It’s been a doozy of a week. Personal trials over here as well as really hard stuff going on in the world. (Sending you love, Boston) These are the moments when I feel the least amount of inspiration to share a gratitude list. Thank goodness for my gratitude buddy and for this blog where I can remember how very blessed I am.
This is my gratitude list in pictures.
Feel free to leave your own list in the comments. Or, if you haven’t been matched up with a buddy, shoot me an email and I can make that happen for you! ([email protected]) I am thoroughly enjoying this public service. 
Celebrating Auntie Brig’s birthday with the boys. So grateful for dear friends.
Good graffiti that lifts your spirits. Oh, and red boots that photograph well.
The love between these boys. The love I have for these boys.
Don’t you love the Trader Joe’s stickers in the hair?
The perfect fortune that gets you through a hard time.
Nico Boon. What else is there to say?
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A friend posted something on FB this morning, that probably wasn’t even intended to be that deep, a joke about turning 40, but what I took from it is that “getting older is not a privilege that everyone gets to enjoy”. It really shifted my perspective today and I spent the next hours drowning in gratitude. I am feeling grateful to turn 40. I have been resisting my children aging as well, as their current ages are so wonderful, but especially with the shocking death of an 8-year old boy in Boston, I realize what a privilege it is to move through the phases of life together. I will now look forward to my son turning nine, knowing that to experience what lies ahead is to be lucky.
Thank you for sharing your gratitude! One day at a time, and when that’s too much, one minute will be just fine too.
Things I am grateful for:
1-This post! I come back every few days to see if you’ve posted something. I am always happy to see when there is a new post up.
2-My muscles finally feeling better after having completed a running challenge this weekend that took me across 5 relays of 8kms in the span of 30 hours (with only 15 minutes of sleep throughout the experience).
3-The beautiful sun that is shinning outside my office window and only having 1 more email to send before I get to go outside (when you come from Montreal, Canada you are Always grateful for sun!!)
I will second being grateful for this post! It always brightens my day to see there is something from Andrea to read!
Also grateful for my experiences running half marathons, it made the compassion I already felt for those folks in Boston swell. My heart is with them … the runners, the volunteers and especially those spectators … four hours on the course and then boom.
I am grateful for the chances to stumble even when they feel like trials.
I am grateful for my health even when it isn’t at its best
I am grateful for this community online that opens its heart so generously and frequently!
I am grateful I live in the city of Boston, a city of survivors that has banded together to support one another this week.
I am grateful for the job I have even on the days when it seems chaotic and more stressful than might be necessary.
I am grateful for my little 13 pound schipperke dog Kona, who is always, ALWAYS happy see me!
p.s. I have been commenting for awhile but now have a new blog!
The gratitude lists are definitely helpful on down days and are a great way to celebrate and be extra mindful of the good ones. Thanks for the idea and for the gratitude buddy!
You inspired me to do a similar post in my own blog. http://lotuslandfineart.com/velvetrope/2013/04/17/day-44056-my-gratitude-list/
A friend and I have been doing the gratitude list via email ever since you posted about it, and we both enjoy it. Thank you for the idea!
Oh Andrea – I am indebted to you once again – first Mondo Beyondo, now the gratitude list/buddy.
At the beginning of the year, I asked a blog friend to be my gratitude buddy and we’ve been writing each other daily ever since. We’ve really and truly connected and we met up ‘live’ in person when I was visiting my family in Canada recently. It was a beautiful meeting – we felt like we’ve known each toerh for ages! She wrote about our meet up (and I will also write about it in a blog post soon).
Thought I’d share it with you as you were the inspiration behind it. THANK YOU!
http://www.motheringwithmindfulness.com/2013/04/gratitude-buddy.html
Andrea, you matched me up with a gratitude buddy at the beginning of January, and she and I have been going like gang busters ever since. Not only do I have a gratitude buddy, but I have a new friend. As an serious introvert, new friends are hard to come by for me. So even though I have never met you, please know that you have touched my life in an extremely positive way. What you are doing for the world is awesome, and I am very grateful for you!!!
You. Are. Joy.
I have been a reader for some time and your words always light me up. You inspire me to connect with life in a way that is heartfelt and true. You remind me that there is so much beauty to be witnessed in our daily, ordinary lives.
Your gratitude buddy idea has been one of my faves, and I chose my husband to be my gratitude partner. In slow, sweet ways, this is helping us to connect in a much needed way.
Thank you for being you and for sharing your light.
Misty
And if you are curious… I share my “gratitude buddy” experience here… http://bumbleandbliss.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-gratitude-buddy.html
xo