The Gratitude Challenge

Last year was a really hard year for our family and many, many bad things happened to us. Sometimes it seemed like more bad than good. But we just weren't looking close enough. There were amazing things happening all around us. So many amazing things came out of our bad year. And now in hindsight I am grateful for all the things we went through and I wouldn't change any of them. The exception to that being the death of my father in law.

So since things have calmed down my mind has been processing all the amazing things and the gratitude that I feel is overwhelming. I have been trying to think of the right ways to let all the people around me know just how much they have meant to me but nothing seemed big enough.

Today I figured it out.

I think that as people we are guilty of recognizing the crap in our lives and dwelling there. It's cozy. I think that for some reason it's harder to say "Thank you" than it is to say "That sucks". So I figured out a way to flip it all around and change that for myself. I am challenging myself to identify just who I am grateful for and to let them know just how much they have meant to me. And I want to see how many of you will take this change with me.

Here's the idea. I will pick one person (or place such as my church)each day in March and I will send them a hand written note (preferable) or email detailing why I am grateful for them, how they have been a blessing to me, and offering to return the favor to them if they ever need me. I'm going to start my list and letters now so that I am more likely to meet my goal of one a day. I will not let anyone know that I am doing this outside of my readers as I want these people to know this is sincere. I don't want them thinking they are just another name to put on the list as my intentions are true here.

My hope is that by the end of March I will have let 31 people know how special they are. I want to put good out into the world like these people did for me. Then in April I'll let you all know what an impact it had on them and me.

Who is willing to commit to take this challenge with me?

I wanna be a Duggar

Before bed rest I rarely got a moment to sit, let alone create a solid TV viewing schedule outside of Sprout & Disney! But now I get to enjoy all that the land of cable has to offer! And I have to say that one of my biggest inspirations lately have been the Duggar Family whose show "19 Kids & Counting" airs on TLC. I've caught their show before and have admired them and their ability to handle so many children. I believe that God will give you no more than you can bare. God must know- I CANNOT BARE 19 CHILDREN! Three is good for me. But these people are made for the job! And the fact that they home school?!?!?! If I had 19 children I would have a daily countdown calender for each one for their first day of kindergarten! I'd be waiting for the bus an hour before it is scheduled to arrive their first day! But these two parents handle their brood with grace, love, and a patience I find remarkable and admirable!

If you follow the Duggars you may know that in December Michelle delivered their 19th baby at 24 weeks due to pre-eclampsia (a condition the mother endures that raises her blood pressure to unsafe levels and the only way to save mother and baby is delivery). Although I don't have pre-eclampsia, I can relate to the feelings of deciding to deliver early, trying to keep baby alive, and the stresses it puts on every member of the family. To watch this family function during their crisis (which they chose to share with us) should be a lesson to us all. Although the stress was clearly visible as Jim Bob prepared to go into surgery with Michelle for her C-Section, he gave praises the whole way. Through the surgery, months in the NICU, and the relocation of their whole family to be closer to the hospital, this family has displayed the type of faith that many of us struggle to find in tough times.

While I have days and weeks of depression during my journey through bed rest, I question why this is happening and how we will make it through. Meanwhile, the Duggars make it through the months of watching their youngest daughter, Josie, struggle for her life in the NICU with out a course word. They simply offer praise, kind words, and gratitude. The words "precious", "sweet", & "Thankful" are part of their every day vocabulary. They praise God for the gifts as well as the challenges He has given and each day they have with Josie. An amazing thing in light of their situation. And not something all of us could do.

So I wanna be a Duggar. I want the words that come out of my mouth to be full of praise and gratitude even- no, especially on the toughest days. I want to see God's lessons and blessings even when they aren't immediately apparent to me. I once heard on a radio sermon that tough times are like thunder storms. When you are standing in the middle of the storm and lightning and thunder are crashing down all around you, it's a scary place and you can't see a bit of beauty through the fear. But once that storm moves off onto the horizon, you can stand back and appreciate the beauty of that storm. I need to learn to appreciate the storm while it rains. I need to understand the precious gifts God is handing me while the thunder crashes down. the Duggars have figured out how to do this. They are raising some amazing children who, I feel, will be a blessing to the world as they grow and move out on their own. And they are, in ways they don't realize, providing parenting to many of us parents watching their show as they navigate the challenges of life with love, gratitude and faith.