A Year of Gratitude - May 2025 Snapshot

My word for 2024 was GRATITUDE.  To help myself keep the focus on that word all year, I started keeping a gratitude journal on January 1, 2024, and I’ve been writing at least 3-4 things I’m grateful for every single day since then.  I shared little snapshots of each month last year to hold myself accountable, and since I ended up enjoying these posts so much, I decided to continue them in 2025.

I’m only pulling one item from my gratitude journal per day to share here (okay, sometimes two or three), and some of the things are really big things like good health and good relationships, some things are humorous, and some things are the little things that most of the time go unnoticed.  Overall, though, the purpose of this whole exercise is to remember that even on the very worst of days, there is ALWAYS something for which to be grateful.

Always.

May was a busy, but wonderful month, and there was a lot for which to be grateful.

In May I was grateful…

 

1. For people who introduce me to new music!
2. For my parents for keeping the kiddos again for us so we could enjoy another concert.
3. That our new rug for our primary bedroom is everything I’d hoped it would be and more… it’s gorgeous!
4. For having the courage to follow my convictions and stand up for what I know in my heart is right and just.
5. For time with the two sweet ladies with whom I do all of the Teacher Appreciation Week activities with at the school.  We’ve been doing TAW together for the past few years and they always fill my cup.
6. For my new plant.  I love it so much.
7. That the sun came out after all of the rain today.
8. For a new Pope who is humble and kind and inclusive.
9. For good quality time with our resource officer yesterday and big goodbye hugs today since it was his last day.
10. For the best time at the Abe Parker concert last night and for finding another new artist to love – Zach Paradis – the guy who opened for him.
11. For my Momma, my mother-in-law, and all of the mother figures in my life… and for God for making me a mother.  My greatest blessing of all.
12. For my new Maui mug that Brian gave me.  It brings me so much joy.
13. That I finally finished moving all of the alumni info to the new database!!!!  It was a huge job and I’m happy to have it off my desk!
14. For a fresh hair cut and highlights… and I didn’t even have to leave my house!  So grateful that my hair guy comes to me now!
15. That we were able to find Olivia’s tap and jazz shoes quickly and easily at her dance school after she realized they were missing for a week.
16. For 2023 Lindsay for creating a “Recital Master List”… it has made the last couple of years a breeze for remembering what needs to be done before, on the day of, what to pack for each rehearsal, dress rehearsal, and production, etc.  All the things!  2025 Lindsay is truly grateful for 2023 Lindsay for taking such good notes and being so organized.
17. That we were able to watch our girl dance on stage in SEVEN scenes this year… that she nailed every single one of them… that she had THE BEST TIME doing it… that she loves dance so much.  It’s so rewarding to watch your kids do what they love.  Our fun, loving, jolly gal is just so easy to love!
18. For all of the moms who care for our girls so well back stage during productions… it’s four hours of PURE CHAOS back stage helping each girl get changed quickly between scenes, fixing hair that falls, pinning accessories that come loose, sewing buttons that fall off, finding shoes that get lost, helping them with tricks like layering tights for quick changes, reapplying lipstick, getting them on and off the stage at the correct times, and living in a cloud of hair spray and perfume and girl talk.
19. That Olivia was okay after hitting her head on the swing-set pole today at school, and for her assistant principal who checked her over well and looked after her until I could get there.  And for my friend, Jessica, who is a nurse, for always answering every dumb question I ask when my kids get injured.  Hahahaha.  She is a huge blessing, and she always helps put my mind at ease.
20. For Brian for staking Olivia’s sunflowers ahead of the storm so they wouldn’t blow over in the wind.
21. For my girlfriends group chat that we pop into and chat in most days… so grateful for all of those friendships.
22. For my sweet Boo on his Eighth Grade Promotion Day and all of his achievements.  He is so kind and so good and so hardworking and so smart and all the things.  He makes us so proud, and it is truly a privilege to be his mom.  I was devastated when I miscarried our first baby and I didn’t understand why we had to go through that at the time, but from the moment I held Jacob in my arms, I understood completely.  He wouldn’t be here if we hadn’t gone through that hell of losing a child.
23. For one last, beautiful children’s school Mass with Olivia.  AND THAT SCHOOL IS OUT FOR SUMMER AND MAYCEMBER IS OFFICIALLY OVER!!!!
24. That Olivia actually WANTED to clean out her room and that she asked me to help, and that she was actually very ruthless about getting rid of stuff this time.
25. For knowing that I don’t have to wake up at 6 AM for the next ten weeks.  And for Brian for making his grandmother’s famous chocolate chip cookies for us for our Mother’s Day redo dinner.
26. For everyone who has died fighting for this country and our freedom and for those who have had to live without someone because of it.
27. For afternoon thunderstorms in the summer when we have nowhere to be… it’s always the coziest thing!
28. For Brian for always mowing the lawn and doing all of the yardwork so I don’t have to.
29. For a SUPER productive day… seriously, I got so much done.
30. For pedicure time with Momma and Olivia and for poker night with friends!  What a fun day!
31. That we have an entire week of beeeeaching ahead of us!

 

Happy Monday, y’all!  What is something you’re grateful for today?