What’s there to be grateful for? If you are anything like me,  then perhaps there are things that you and your family have taken for granted.  Lots of things like: your job, your health, your family, the air you breathe, the roof over your head, your mind, your vision.

To gain awareness of all the things that make life great, I would love to challenge you to join me in creating some memorable Thanksgiving decorations for your feast, as well as an activity that that the whole family can participate in! I used Couture Cardstock’s exquisite “A Girls Best Friend” to make these, as I found myself completely inspired by the copper and silver hues that compliment the stunning Fall hues that surround us right now! I simply saved 3 paper towel rolls, cut them in half, and decorated as I desired.  After altering your rolls, glue the bottom edges to an oval cut out of heavy cardstock for balance. I personalized each with a family member’s name, allowing for these to be used for each place setting at our Thanksgiving meal.

The idea is this: Start immediately by writing something that you are grateful for. I chose a small memo book for everyone in my family to jot something down in before bed three times a week until the big feast. They are to keep these musings to themselves, because it will then be shared on Thanksgiving day. Have each member write their entry on a single piece, so that you will be able to tear it out. These don’t have to be big earth shattering revelations, as most things you are grateful for are not. These entries are what matter to you and what you are grateful for. This is a very personal venture. The idea is not to write the same thing every night, but rather that every entry should be unique from the ones before.

The only 2 rules:

1. Everything in it must be positive and;
2. You can only list something you’re grateful for once – no repeating entries.

So, as these things are written down, I encourage you to gently tear them out of the notebook, roll them like a scroll, and slip them into the person’s “Thanks-Giving” container. If you start now, you should have at least 6 things in each persons container for them to read during or after Thanksgiving dinner! One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned is remembering to be content and thankful for what we have. Why not instead learn to calm the inner whispering of discontent by looking around us, and finding things in life to be grateful for? No matter how bad sometimes we think that our lives are going, there is always something to be grateful for. Always.

I hope you have enjoyed my project, and I hope your lives are all blessed this Thanksgiving season!

xx Heidi