Becoming Grateful Day 20: Make a Gratitude Chain

Doing this will make you feel like a kid again.  I'm definitely doing this today with my kids.  I'll probably do most of the work (the kids are really little), but they LOVE it when we make chains of anything.

Think of all the awesome ideas we've already covered this month.  This is a great way to take some of those lists or notes or journal entries or pictures and put them into simple words and phrases and string them around the house.

In my search to find an awesome paper chain picture, I found this little blog post: http://adiaryof
amom.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/the-journal-and-the-paper-chain.  Here's my cool picture:

But in addition to my awesome picture, I found this part of the post worth repeating (even though it has to do with autism rather than building a gratitude chain).

"Sometimes it’s the simplest things that can make our children’s lives easier and the smallest gifts that can make them immeasurably richer."

That's what we're going to focus on when we make our paper chain of gratitude.  The simple things my kids say they are thankful for.  They'll say things like "dad" and "my buzz lightyear costume" and "curious george shows."  And as easy and silly as they might sound, they really are the things they are most grateful for.  I'll make sure we get a few serious ones and they'll love it all the same.

Maybe you're kids are old enough to challenge them to see who can make the longest chain.  Maybe they'll be so excited to hang it up that you only get about 15 links done.  And yes, you have to hang it up.  Why else would you make a paper chain?  I'm going to drape ours along the windows or something.  Maybe even down the banister.

I'll be grateful to for the moment and time spent just doing something together.  I already feel more gratitude and more happiness just thinking about it.