There is always, ALWAYS, something to be grateful for.
But dig deeper than the 2 second, routine statements of gratitude we see everywhere. What does YOUR gratitude look like? Join us on a journey to experience the fullness of gratitude in November.
Being grateful is not just about looking at the rainbows and sunshine and coating everything in glitter. You know what that’s called? Unhealthy denial of reality! Being grateful is being ACTIVE. Read this thought from Dave Willis’ article “7 Traits that Separate ‘Good’ Marriages from ‘Great’ Marriages”
Great Marriages always have contentment but never have complacency.
Contentment means choosing to always be thankful for what you already have whether it’s a little or a lot. Great couples have an “attitude of gratitude” for all they’ve already got, but they refuse to get on autopilot and stop dreaming new dreams together. They’re content, but never complacent. They’re thankful, but always moving forward together to reach new heights.
So for this 30 Days of Thanksgiving I challenge you to ditch the traditional, expected, too easy to spill out of your mouth responses like
“I’m thankful for my family….and my health….and we don’t have much but we’re all here together.”
Dig deeper. What’s in your soul? For what are you truly eternally grateful? Be specific. Savor the thought. Enjoy the fullness of gratitude in your heart. Replay events from the past that could have gone in the wrong direction but did not. Linger in waves of gratitude. And while you are there, make notes of the areas that get under your skin or give you that sour taste in your mouth. Those are great indicators of spaces in your life that need some exploration and change (i.e. good new years resolution to attack!)
Like me, you might be really worn out with these social media challenges. A photo a day. One word that begins with your first initial. Those are so superficial. Let’s get real. Let’s truly seek change. And for the record, let’s NOT do these things in this summary of the “Don’ts Of Practicing Gratitude”
- Don’t overdose on gratitude. (keeping it real helps with that)
- Don’t focus on feeling grateful for someone or something who isn’t worthy (only you can be the judge there…..choose love first but know it may not always be reciprocated)
- Don’t use gratitude to avoid a serious problem (TALK PEOPLE!!!)
- Don’t downplay your own successes through excessive gratitude (yes, we said it. toot your own horn! It feels good!)
- Don’t mistake gratitude for indebtedness (oh, that guilt trip. Drop it like it’s hot.)
So….here we go.
Let’s all take a deep reflective exercise of sincere gratitude in our marriages. Watch for our daily posts during November on Facebook from Firefighter Wife.
Be ready to fall in love with your spouse over and over again this November.
Let’s take 30 Days to focus on Marriage Gratitude
Watch for our daily posts during November on Facebook from Firefighter Wife.
The 30 Days of Thanksgiving for my Marriage is complete with a FREE PRINTABLE. Please click and save this printable and use it to leave your spouse small tokens of thanks…
