An Attitude of Gratitude

In place of a High Five for Friday post tomorrow, I'm posting my annual November Gratitude Journal today. Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation of all abundance.     ~ Eckhard Tolle 

~

November 1: I'm grateful for my phone alarm, without which I would never make it to all of the things on my calendar...a statement which was proven true today when I completely missed a meeting because I failed to set my phone alarm to remind me about it.

November 2: I'm grateful for car therapy sessions and friends to hold them with.

November 3: You've heard the phrase, "when someone shows you who they are, believe them," right? I'm grateful my current stage of my life and state of mind allows me to do this.

November 4: I'm grateful for cake, especially when cake makes big problems feel less daunting.

November 5: I'm grateful that when you have teenagers, family photo sessions run a lot more smoothly than when you have toddlers.

November 6: I'm grateful both that I didn't get picked for jury duty and that I had an opportunity to learn a little bit more about how our judicial system works.

November 7: I'm grateful we once again have a working microwave! 

November 8: I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to tackle a little nonprofit leadership professional development for the first time in years.

November 9: I'm grateful for this little pipsqueak - she's a handful, but a fun handful. 

November 10: I'm grateful the temperatures finally dropped, both because I love fall and because the air conditioner in my car is broken...

November 11: I'm grateful for a fantastic Nutcracker run-through today. This is going to be a spectacular show! (Get your tickets now!)

November 12: I'm grateful for the generous and hardworking group of volunteers - as well as a fun, flexible, and talented photography team - who helped us get through Nutcracker portrait day. The day was LONG but the I know the finished images will be spectacular!

November 13: I'm thankful for my handy hubby, who spent most of yesterday and part of today installing our new dishwasher (which involved troubleshooting a space gap between the dishwasher and the cabinets and doing so with a less-than-helpful helper).

November 14: I'm grateful for my mom, who is always willing to help, no matter the situation.

November 15: I'm grateful for my kids' high school, as well as the school's administration, teachers, and staff who pour so much of themselves into the students and are so tremendously committed to providing "their" kids incredible opportunities inside and outside the classroom. 

November 16: I'm grateful that saying goodbye to foster kittens has gotten easier. As Hallie and I dropped Gray off at the vet this morning, we were able to give her a kiss and wish her a good life...and walk away without tears, knowing that letting her go to her forever family frees up our family for most animals in need. We've come a long way from saying goodbye to our first fosters.

Hallie, sobbing crocodile tears into the
cage as she said goodbye to our first litter.

Came across this pic while searching for the
one above. My goodness the girls - snuggling Lilo
and Mahalo from that first litter - were itty bitty...

November 17: I'm grateful for my heating pad. 

November 18: I'm grateful for our earliest evening (our earliest arrival home after rehearsals, games, etc.) in months - a great way to kick off Thanksgiving break!

November 19: I'm grateful for great (albeit crazy) outreach performances to kick off Nutcracker performance season!

November 20: I'm grateful for a leisurely morning at home, brought to you (me) by two rescheduled meetings and a light rain which have allowed me to delay my walk in favor of drinking coffee and working on blog posts. 

November 21: I'm grateful the majority of our Christmas decorations are up before Thanksgiving!

November 22: I'm grateful for 45 years on this earth.

"Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many."

I'm also grateful for all of the birthday phone calls, texts, emails, and Facebook messages I received. Social media has its downfalls, but allowing - even encouraging - users to make sure family members, friends, and acquaintances feel loved on their birthdays (and supported through times of crisis) is not one of them.

November 23: I'm grateful for the opportunity to take what I've learned this month out into the world with me.

"Thanksgiving is the language of heaven." 

~

No HFFF post this week, friends. Enjoy your long weekend and I'll "see" you next Tuesday!