you. I hope you will join me!