teaching gratitude with our grateful garland

Last year at a playdate with my good friend Lori, I noticed a cute garland on her banister.  She told me it was her "grateful garland".  I was intrigued.  Everyday beginning in the month of November until Thanksgiving, at bedtime prayers, her family adds something they are grateful for to the garland.  I knew I would be stealing her idea this year now that Ty might have some clue what is going on (thanks, Lori!!).

On Sunday night, as a family, we hung the garland and we explained to Ty what it meant to be thankful--that he is so happy to have something (in his language).  Right away he said he was thankful for church...REALLY?! Ok, although it melted my heart, this is the kid that needs to be taken to the back every Sunday, this is the kid that typically raises our blood pressure every Sunday morning as we get ready for mass, this is the kid that made us decide to take a break from going as a family to church for a while.... but, hey, I will take it.

I wrote "We are thankful for" on the first flag and wanted Ty to be fully involved so I told him to write it. Well, this time he was thankful for Mommy and Daddy.  I thought that maybe this was more realistic of something that he was actually thankful for and he was the one who changed his mind, so we went with it.

In my opinion we had a successful first day of gratitude.  And what an easy way to teach what gratitude is! We will see how the next 25 days of the Grateful Garland go!
Thank God for little ideas and can make a big difference!