Last year I started a Gratitude Journal. I planned to write down at least one thing I was grateful for every day. I was looking for the discipline of a daily practice that grounded me to what is good in my life and gave me the chance to connect to how much that goodness comes from something larger than myself.

I won’t lie. . . I didn’t write every day (I’m going back to fill those pages this year!), but I remember the days that I did. I remember that sometimes I wrote lots of things, and sometimes I wrote only one; sometimes it came easily, and other times it did not. I remember that either way, the process forced my mind to slow down and keep things simple. I remember that most of my entries were about things for which I am not responsible, or at least not completely. And since I wrote at night, I also remember sleeping well those nights!

There is plenty of research on the connection between gratitude and happiness—some of those experts and studies are found in this article, Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier, published by Harvard Health Publishing. The connection between gratitude and happiness was part of the teens’ inspiration behind this year’s Project Happiness gifts for their younger peers. We hope it sparked that connection for your children. The article also has some good practical suggestions to cultivate gratitude beyond the holidays. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving.

With so much gratitude,

Laura