When I started the Gratitude Attitude 365 I was curious about what Gratitude Attitudes might become an action from the attitude. Here's the ones that went beyond the day and became an action in my life. Day 24: Literacy - you can read the Gratitude Attitude here . I now volunteer with the Children's Literacy Center in Colorado Springs.  During the school year I tutor a kid two times a week after work.  Not only am I helping a kid learn to love to read (I hope) but it is serving as a good refresher for me in terms of the "technical" side of grammar, etc.  I love it.  I do! Day 41: Spontaneity - you can read the Gratitude Attitude here . This is a big deal for a Type A like me.  But as the year has gone on, and perhaps as I have gotten older, I have practiced spontaneity more and more. I've adopted a more "go with the flow" attitude as time marches on. Day 103: Community - you can read the Gratitude Attitude here .  Being in authentic, genuine commun

I make plans but it is God who directs my actual steps.   Selah . So my plan was to be done on day 366 with my Gratitude Attitude 365.  It's possible God got a good chuckle out of that unrealistic Type A goal.  :)  And you know what?  It's okay. While you all are anxiously and eagerly awaiting the conclusion of the Gratitude Attitude 365 that I have hinted at, might I suggest you head over to my other blog and read my most recent post ?  They compliment each other well. :)

Well here we are.  Day 365.  I'll talk more tomorrow about the year as a whole but whoa baby, that was quite the 365. :) So for today, the final day, I was most grateful for windshield wipers.  I mean think about it!  What would we do without them?  amiright?  Today it was raining quite a bit and it just hit me, how grateful I was for windshield wipers.  I guess without them we couldn't drive our vehicles in any sort of wet weather.  So I'm grateful for them because in this day and age ain't nobody got time to wait around for dry weather!  And I'm always grateful for them when they work well.  If I have bad wipers then I notice, good wipers that get their job done without much notice from me I am appreciative of.  Right now I have good wipers but today I did notice them and give them their due credit.  Ha!

It's a mystery to me how I can go from something deep like hard grace to something so ridiculous like cereal but yet I can do it and I do.  So today I am grateful for cereal.  The fam and I have a slight addiction to cereal.  We really, really like it.  It makes a great meal - breakfast, lunch, or dinner - or a great snack. I confess I am grateful for it because it can be a meal and that means I don't have to cook when I lack the energy or motivation.  But I also am grateful for the wide variety. It's rare for me to not find a cereal I want to eat.  Yep, cereal.  Clearly the 365 was hard for me today but why should that change on even day 364?  :)

I've actually been dancing around this particular Gratitude Attitude for the majority of the 365.  I keep turning hard grace over and over in my head and heart.  I keep thinking about how to put it into words that make some sort of sense.  Today I have decided hard grace isn't necessarily something that can be verbalized but usually it is lived, knowingly or unknowingly.  It is not easy to be grateful for the hard graces of life, in fact most of the time it is rather painful.  Hard grace is, well, hard. Its stripped down meaning is that in the hard there arrives and is present grace.  And to see the grace in the hard is the gift.  I feel like I have experienced some hard graces in my life but the fact is, I haven't.  Not really.  So perhaps that is why I keep turning it around and around, attempting to figure out how to be grateful for hard graces.  I think we all put conditions on what we can take.  And then when something happens that seems to be more than we can take and

Seriously?  Do *you* seriously think I am actually grateful for those Village People?!  I mean, YMCA is a catchy song but they aren't who I am talking about today. To pull off an event of any kind - milestone birthday, wedding, graduation, whatever your big event is - takes a village of people.  And today I worked with a small village of people to pull off a wedding for some incredibly dear friends.  At 8 am this morning a bunch of us gathered to completely overhaul a backyard into a ceremony and reception space.  Btw, it's incredible to me what can be done AND undone in just a few short hours.  Now back to the point.  I didn't know probably 2/3 of the village people asking for direction from my friend, Amy, and I.  But because we all know the bride and groom in some way we were instantly connected by them and by our desire to see our friends have the day they envisioned.  Not only did these village people participate but there were so many others.  From the family me

