Gratitude & Grace

I love November. Leaves are vibrant colors of red, orange, and yellow, mornings are brisk and afternoons are warm, my local coffee kiosks are serving up eggnog lattes, and it’s my birthday month...there is lots to love.

It’s also the month where gratitude is poured out in abundance and we take time to reflect on all that we are thankful for. I love that when we focus on gratitude we are more conscious of the things in our life that really matter and bring joy to our days. We take more time to savor moments with those we love and appreciate the people in our lives that impact us. I’ve loved scrolling through the #GratitudeSnaps hashtag on Twitter and seeing all of the many reasons that people are grateful. It’s heartwarming and makes me feel a bit closer to those people that I call my PLN.

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As educators, this season of gratitude can be a magical time, but it can also be a very stressful time as well. It’s conference time with parents, the holidays are approaching which can be a time of heightened anxiety for students and adults, and we’re tired after the launch of a new school year and all of the energy that requires.

In this time of thanksgiving, I find myself in a tug of war with gratitude and grace. I’m incredibly grateful for all the many blessings in my life, but also find myself grappling with all the areas where I fall short. All of the roles that I hold dear to my heart (mom, teacher, coach, author, daughter, sister, wife, and friend) bring me joy in my journey. However, often as I dance around balancing hats on my head I find myself frustrated when I can’t keep them all from tumbling to the ground. I am passionate about each role that I play, and love those that I serve deeply. However, I am only human and balancing hats can feel like an impossible undertaking. Just when I seem to have them all nestled on my head just perfectly, one seems to come crashing to the ground taking others down with it.

What if in our gratitude, we gave ourselves grace?

I can choose to feel defeated because…

• I didn’t make a home cooked meal...or give myself grace and be grateful my family was fed.
• I didn’t visit all the schools I had hoped to...or give myself grace and be grateful for the connections I made and classrooms I visited.
• I didn’t catch up on all the laundry...or give myself grace and be grateful I have laundry to wash and a place to wash it.
• I didn’t get to inbox zero...or give myself grace and be grateful for the ones I did get answered.​
• I didn’t achieve my PR goal on my morning run...or give myself grace and be grateful I am able to run.
• my lesson didn’t go as planned...or give myself grace and be grateful that tomorrow I can iterate and try again.

• that blog didn't get written...or give myself grace and be grateful I have a story to tell.​

You are all making a difference in the lives of the people you serve. In this season of gratitude, take a deep breath and remember to give yourself a large serving of grace.