Practising Gratitude 2018

You probably weren't expecting to hear from me again after 4 years but here I am!

I am launching #21daysofgratitudepractice on my personal blog today.

If you would like to join in please do.

Thanks

Bernice

Practising Gratitude featured in a magazine

Hello lovely people.

I'm so excited to tell you about being featured in heART Journal magazine: a monthly subscription online magazine.    But you can read this month's edition for free.  Just follow the instructions.

To celebrate heART Journal Magazine has a given me a free issue bonus code to share with others.

Get your free issue of heART Journal Magazine today! 

Simply download the app on iTunes https://bit.ly/heARTMag or Google Play http://bit.ly/Heartjournal

Then on your device follow these directions using subscriber code : heartsharing (case sensitive)

• Install the App on your device
• Launch the Magazine
• On the Home Page, click on the Yellow subscribe button
• Tap on the Current Subscriber Button
• Enter this: heartsharing (case sensitive)

You will now be able to download a free issue to heART Journal Magazine.  Remember, the code is case sensitive.   Please show heART Journal Magazine some love by giving them a rating (there is an easy to use rating link inside the magazine) For help with the coupon code, email heartjournalmag@gmail.com

Thank you

Thank you so much to everyone who has followed along with this blog and those who have taken part in making a gratitude journal.

Here's my completed one.

The next challenge blog is called A Culture of Honour - a study in 1 Corinthians.  I would love it if you would like to join.  To be sure of getting all the information nip over to the blog A Culture of Honour and sign up for the emails.  The sign-up box is at the bottom of the page.

Hope to see you there.

Day 21: Give thanks

Quotes
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.    Melody Beattie

You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.    G. K. Chesterton

Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.    The Hausa of Nigeria

Bible Verse
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.     Psalm 95:2

Inspiration

Give Thanks and Praises Bob Marley

)

Gratitude Link
The Gratitude Experiment

Journaling
Have you kept up with the 21 days of this blog?
Do you have a complete or nearly complete journal?
Will you continue to keep a gratitude journal?
Do you feel you have not just a different attitude now from when we started but are practising gratitude?
Today take some time to reflect on the last month.  What have you learned?
What are you most thankful for?

Technique
Use your favourite technique from the past 20 days.

Action
Make a gratitude jar.  Find a large jar which you can decorate if you wish.  Cut up strips of paper and put these and a pen by the side of the jar.  Each time you are grateful for something that happens write it down and put the paper in the jar.  At the end of the year take them all out and read them.  Stick the papers into your gratitude journal.

Have you finished adding to your gratitude list that you started in Day 1?   Remember, each day this month add something to this list that you are thankful for.  You could take a photo each day.  Or tweet using #21daysinMay2014

And finally
Here is today's PDF.   Don't forget to share your work by adding a link to your page, flickr or blog using the linky.   Or tweet using #21daysinMay2014

Walk: Guest Post

Today we welcome Valerie Sjodin.  Valerie produces amazing journals and you can learn how to do it yourself by going to her website and signing up for her workshops.

Here's Valerie: 

When Bernice asked me to be a guest artist for the Practice of Gratitude, I got excited. Then we got to ask for a specific theme, and I asked for “Walk”. Walking is a precious thing to me. I used to love to walk as my form of exercise and a time to talk with God. Two years ago I developed bone spurs and arthritis in the big toe joints of my feet and walking became painful. Walking even two miles required me to put my feet up, often with ice. About a year and a half ago I had surgery to remove the spurs on my left foot, but it did not take care of the pain. Actually, that foot hurts worse than the other one. I was pretty discouraged, not to mention some weight gain. Sigh.

Just before Bernice sent the list of topics out, we had a special service at our church and we were praising and praying. I started to jump. Something I hadn’t done in two years. A friend in a wheelchair for 39 years, stood up and walked with help around the large room. Progress is slow for both of us, but the pain is lessened and I’m enjoying walking again. Walking by faith.

On the day I planned to work on the journal page for this challenge, I read some horrific news in our local paper. I was grieved beyond words. That is another story in a blog post “Walking in the Valley of Shadows” at http://visualblessings.blogspot.com/2014/04/walking-in-valley-of-shadows.html

If you want to check it out. It also includes some images of this page.

As far as answering the journaling questions:

How much attention do you pay to the little things in life? Or are they ignored in the bustle of life? How could you become more aware of the everyday?  

To be honest, I’ve always been one of those people who notice little ordinary things and am often filled with wonder. I usually like being that way, although sometimes it’s inconvenient, especially when trying to find my way around. I would likely be able to tell someone the kind of flowers on the side of the road, but have no idea how to get to the destination.