(For Friday August 22) I hear the collective groan from men and women alike, although probably from more men than women.  :) But I was thinking about this tonight as I was working on behind the scenes stuff for my friends' wedding tomorrow.  I'm grateful that I have been invited to participate in so many weddings in so many different ways.  Every wedding is special and unique in its own way. I'm grateful that I have been able to see so many styles and ideas about how that couple, whoever they might be, have been picturing in their mind.  I am not only grateful but I am honored.  To witness the covenant that a dude and a lady enter into.  To watch the groom watch his bride come toward him. Yes, they are a lot of work if you aren't just attending the wedding, and yes I am exhausted (although not more than the ones getting married) and yes, it's going to be special and perfect for each bride and groom.

(For Thursday August 21) First of all - do you see what day it is? 360! I only have 5 more days! Crazy. It has been the longest shortest year. *wink* Okay, back to today's Gratitude Attitude. Today I realized I am grateful for empathy.  Sure, it can be a bummer sometimes but I believe it is actually one of the best qualities we can posses.  Today was a day for empathy.  I felt so strongly and heavy in heart for a family who is walking through cancer and looking at a future without Mama.  A friend at work lost her Mama suddenly, there were no warnings or signs to indicate that she would breathe her last this week. Heavy heart.  It was one of those empathy days where the news about people was sobering and I felt it deeply.  I felt the pain of these people and of their loved ones.  I'm grateful for empathy because it keeps me compassionate and tender toward others, because it keeps me relying on the Author of Life for solutions, peace, wholeness.

Hospice Care is a powerful, profound, and beautiful service to those who are passing from this life and their families who stand by and watch with sadness and sometimes confusion. I am a huge advocate for hospice care.  I am grateful for it. My family has benefited directly from hospice care for my Grandma and my lifelong best friend had hospice care until she breathed her last as well.  Hospice care workers are not nurses, not doctors, they are caretakers. They provide the comfort of companionship both to the bedridden and to their families.  They speak gently and softly. They hold the hands of the sick.  Hospice care allows the dying to maintain dignity and value, it allows for family and friends to be with their loved one in comfortable surroundings, it gets the magnitude of life.  I'm so, so grateful for those dedicated to people in this particular way.

I'm grateful for lunch dates with my Mama, my friends, my hub. The lunch dates give me these moments of connection with people I love and care about.  It helps maintain my connections, it gives my heart a respite from my work days and anything that might be going on there.  It reminds me of how many wonderful people I have in my life.  I had a lunch date with my Mama today and I love just being with her, chatting about this and that, making plans for whatever.  I love sneaking these moments with people my heart connects to.

(For Monday August 18) I am grateful for my natural curly hair.  It's been a lot of years of trial and error to get me to a place where I can say I really like my curls and I'm grateful for them because they are a part of me.  Oh, don't be mistaken about the natural curly hair.  It's not just hair, it's something that has helped to define me, it's something that identifies me to others.  My curls can be sassy, sweet, more wavy than curly, frizzy (that's the trial and error part), and non-existent when my hair is too short.  About 8 months ago I missed the sassy curls so I started growing my hair out longer so they would reappear.  And they have!  And I love them.  And I do feel grateful that I have them, that God gifted me with such a fun external thing!

(For Sunday August 17) I'm too Type A to be creative in the kitchen and just whip up something from random ingredients in my pantry or fridge.  So I am super grateful for cookbooks and I'm kind of obsessed with them. I love cookbooks!  And I have come quite a long way in my cooking so I can be creative with a recipe to guide me.  But I need the recipe so that's why I am grateful for cookbooks.  I especially like the ones that kind of read like a book also.  My cookbooks have helped me cook really delicious food for my family and friends and so that's another reason I am grateful for them. :)

(For Saturday August 16) I cannot believe this hasn't made the 365 yet. What is wrong with me?!  :)  So yeah, I am actually super grateful for the TV show Friends.  I'm a wee bit obsessed with it and I quote from the show probably at least once a day.  I'm grateful for it for the laughter, the escape, and the wit it provides.  Sometimes I just need to sit and watch some episodes to help me decompress from stresses.  It never fails to lift my mood and give me some comfort if I need it.  It's kinda like a security blanket now that I think about it!

