Gratitude for 2019

I had been waiting for a "word" for 2019 to come to me this month.

And then I found this coffee mug, on clearance at Hallmark. It was a sign.

Gratitude is the word for 2019!

And I really do have so much to be grateful for, just in 2018 alone!

It was a crazy busy filled-to-the-top year.

I continued to write and publish, and I love this little side job from home.

We took a family trip to Florida and saw a satellite launch, which was cool.

We remodeled a laundry room and painted nearly every space upstairs in the cottage.

Sam took a class trip to Washington DC.

Sam had his confirmation at church in the spring.

We had a relaxing trip up north in the summer.

My fledgling vegetable garden produced great results that I shared with all my neighbors.

God gave us opportunities to serve in church and the community.

Sam and Ed had a fun father-son trip to Toronto.

We had skylights installed in the cottage. Light!

Ed and I had a nice anniversary in New England.

My husband's beloved Red Sox won the World Series (woo hoo!) and he found a sister he never knew he had (more on that in the future!).

We got to spend a lot of time with our extended families, which is always a blessing.

I even made a lot of my craft resolutions this year! Craft retreats, watercolor painting, linocut and print-making, scrapbooking, and the big one: mailing those hand-crafted cards!

I made a gratitude journal yesterday, using a Moleskin journal from Costco and some papers and stickers from Simple Stories. I think this will help in the year ahead.

This verse from Colossians was part of our church service yesterday. It seemed to encompass everything I hoped for in 2019.

Do you have an inspirational word you hope to meditate on in 2019?

Grateful for all of you, my cafe friends! Happy New Year!