Gratitude Journal

Since I opened my bookstore I haven't been able to watch Oprah in the afternoons. I've admired Oprah for a long time but there are times when she has really annoyed me. One of those annoyances came from my perception that if a mother and daughter were in conflict on her show, Oprah always takes the side of the daughter regaradless of the situation. She's been a duaghter but she's never lost a fortnight's sleep over a child's illness or a daughter leaving home and moving across the country. When everyone else was cheering and congratulating Oprah for her tough interview with James Frey, I thought she seemed self righteous and condesending.

All of that aside I am thankful to Oprah for introducing me to the concept of the gratitude journal. It was pretty easy to find things to be grateful for because my life has been blessed by my children, my husband's children and all those grandkids. Gratitude has it all over music when it comes to soothing the savage beast. Even in the darkest hours I can conjure up reasons to be grateful.

At Oprah's urging I started writing down a few things I was thankful for every day and eventually a pattern emerged. I would write down things like the how beautiful the river was that morning on my drive to Longview or how warm my dog is when he's cuddled up next to me while I read or watch TV. I'd list good health, good weather, good conversation, my ability to observe and write. You get the picture. It's so easy.

Eventually I realized that there was one entry that I wrote every day. Sometimes twice a day. I am grateful for my husband. Every day I am grateful that my partner is such a gentle, funny, generous, intelligent man. I get to spend my life with the man whose face I'm always glad to see. I don't even care that the grandkids seem to like him best. I like him best too.

I knew I loved him and he loved me but I didn't realize how importand he was in my life until his name popped up every day for a year in my journal.

So thanks Oprah for a fine idea. And thank God for all of his blessings, especially the one I married.