I had an “off” day yesterday. Perhaps it was the weather–cool, dreary, cloudy, raining. I had a nagging headache most of the day, yet I was restless and couldn’t settle on anything. I forgot to write my Thankful Thursday entry.

There is so much out there about the value of keeping a gratitude journal. I have a bunch of journals, notebooks, and planners. I’ve tried bullet journals. I have a faith-based Happy Planner for keeping sermon notes and notes from my Bible reading; I have another one for keeping track of my life. And then there is the Passion Planner I use for planning my writing and blogging. There is another notebook I’m using for the Here: Five Things Fall 2023 lists (Liz Lamareaux has these “classes” or workshops or whatever you want to call them periodically. I did the Summer Five Things in June.) I have another sort-of bullet journal for other stuff: my top three goals or priorities for the week, a master list of “to-dos” and errands, a running gratitude list, and pages for other lists: playlists of songs I’ve listened to that hit me, lists of books I’m reading and want to read–those kinds of things. I wonder what my children will think when they see these notebooks and planners!

Today, I’m listing five things I am grateful for:

1. Rain. It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had a good soaking rain, and although the growing season is over, the earth still needs replenishing. I love the sound of falling rain.
2. Books–I can’t go too many days without reading something. I confess that I’m a benge reader. If I discover a series that I like, I will read all the books in that series until I reach the end of the published ones. The same goes for authors I like.
3. Walks–I went for a walk through a local state park. It was a cool afternoon. I wore long sleeves, but ended up pushing them up over my elbow before I finished. I had the camera as well, and took pictures. I loved the peace and the solitude.
4. Sunshine–the sun is out today for the first time since Tuesday or Wednesday. There is clarity in the air as if the rain scrubbed the atmosphere clean.
5. Quiet–That goes along with the solitude. In the quiet, I can hear things that often get lost in the noise of the world around me. In the early mornings, I can listen to the chorus of birds. As I walk, I hear the rustle of the leaves in the trees. Of course, since there is the pond in the backyard, there are the frogs and other insects.

Keeping these lists does have a way of making me mindful of the present. Hopefully today will be better than yesterday, and I won’t have that feeling of being “off.” I plan to take a walk again today, whether it’s around the pond or through the park, I haven’t decided. But I will be mindful and grateful.