(For Friday August 15) I heard the phrase "broken hallelujah" today and I thought immediately. "YES. So grateful for all the broken hallelujahs in my life."  Without the broken hallelujahs I have had in my life I would not be the person I am today.  God has used those broken moments to refine my heart and character to become more like who he originally created me to be.  And I truly am grateful for the painful, challenging, and broken times God has allowed in my life.

Folks, these aren't goosebumps as some would claim. They are God bumps.  The bumps I get when I hear of good news in someones life that could have only happened because of God and by his hand.  I got some major God bumps today when a dear, dear friend of mine - a bestie of 20+ years - received the gift of freedom in her life.  And how it was given to her and how she received it could have only happened through the work of God. Major God bumps for my dearest.  So grateful for the God bumps of good news - victory, freedom, healing, joy, etc - that happens in this life at the hands and heart of God.

(For Wednesday August 13) So a bestie of mine lives in a land far, far away.  It might as well be a galaxy! She was back in the States this summer for about a month and told me about this app on smartphones that allows us to hear each other's voices for FREE.  So we can leave each other little messages for FREE.  Across the miles and oceans that separate us we can communicate with our voices for FREE.  This is a big deal! No international rates to pay on our cell plans, no lag time. I can leave her a message at my afternoon and her early morning (I think) and she'll get it when she wakes up! FOR FREE. To say that today my Gratitude Attitude is for the WhatsApp is probably a little obvious at this point.  :) What's an app that you are truly grateful for?

(For Tuesday August 12) Oh me oh my do I love frozen fruit bars. I gave them a try a few years ago. My favorite flavors are coconut, peach, and mango.  I'm grateful for them because they are delicious, a healthier option than ice cream, AND they are cold.  And I love them in hot weather, they truly help me cool down from the inside out!

(For Monday August 11) I am so grateful for kisses.  So many different kinds of kisses to display so many different kinds of affection. I am especially fond of kisses on the forehead, kissing babies heads, kissing my family & friends cheeks (female and male friends - but only certain males, ha), and of course kissing my man.  *wink*  My man and I have shared a lot of kisses over the years and we've shared a variety of kisses - ones from the perfunctory kisses to the passionate ones.  I am grateful for the kisses I sneak in on my kids (they are teens so I have to sneak them in, especially with the oldest). I am grateful for these little shows of affections.

(For Sunday August 10) Sanctuary.  Even the very word I feel grateful for.  Perhaps because just the meaning brings peace to me, not to mention the actual space of a sanctuary.  There is something about a church sanctuary that sets my soul to rest.  I feel like my soul takes a deep breath and exhales slowly.  Maybe it is the smell of the wood used for the pews, the light shining through the stained glass, the sacred silence.  Clearly I am talking of sanctuaries in days gone by and not today's warehouse, industrial spaces.  Ick.  I'm sorry (well I'm actually not but you know what I mean) but today's sanctuaries are anything but what the purpose of one is. I am grateful for the safety that sanctuary provides, both in literal sense and emotional sense. I could sit in one all day long and be content to be.  It is just about the only thing I miss in traditional church, although truth is I haven't sat in a real sanctuary in years, not since I was in early elementary.  L

In the past year or so I have noticed something within my family, myself included.  When we are greedy for more we lose sight of being grateful for what we already have or received. For example, my youngest redhead and one of her BFF's get the spend almost every Saturday together because we do home church together.  They are usually together a minimum of 5 hours.  One day a few months ago they had been together at least 7 hours and when we sounded the call for leaving in a few minutes they both went up in arms, begging and pleading for more time.  What ended up happening is they wasted the few minutes they had left with each other arguing with us parents about more time.  Not once did it occur to them to be grateful for the 7 hours they got.  They were simply greedy for more.  Or just yesterday my other daughter had to be picked up early from a youth leadership retreat that was important to her.  We had a commitment that couldn't be changed.  Instead of being grateful that sh

