Rampages of Gratitude

Sweet Thing No. 3

Every night, my son and I write in our "gratitude journal" before we go to sleep. The journal itself is nothing special, just a 5-1/2 x 3-1/2 spiralbound notebook, but the practice is quite special indeed. It's a great way for us to end the day on a positive note, thinking about the bounty that's a part of our lives, even on very long, very stressful days. On those days, one of my entries may just be that I'm grateful the day is over and that I'm going to bed. In writing that, I remind myself to be grateful that I have a bed to lie in and a warm place to sleep.

Talking with Shawn about what he's grateful for so that I can write it down for him helps me understand who he is. Who and what he thinks is important. Of course, I'm happy on the nights when he lists all the fun things we did during the day, or takes the opportunity to share something that happened at school, but I'm equally happy when he takes the opportunity to share something he wasn't grateful for so we can talk about it, find out what he's unhappy about, and turn it around.

The journal is full of artwork, pictures Shawn asks me to draw after we talk, words Shawn asks me to write. It's a little sketchbook of our lives.

Our "gratitude journals" – and we're on our third - will be treasured keepsakes for me. I hope they will be for Shawn, as well. And while I do hope in his older years, he will read them and gain insight into the person who is his mother, I'm not depending on it. The daily practice of love and communication that is a part of our lives should do that well enough.

'Nuff said.

Coming soon ... "The Route"