The Gratitude Journal
In the morning, sit quietly, reflect on the previous day, and prepare an email with a list of three things from the prior day that you are thankful for. You can mail them to a friend or to me, Forrest@NearGrace.com. It’s important that you also forward this email to yourself. The following morning, open up the email you forwarded and add three more items.
Day by day, as you write your journal, you will come to know your memory as a gold mine and each day, as you look for them, you will find at lease three new nuggets. Every day your journal will get longer and your sense of gratitude and your prosperity will grow.
I am thankful for…
the wife who says it’s hot dogs tonight
because she is home with me, not out with someone else.
the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato
because he is home with me and not out at the bars.
the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes
because she is at home and not out on the streets.
the taxes that I pay
because it means that I am employed.
the mess to clean after a party
because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.
the clothes that fit a little too snug
because it means I have enough to eat.
my shadow that watches me work
because it means I am out in the sunshine.
for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.
for all the complaining I hear about the government
because it means that we have freedom of speech.
for the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot
because it means I am capable of walking and that I have a car.
for my huge heating bill
because it means I am warm.
for the lady behind me in church who sings off key
because it means that I can hear.
for the pile of laundry and ironing
because it means I have clothes to wear.
for weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day
because it means I have been working hard.
for the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours
because it means that I am alive.
God, THANK YOU for the grace
to seek the truth from you,
the faith to trust the answer,
and the strength to follow through