What am I most thankful for in my life?

That is a harder question to answer. I don’t know if I can pick just one thing. The love of God, light, sight, beauty in nature, people to love and share life with, health. Those are the things that first come to mind.

On making the journal page:

After a blustery rain, the sun began to shine and I went for a walk as the prompt suggests, noticing and photographing the beauty at my feet, the kind of beauty that is easily passed by.  Pouring out my heart in prayer as I walked, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of wonder sneak back in as I drank in the beauty of the flowering bulbs. Life after death. Spring following winter. I passed other walkers, greeting, commenting on the beauty of the much appreciated Pacific Northwest sunshine. I was reminded there are still people who love and do good things, who make a difference for the better in the world. Hope began to rise.

The next day I revisited my photos and the theme of "Walk" in my journal page. Grateful for the time to work on it, I jumped in. Along with my feet, and the quotes Bernice provided, I included some painting of the smallest flowers on my walk. You’ll notice I left some room for more text and an image or two for some of the other prompts J

Here are the steps for painting and putting text on my journal page WALK:

1.    Tracing around my feet lightly with pencil on the journal page.

2.    Sketching/writing a quote and a verse in pencil to make sure they’d fit in the feet.

3.    Painting supplies ready: fluid acrylics, water, brushes, paper towel and cling wrap

4.    Cling wrap technique used for this challenge, and allow to dry

5.    Cling wrap lifted off dried paper

6.    Refering to the photos from my walk on my phone. Sketching plants: hens and chicks with a pencil

7.    Drawing over the pencil with a permanent FaberCastell Pitt pen

8.    Painting hens and chicks

9.    Finding next flowers to paint from reference photos on phone. Painting grape hyacinth shapes with gesso first so they will stand out against the background. Allow to dry.

10. Painting grape hyacinths, grass, and add dark to background near base

11. Adding pen outline to flowers and some of the leaves, grasses, and stems

12. Lettering with Pitt Sanguine Pen and using Sepia Pitt pen for the lines between the letters of the quotes in the feet. 

13. Shade with Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold paint.

After I posted the page on my blog, I realized there is a typo in my lettering. So I wrote another post about how I fixed the spelling mistake. That is found in the post.

Throughout these days I am constantly reminded that the key is love. It's the only possible solution to our problems. I ask God for help. For about two days I felt like curling up like a potato bug. Instead, I stepped out in faith with more intention; Bringing a meal to a friend who is ill, writing a comfort card, making a phone call to tell someone I love them. Making space for quietness, for listening to God, and taking time to refill, to love myself.

Thank you so much Valerie for this guest post.  Such an inspiring page.

Day 20: Walk

Quotes
The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.     Henry Miller

Each moment of the year has its own beauty… a picture which was never seen before and shall never be seen again.      Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bible Verse
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Inspiration

The Lord’s my Shepherd

)

Walking on Sunshine

)

Gratitude Link
Gratitude

 )

Journaling
How much attention do you pay to the little things in life? Or are they ignored in the bustle of life? How could you become more aware of the everyday? What are you most thankful for in your life?

Technique

Watercolour and salt, watercolour and clingfilm – use whichever technique you didn’t use on day 1

)

Action
Walk around your neighbourhood for 30 minutes. Make a mental list, a real list or take photos of each thing you see or hear that you are thankful for.

Guest Post
Today we have a guest post on this topic from Valerie Sjodin.

And finally
Here is today's PDF.   Don't forget to share your work by adding a link to your page, flickr or blog using the linky.  Or tweet using #21daysinMay2014

Day 19: Love

Quote
Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life. Christiane Northrup

Bible Verses
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11

Inspiration

Thank You for Loving Me Bon Jovi

)

Love Story

)

RAK

Gratitude Link
Pay It Forward

Journaling
Do you consider yourself to be an emotional person? We often concentrate on our negative emotions. Today let’s concentrate on our positive emotions such as love, compassion, enthusiasm, joy, happiness, desire, wonder. Which of these (or any other positive emotions) are you thankful are part of your personality?

Technique
Dylusions and Liquid Pearls.  If you don't have any liquid pearls you could use modelling paste or gesso to get a 3D effect.

 )

Action
Say thank you (and mean it) when the people close to you (including children) do the menial tasks of everyday life.

And finally
Here is today's PDF.   Don't forget to share your work by adding a link to your page, flickr or blog using the linky.  Or tweet using #21daysinMay2014