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<h1>21-Day Gratitude Challenge: I’m Grateful I Can Honor the Child I Lost By Being More Open to Love Today</h1>
 <div><div><p></p>  <p>YES! Magazine and <a href="http://KindSpring.org">KindSpring.org</a> kicked off the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge on Thursday, November 7. We're excited to be taking part as an organization&mdash;and as individuals.</p>  <p>To date, the challenge has more than 9,600 participants from 119 countries and hundreds of people are sharing their stories every day. Below you'll find some highlights from the first two days.</p>  <p><span style="height: 1.7em;"><b>How it works:</b> Participants are emailed a question or prompt each day related to their experiences of gratitude, and are encouraged to share their reflections online. There are so many moving expressions of gratitude&mdash;and more by the hour. Here we&rsquo;ve gathered a sampling of some we found particularly touching to share with you. </span></p>  <p><span style="height: 1.7em;"><b>You can still join us in the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge<a href="http://www.kindspring.org/21day"> here.</a></b> <br></span></p>  <hr><h3><span style="height: 1.7em;">On day 1, participants responded to the question, "What do you have enough of?"</span></h3>  <ul><li><span style="height: 1.7em;">"I am a low-income senior, but I have enough food, water, medicines, human contact, access to grass and trees, view of the sky. I have enough clothes, books, music, paper and pens. I have enough access to information via the internet. I have enough to amuse, entertain, inform, astonish, challenge, heal, and sustain my soul. I have a lifetime of experience and wisdom hard won from life lessons. I have enough of memories and enough hopes and vision to keep me moving into the future. Best of all, I have enough to keep giving away. I am rich, and for all this I am grateful." &mdash; annefitzg</span><span style="height: 1.7em;"><span><span> </span></span></span></li>  <li><span style="height: 1.7em;"><span><span>I have enough food to eat. That may seem so simple, but it is so significant. I can cook delicious food to keep my body and mind healthy. &mdash; scc101</span></span></span></li>  </ul><p><span> </span></p>  <ul><li><span>I am grateful for the opportunity to have an education. With it, I have learned so much more about the world around me and appreciate it more.&mdash;&nbsp;kitsunedream8</span><span style="height: 1.7em;"> </span></li>  <li><span style="height: 1.7em;">I am grateful for clean air, the sun, the moon, clean water and a home. These all support me perfectly so I can live each day. I am thankful for work and great people to work with. &mdash; dsrobbie</span><span><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></li>  <li><span><span><span><span>Today, I have enough time, enough love, enough friends, and enough money! I am grateful to also say that I am enough and I did enough! &mdash;paulbrouillette</span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>  <li><span><span><span><span><span><span>I am grateful that I live in a place of natural beauty with many wonderful trails for getting out into nature. &mdash;sandboa51</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>  </ul><h3>On day 2, participants were asked, "<span><span>Who do you know that you can never repay?"</span></span></h3>  <ul><li><span><span>Who do I know that I can never repay? My life shifted the day my daughter Kimberlee died. I have struggled to breath from that day to this. Today while I do not understand why (and that is alright.. I will take it on faith the things I cannot understand), What &nbsp;I do understand is what a gift she was what a gift she is to me, to my life to the lives of others. I do not know if I can repay her for what she has brought into all of our lives but I can honor her death her life by being open to love being open to life and today I am grateful for this. &mdash; lola_says</span></span><span><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></li>  <li><span><span><span><span>I was in college and struggling with loneliness and a relationship that wasn't to be. One day after class, I came out to find my bike covered in candy and ribbons. Several more times that week, in random places on campus, I would get out of a meeting or class to find treats attached to my bike. All these years later, I still don't know did me that kindness. Such a small thing, but it brought me so much joy, and is a story I will continue to share for years to come. Thank you, kind soul, whoever you are, for your thoughtful act of anonymous kindness!! &mdash; astarblaze</span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>  <li><span><span><span><span><span><span>I can never repay the love of my Grandchildren. Recently my ten year old Grandson said, "I don't want Grandma to leave." So touching to know that he just appreciates my presence in his life. I can never repay the love of my Grandmother. I loved being with her. I love the things she taught me to appreciate. She made the world a more orderly place in the midst of my somewhat chaotic home her house was a refuge. I love the way she nurtured everything in her path: plants, stray animals, people, gardens. "She's gone now but I try to repay her by nurturing my grandchildren. &mdash; ladybughollow</span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span> </span></span></li>  <li><span><span>When the new young pretty H.S. English teacher picked me, a chubby, shy, awkward junior to be the editor of the Lion's Roar school newspaper for the next year she changed my life. I adored her. We had fresh, interesting assignments and she liked what I wrote. Getting to be the newspaper editor gave me leadership skills I didn't even suspect, a bunch of geeky friends, (instead of being on the edge of the in crowd), and the opportunity to write. That was over 40 years ago and I wish to Thank Her - and I don't know her name. Blessings to all teachers and all writers. &mdash; lindyfly</span></span></li>  </ul><hr></div><!-- <img src="77c65b29e09c405a82f040c82ef6b2c1"> --></div><!-- <p style="text-align: center; "><a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/21-day-gratitude-challenge"><b>Click here for more on the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge.</b></a></p> -->
