A friend shared with me the idea of a gratitude or “blessings” jar about a month ago. She’d seen the idea on Facebook and said she had done one the year before. Since I have been looking for ways to change my thinking or rather my focus, I thought “what a great idea!” In the month since she sparked the idea, however, Christmas came and New Years went, and I spent two weeks coughing and feeling rather yucky. So running out to the store to find a jar for my blessings didn’t sound very appealing. But when the cough was extending to the two-week mark, I bundled for the blustery weather and headed to the store for every wellness item and cough suppressant and cold remedy I could find. And…I took time to look for a big mason jar or a container of some sort. Here is a picture of my end result.
I found a large jar, bigger than I’d seen in canning jars, bought a small stack of post-it-type notes and set it in the middle of our kitchen table. To add a bit of appeal to the jar, I topped it with my Yankee Candle candle topper. Now anyone who visits can write something they are thankful for on the paper and drop it in the jar.
The goal is to do this daily for a the whole year, then look back and read the notes at year’s end. I’m not sure how faithful I will be, and there will surely be days I will miss, but I think it’s a good way to help us go from a negative/complaining/critical or otherwise less-than-cheerful spirit to one of gratitude and thanksgiving and praise to God for who He is, for how He loves us, and for the blessing of knowing Him. Oh, and it is good to also thank Him for the many things He gives us, most especially the grace to live each day for His glory.
I’ve always been kind of a glass-half empty kind of girl. But this year, I want my cup to run over with gratitude and joy. How about you? Want to join me?