Today I spent the day with a dear friend who is getting married in two weeks.  We've been friends for 4 years, I think, and in that time I was honored enough to watch her and her fiance, who is also a good friend of mine, meet and fall in like and then love.  I kinda sorta have a crush on them (don't worry, they know). So today I spent the day helping her and her man get all that is swirling in their brains about the wedding out onto paper so we can really get it organized. She's asked me to help behind the scenes the day of the wedding and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve her and her man in this way.  I am grateful, in part, because I love doing behind the scenes work and I am decent at it so that seems to be helpful to people I am working on behalf of.  :)  I feel grateful to be of use to people in this way because even if I don't lift a physical finger I can be a good sounding board and I am able to follow the train of thought when it jumps from track

(For Friday August 8) Some of you may be thinking that I am grateful for myself.  HA! I'm grateful for people who have the heart to counsel others through hard stuff. I'm thankful for people who can help hurt, angry, sad, confused people without a bias.  We all need a perspective that challenges us to approach what we struggle with in a different way and counselors can help us do that. Many times counselors can get us to hear something that others have been trying to tell us.  Yes, I counsel people (I'm what you call a lay counselor since I have no formal training) but I also don't hesitate to see a counselor for myself or send my family to one when it seems to be needed.  Right now two of us in the family are in counseling and it is good.  Today I picked up the other Peninger currently in counseling and I felt so grateful as we drove and I heard a bit of what had happened in the session.  So grateful for counselors to help us get through the valleys of life.

Today's Gratitude Attitude is the fruit of a prayer I uttered last night.  Go ahead and say that *you* don't believe in the power or reality of prayer but I've had too many times where my prayers have been answered to deny the power of them.  (And btw, not all of my prayers have been answered my way but they have been answered - that's a different topic for a different blog! *wink*) ANYWAY. Back to the real topic of today's Gratitude Attitude.  My hub lost his wallet yesterday and searched my car, where it was last seen, three times.  With a flashlight, moving seats, checking all the nooks and crannies. Then he went back to work and checked all over there.  Then he looked at home.  Nada. It was gone. He felt badly. He started making calls to cancel things so nobody could increase our already depleted finances.  He was really down about the whole thing and I laid in bed next to him and silently asked God to reveal the location of the stupid wallet for the sake of my

(For Wednesday August 6) It sounds a little weird but today I was grateful for apparently being missed in the office while I was in NYC. I really don't know why I was missed but as soon as my computer warmed up this morning I had an IM expressing happiness at my return, I got a long hard hug from someone else when I went to get my mail, and I had several, apparently sincere, "Welcome Back, you were missed!"  ????  It confuses me, I'm not all that worth missing but it also made me feel grateful that I might be living out my mission of love and grace in the lives of others.  I am positive there were some people who did NOT miss me and you know what?  That's okay.  It might have been a mutual feeling, even though I don't necessarily like everyone I still try to practice courtesy and kindness with everyone.  I'm not always successful but I try.  So today I felt grateful for being missed, which really does sound a little weird!

(For Tuesday August 5) Darn it.  Today I was really grateful for naps but I've already dedicated a day to it .  So the next thing I am grateful for today is our reclining couch(es).  They are really wonderful. They kind of envelope you in comfort and relaxation. I didn't realize how much I liked them, how grateful I was for them until I went a week without them! I just couldn't get comfortable anywhere else.  By last night I was moaning about getting back to my reclining couch! I know, it's very first world and a little childish but I really am grateful today for them.  We got home from traveling and I raced for the recliner.  I just needed at least 5 minutes of that kind of relaxation before tackling the suitcases and laundry from our trip.  :)

(For Monday August 4) Today was a great day.  It just was. We visited the 9/11 Museum, had lunch at a favorite pizza restaurant, laid on an air mattress and watched a ridiculous movie (Mega Shark vs. Mecca Shark and no I am not joking), ate watermelon, got ice cream, repacked our luggage, and prepared to go home to Colorado.  It was a day where nothing stood out but everything stood out, you know what I mean?  After lunch Lanny and I went into Fairway so I could get some black and whites to bring home. As we moved through the check out line and walked out of the store I was feeling grateful for being comfortable in busy New York City.  I felt at ease and confident that I knew what I was doing and where to go.  I think my gratefulness comes from the fact that I'm not a great traveler. I'm a nervous nelly, uncertain, insecure, lacking direction. But I've been to the city enough and traveled the neighborhood my brother lives in enough that I felt comfortable and it made me