<p>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org">Yes! Magazine</a> at <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/health-happiness/2013/11/09/two-days-in-to-the-gratitude-challenge-and-so-much-to-be-grateful-for">https://www.yesmagazine.org/health-happiness/2013/11/09/two-days-in-to-the-gratitude-challenge-and-so-much-to-be-grateful-for</a>.</p><link href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/health-happiness/2013/11/09/two-days-in-to-the-gratitude-challenge-and-so-much-to-be-grateful-for" rel="canonical"/><p>Yes! Magazine is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of ... . Learn more at <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org">Yes! Magazine</a></p><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://www.yesmagazine.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=10540&ga4=G-74QJNNY44Z" style="width:1px;height:1px;">

21-Day Gratitude Challenge: I’m Grateful I Can Honor the Child I Lost By Being More Open to Love Today
   YES! Magazine and KindSpring.org kicked off the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge on Thursday, November 7. We're excited to be taking part as an organization—and as individuals.  To date, the challenge has more than 9,600 participants from 119 countries and hundreds of people are sharing their stories every day. Below you'll find some highlights from the first two days.  How it works: Participants are emailed a question or prompt each day related to their experiences of gratitude, and are encouraged to share their reflections online. There are so many moving expressions of gratitude—and more by the hour. Here we’ve gathered a sampling of some we found particularly touching to share with you.   You can still join us in the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge here.   On day 1, participants responded to the question, "What do you have enough of?"  "I am a low-income senior, but I have enough food, water, medicines, human contact, access to grass and trees, view of the sky. I have enough clothes, books, music, paper and pens. I have enough access to information via the internet. I have enough to amuse, entertain, inform, astonish, challenge, heal, and sustain my soul. I have a lifetime of experience and wisdom hard won from life lessons. I have enough of memories and enough hopes and vision to keep me moving into the future. Best of all, I have enough to keep giving away. I am rich, and for all this I am grateful." — annefitzg   I have enough food to eat. That may seem so simple, but it is so significant. I can cook delicious food to keep my body and mind healthy. — scc101     I am grateful for the opportunity to have an education. With it, I have learned so much more about the world around me and appreciate it more.— kitsunedream8   I am grateful for clean air, the sun, the moon, clean water and a home. These all support me perfectly so I can live each day. I am thankful for work and great people to work with. — dsrobbie   Today, I have enough time, enough love, enough friends, and enough money! I am grateful to also say that I am enough and I did enough! —paulbrouillette   I am grateful that I live in a place of natural beauty with many wonderful trails for getting out into nature. —sandboa51  On day 2, participants were asked, "Who do you know that you can never repay?"  Who do I know that I can never repay? My life shifted the day my daughter Kimberlee died. I have struggled to breath from that day to this. Today while I do not understand why (and that is alright.. I will take it on faith the things I cannot understand), What  I do understand is what a gift she was what a gift she is to me, to my life to the lives of others. I do not know if I can repay her for what she has brought into all of our lives but I can honor her death her life by being open to love being open to life and today I am grateful for this. — lola_says   I was in college and struggling with loneliness and a relationship that wasn't to be. One day after class, I came out to find my bike covered in candy and ribbons. Several more times that week, in random places on campus, I would get out of a meeting or class to find treats attached to my bike. All these years later, I still don't know did me that kindness. Such a small thing, but it brought me so much joy, and is a story I will continue to share for years to come. Thank you, kind soul, whoever you are, for your thoughtful act of anonymous kindness!! — astarblaze   I can never repay the love of my Grandchildren. Recently my ten year old Grandson said, "I don't want Grandma to leave." So touching to know that he just appreciates my presence in his life. I can never repay the love of my Grandmother. I loved being with her. I love the things she taught me to appreciate. She made the world a more orderly place in the midst of my somewhat chaotic home her house was a refuge. I love the way she nurtured everything in her path: plants, stray animals, people, gardens. "She's gone now but I try to repay her by nurturing my grandchildren. — ladybughollow   When the new young pretty H.S. English teacher picked me, a chubby, shy, awkward junior to be the editor of the Lion's Roar school newspaper for the next year she changed my life. I adored her. We had fresh, interesting assignments and she liked what I wrote. Getting to be the newspaper editor gave me leadership skills I didn't even suspect, a bunch of geeky friends, (instead of being on the edge of the in crowd), and the opportunity to write. That was over 40 years ago and I wish to Thank Her - and I don't know her name. Blessings to all teachers and all writers. — lindyfly

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