photo journal recap + open link up party

It's been 11 days of a thankful journey so far. I had no idea the kind of impact this photo journal would make in my heart. Being intentional about being thankful is one of the most rewarding decisions a person can make. Thankfulness truly breathes life into our bones, our hearts, our eyes. I get up every morning thinking of things I'm thankful for. I try to get past the clichés, and begin to find hidden treasures that await us during the daily grind. Every minute is so much more enjoyable because I'm finally realizing and learning what things are truly important in life. I didn't know negativity was a habit that could be uprooted by the intentional act of being thankful. Well, it is. And being intentional works. There's no automatic switch in the heart. It's not a one day deal. But like Andrew, my husband, always tells me: it's not what you do in a day, but what you do daily. We all have bad days, days when we feel like quitting, days when we feel run over by our emotions, exhaustion and stress. But the door is always in front of us. There's always an opportunity to be thankful. To smile. To breathe deep and let our shoulders come down. To look in the eyes of hope, and see how wealthy we already are. Sooner or later, spring will always come.

You can read more about my Thankful {today} Photo Challenge here. Feel free to join in and link up your weekly pictures or your best post of the week on Sundays.

Have a beautiful day!

XOXOXO