(For Sunday August 3) This morning a few of us rose before the sun did and made our way to Central Park.  We hunkered down in a huge line for six hours to score free Shakespeare in the Park tickets.  My Dad, the oldest redhead, my newly married brother and sister-in-love, and I sat in this line and spent idle time chatting about any and everything.  I felt so grateful for this time that we just sat and laughed and talked and planned a future trip and just got to be together.  It was some of the best idle time I have had in a while.  I was so grateful that I volunteered to drag myself out of bed after an exhausting and incredibly fun weekend to sit in a line for 6 hours, which sounds crazy and might be a little bit, to have this idle time with my brother and sister-in-love. It was just another perfect thing about this wedding weekend.

(For Saturday August 2) Today was a culmination of the generosity of my sister-in-love's parents, Jim and Vicki.  The wedding, the reception, the logistics of it all, and today an open house reception at their lovely home to continue the celebration of Brad and Adele's marriage.  Not only have they been extremely generous but hospitable, which I have mentioned before .  Their generosity has been a blessing to not just the bride and groom and their immediate families but to all the family and friends who joined us this weekend.  I am so grateful for the generosity I was the recipient of this weekend, I'm also grateful for the generosity of others in my life who extend themselves on behalf of my comfort, my joy, my benefit.  What a beautiful investment in the lives of others when we, yes me included, extend generosity.  In what ways have you been blessed by both giving and receiving generosity?

(For Friday August 1) What a beautiful, amazing day we just had.  My heart is full to overflowing with gratefulness, it's hard to pinpoint one thing!  Today my brother married his love.  And we knew it was going to be special but it turned out to be so much more special than I think any of us anticipated.  It was just...well, glorious!  The whole day was full of moments and people and reasons to be grateful.  But the one I pick will be a fun one to talk about. :)  At the reception the dance floor was PACKED, the band absolutely amazing.  Now, our little Peninger 4 are some of the whitest people around - both in skin color and dance ability.  You know what I mean!  The youngest could care less, she tore it up on that dance floor - people loved it!  But it took some convincing to get the other 3 of us on it but it worked and all four Peninger's danced at this amazing celebration - even the hub!  It was awesome and I felt grateful in that moment that we looked like complete danc

(For Thursday July 31) Tonight we celebrated my brother, Brad, and his beloved, Adele, as they will be married tomorrow.  At the incredibly fun and enjoyable rehearsal dinner the floor was opened up to anyone who wanted to speak to them.  A mix of roasts and toasts followed and all were so wonderful, enjoyable, amazing - yes, even the roasts!  :)  To hear other people speak so highly of my brother, the boy I watched enter this world and grow up, touched me and really moved me.  I'm so incredibly proud of him, so amazed by the man he's grown up into, so honored to walk through this life as his sister.  I was so grateful to hear of the love so many have for both Brad and Adele.  It moved me in deep ways.

(For Wednesday July 30) Today I am grateful for sister time.  As my sister-in-loves and I walk NYC streets to our destinations we talk about life, as we sit next to one another getting our nails and toes did we talk about life, as we raise glasses in a toast to celebrating relationships we grow closer.  I was blessed with a lot of sister time today as we spent the afternoon and evening celebrating my one sister-in-loves upcoming marriage to my brother.  I am so grateful for these sisters I have because my brothers are wise men who have picked good women to be part of our family.  I love them so very much!

(For Tuesday July 29) We traveled to NYC today to begin a week full of celebrating the wedding and marriage of my brother, Brad.  When we landed tonight we cabbed to a new-to-us apartment, my sister-in-love's, on the Upper West Side.  We are used to heading to the Upper East Side to my other brother's place but this trip we are filling up all the spaces!  We walked into this new-to-us space and I felt at home.  I felt at home because it was a space infused by people I love, people I have the honor of calling family.  It made me grateful that no matter where I am in this world when my family is with me that place is like a home away from home.  My family is the foundation of any home in any place.