Gratitude List: Week of 10/18/15

A few years ago I was trying to focus on "positive" things and started a Gratitude List. I used to keep a hard-journal and would write a few things a day that I was grateful for. I've totally gotten away from that because I haven't kept up hand-writing for a few years now. To be honest, I miss hand-writing! But the truth is, it's very time consuming and I'm so busy lately. With my down time, I'd rather read a book -- or watch a show. I don't watch much TV, just a few hours/week. I do read almost every single day for at least an hour. These are kind of my "escape" from all my hard work for the day and my way of relaxing.

I attended Dave Ramsey's Smart Conference. When I have time, I'm going to be writing a blog entry on my experience. Also, I have a bunch of take-a-ways and things I want to implement/change in my life. I LOVED this event. 

One of the speakers was Dave Ramsey's daughter, Rachel Cruze. I have to admit, I wasn't that familiar with her prior to the conference. I was very impressed with her speaking ability and with the message that she was conveying (which I'll get into more when I write my blog about the Smart Conference). 

One of the things that resonated with me was that she mentioned she kept a "Gratitude List" on her smart phone in her Notes app. For some reason, it never dawned on me to keep my list on my phone... even though when I had another phone I did indeed keep a list of affirmations and gratitude's on there. I don't know why I got away from it! 

When I heard her speak about it, a light bulb went off for me -- I need to do this! Rachel Cruze said she kept a running list of things she was grateful for and she just kept adding to it. She would read through her list every morning and make sure she didn't have any "repeats". Rachel also mentioned that the longer you keep a list, it can be hard to keep adding to it because all the most noticeable stuff is at the top. So, you really had to think about it. 

After the conference, I started my very own Gratitude List on my iPhone in my Notes app. I thought it would be nice to share my list on my Blog, possibly on a weekly basis. Still thinking how it can all work out. I've started with adding 1-3 things a day. 

This week, I am Grateful for: 

• Little Guy 
• Sunday mornings cuddling with Little Guy 
• Baby Munchkin's smiles 
• Sleep (when I can get it!)  
• My House 
• Hearing Little Guy's voice first thing in the morning
• Hearing Little Guy say, "I lul lu" aka I love you :) 
• Working from home 
• Reading books 
• Listening to Audio books 
• 2nd Chances 
• Having the opportunity to improve my life 
• Being a foster parent
• Being a soon-to-be adoptive parent 

What are you grateful for in your life?