What are you Thankful for?
Each year my brother, Freddy, and his wife, Annie and their three little girls invite my whole family to Anaheim to spend either Thanksgiving or Christmas with them. They rotate each year. This year it is Thanksgiving. I am so Thankful that they are willing to accommodate my family. It is always super special to spend time with family and to see all of the cousins spending time together. This year is no exception. It makes me especially sentimental since my oldest son is a sophomore in high school and I know he won't get very many more years of living at home and coming to family gatherings just because I say we are going. He is so good with his little cousins. They all get along so well. I am so grateful to my brother, Freddy and to his wife Annie. They are such amazing hosts. They keep our family together and I don't know what we would do without them? What are you thankful for?
 Pictured is our traditional family Thankful Tree that we make one every November. Each family member has a leaf color and each day we write down one thing we are thankful for each day. For those of you who like to guess one leaf color is mine, ones is my husband's and my sons are age 13 and 15. I'll put the key on the bottom of the email. We obviously have some time in November left to be Thankful, but it keeps us rooted in gratitude all November long.
Gratitude is Key
Living your life in gratitude brings an incredible amount of healing. Stop and think for a minute how much better your life is when you think about the positive things in your life and focus on those instead of the negativity. Try this right now... consider five very specific things you are thankful for in your life right now today.
Here is my list for right this minute:
1. I'm grateful for water to stay hydrated,
2. bright colors that I have surrounding me,
3. piano music that my son plays,
4. butterflies,
5. that you are going to read this newsletter and it will make a difference to at least one person
Here's the thing: being actively grateful and practicing gratitude will improve your mental, emotional, and even your physical well-being. Our minds are very powerful. So, how do we do it? The first thing you can try is writing a letter of gratitude to someone you are grateful for and give it to them. Then, on a daily basis, write down 5 things that you are grateful for and you will find yourself noticing the little things that are beautiful in the world. If 5 seems like too many, start with 3. If writing seems overwhelming start by finding someone to tell them to and have them tell you what they are grateful for.
Cool Resource
If you are someone who knows you will be consistent in a spiral bound notebook - awesome. For others who feel like you could use some gratitude in your life, but having a more specific place to hold you accountable would help keep you on track an accountability Gratitude journal is a pretty cheap and easy resource from Amazon, or somewhere like Etsy. There are so many different options. I posted one to get you started, but find the one that fits your personality so you will want to write in it. It's a 5 minute commitment to help with your positivity, health, and creating more joy in your life. There are no down sides.
Upcoming Event
I will be hosting a Masterclass December 5th at 4pm Pacific. 3 Keys to Heal Seizure Anxiety and Regain Control over Life. The zoom link is on Eventbrite to sign up. It is for anyone who has seizures or takes care of someone with seizures.
Connect with Me
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleykatz12/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joyful_healthy_connections/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleykatz/
Email: joyfulhealthyconnections@gmail.com
Leaf Color: Justin (age 42): Red , Ashley- me (age 42): orange, Vander (age 15): yellow, and Oliven (age 13): green
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