We will have 100 members by the end of this month, and 1000 by the end of this year. I don't care about the # as much as I care about how many people are out there daily making intentional connections daily, and blowing people's minds with unexpected gratitude. Thank you to all you "early adopters". You'll all get to say at some point, "I was there in the beginning." More good to come :) Keep finding and forwarding the good!

Today I had the honor of speaking to a group of Real Estate professionals in Coos Bay OR. On my way back to Portland for a flight home, I chose the coast route, which added 50 min to the trip, and was worth every second. I’m often working in my office, staring at a screen. Taking the time to enjoy God’s splendor is something I do not take enough time to do. You don’t always have to go across the world to see natural beauty. You just have to be willing to slow down enough to see what’s already always been there. This happened to be one of the greatest views I’ve experienced in my life.

Hello Gratitude community! I read a statistic and out Valentine’s Day yesterday that surprised me. 20% of women buy themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day. Sure, some buy them to treat themselves but that is a staggering number! So, I wrote 12 cards, bought a bouquet of roses and split them up into single roses today. My kids and I walked through the parking lot at the grocery story and handed out a flower and a card to every person we saw until we ran out. The reactions were shocking. Most were surprised and so grateful. A couple teared up. My poor son approached a woman alone.. I would guess her to be in mid sixties. He offered her the card and the rose and she was shocked and told him very harshly, “No thank you.” My son persisted. He offered it again and said Happy Valentine’s Day. I am just spreading kindness. She again, put her hand up and forcefully said, “No thank you. I don’t want it and I don’t have anything.” My son tried one last time. He was giving this woman this rose. Tenacity is one of his attributes. He looked at her with his huge puss and boots eyes and politely said, “Ma’am, I am not trying to ask you for anything. My mom and I have been giving out roses to random strangers just to tell them that they deserve something beautiful because they are beautiful. Please take my rose. If you want to throw it away when you drive away that is okay. I am hoping it makes you feel good and it brightens your day.” Half into her car at this point she looked right at him with tears in her eyes and said, “No one has ever given me a rose for no reason. I’m so sorry I reacted badly. Thank you so very much. You made my day.” She wrapped her arms around my son and hugged him in thanks. If you could have seen how stiff he hugged her back you would have laughed. He can be back to me and said he was grateful he did it and that it is sad no one had ever given her a flower. She really needed it. Then he politely declined to talk to any more strangers today. It is easy to be grateful for the people right in front of us every day. To thank a stranger creates a huge ripple of kindness. Hopefully my son’s memory fades before I make him do it again next year! The note

I wanted to share something that happened to me! I am a pretty good mom. Always room for improvement. I am never the mom that shows up to the school parties and fund raisers with homemade treats or great crafts and games. I am there, but never have the time or confidence to go the extra mile and I secretly judge myself for this shortcoming. There is a mom whose daughter has gone to my son’s school. We have known each other in passing for 8 years. She is that rock star mom. She is the mom that makes all of us other “bad or less than” moms feel more guilt and shame. I am ashamed to say that I envied her and it kept me from connecting. So… I wrote a thank you note. I thanked for always being the mom that makes the kids school parties a huge success. I thanked her for always taking photos of the events that she attended and making a point to share them with the other moms and dads that couldn’t attend. I thanked her for her creativity and her cooking. I recognized her efforts and how hard it must be to manage it all and have a full time job. She is truly amazing and I let that flow in my words. I sheepishly handed her the card and went about my day. She chased me down after school and as the tears started to flow she thanked me for thanking her. She thanked me for recognizing everything she does and that it isn’t easy but she loves it. NO ONE HAD EVER THANKED HER. 8 years of multiple holiday parties, school events, PTA meetings, fundraisers and NO ONE had thanked her. WOW. I told her that we all see her but were secretly judging ourselves for our shortcomings and it kept us from reaching out. I promised her that even though I won’t have the most spectacular homemade contribution for future parties, I will be reaching out weeks ahead of every party to see how I can help her. And now, we have a date for coffee next week!

I am so glad that you have joined the Grow with Gratitude Community. This is THE place for people who are exploring the transformative power of gratitude. Do this first: -Drop a comment here of where you are from and how you heard about Grow with Gratitude OR The Mr. Thank You Project. -Then create your first post (write, photo, or video). Document your journey here so we can all learn and grow together. Welcome!