It’s the one thing I long for my family to learn, live:

Gratitude.

It’s the one thing I teach by example (or lack of), a heart full of thanksgiving, overflowing on my husband, surrounding my children. They are watching, waiting. Not just for the outward, polite, mandatory “thank you.” But the grateful heart that spills out and is contagious.

Gratitude is the one thing that gets me through a hard day.

It’s about choosing to be grateful, when I want to complain, opting for thanksgiving when I long to whine, it’s looking for the good when it all feels bad. The best kind of gratitude is when I don’t feel it at all.

It’s not just the gratefulness for new things, a comforter on sale for my daughter’s bed brings praise, “thank you, Mom!” It’s thankfulness in the trials, the hard times, the difficult spots we find ourselves. These are the moments that define us: digging deep when gratitude isn’t easy.

Thankfulness isn’t inherited. It often doesn’t come easy. It needs to be practiced, made a priority.

Gratitude is what will change our home.

How to Stir Up Thanksgiving in Your Family:

• Record your gratitude-write it down!
• Read past entries aloud
• Reflect on the day, the good and bad. We “play” highs and lows. What is your high for the day. How can we encourage each other in the lows.
• Reinforce-no gratitude is too small.
• Resolve to give thanks, in all things

As we head into fall, I’m excited about this new family resource to help cultivate gratitude as we move towards the Thanksgiving season. It’s called the  12 Day Holiday Countdown by Dayspring.

I believe it has the potential to be a very meaningful family tradition. I love it because it’s perfect for the entire family, from the smallest to the oldest. It’s multi-functional and it’s designed to be used at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter with corresponding story blocks and scripture!

Each small box holds a card for the day and corresponds with the included guidebook. You can add a slip of paper or small treat to the box as you countdown to Thanksgiving (Christmas and Easter).

Sample Text from guidebook:

THANKSGIVING

Day #1 FRIENDS
We’re thankful for friends.I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his

master’s business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I

learned from My Father I have made known to you.  John 15:15 NIVGod is a friend to us.What does it mean to be God’s friend?