Gratitude for Positive Family Values

My life has been enriched this month by focusing on something I’m grateful for each day as part of the 21 Days of Contagious Gratitude organized by Mari from Inspired by Family Magazine. I’ve also been awed by all the family gratitude activities other bloggers have shared to deepen the sense of gratitude within families.

Gratitude is one of my favorite themes (see gratitude posts and word-art freebies), and I loved sharing this focus with bloggers around the world. Throughout the month, I’ve noticed that many of my daily expressions of gratitude have been related to family. While my life has been unbelievably blessed by my husband, kids, and kids-in-love, it all starts for me with my parents.

Gratitude for Positive Family Values

I grew up on a farm in northeastern South Dakota, 40 miles from the original Little Town on the Prairie. The Little House on the Prairie series with its positive family values was a theme I loved to share with my own children when they were little. I tell more about that in my “Little House on the Prairie Unit Study” at Living Montessori Now.

Today I’m thankful for positive family values, which make life better for everyone. I’m thrilled to celebrate not only Thanksgiving but my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary with my parents and much of our extended family this week.

I’m grateful for the example of a loving marriage that inspired my own happy marriage of 37 years as well as other long-lasting marriages among my siblings. I’m grateful that my parents raised my four siblings and me with an emphasis on faith, family, community, hard work, and doing things to help others.

I like to think that the positive values I grew up with are reflected in my own life and the lives of my now-adult children. I’m grateful that I know so many amazing people around the world who are working to share similar positive family values with their own children. It is truly a happy Thanksgiving! 🙂

“A Happy Family” Word-Art Freebie (png file without watermark)

Note: I have lots of word-art inspiration at the Raising Figure Skaters Facebook page and on Pinterest!