The secret? They are already built into your day!

Wake up and say “Thank You!” Some mornings I wake up and say thank you to the Dexter the dog, Clare the cat, and the Morning Joe that is waiting! The cat wants food, the dog wants a walk and the coffee shows me, unconditional love. It’s a beautiful thing. I love the quote that goes something like

“I am the kind of woman that when my feet hit the floor in the morning the devil says “oh, crap she’s up.

Go to bed and say “Thank You for this amazing day!” Each night I go to bed and say a quick prayer for each of my kids, friends, family, the earth, and everyone who needs a dose of hope. I’m grateful that I have a car to drive my kids around even though some days I feel like it’s just too much. I’m thankful for clothes to fold — that I have clothes and people in my life to wear them. I’m thankful for the water . . . on some nights I cry myself to sleep knowing how very blessed I am. My life is beyond abundant.

Breakfast — I eat several hours after I wake up and I usually eat something very small. Toast is my go to breakfast usually with local jams and jellies. Before I eat, I show gratitude for the farmer who grew the wheat, the raspberry farmer and the lady who made the jam. I’m also grateful for the sun and the rain that nourishes the grain and fruit.

All along the way, food has been nurtured in order for it to nourish.

Lunch — my home school son and I have lunch together each day. I am grateful for the opportunity to be home with him and teach. To learn side by side. I am grateful for my imagination and my curiosity. I pray for patience and I’m grateful for the chance to practice patience. At 11:00 am every day I text my other son — a daily ritual of loving connection. We both look forward to such a simple sacred act — just sending one emoji can make the difference in our day.

Dinner — surrounded by my family — that is possibly the most grateful thing a mom could ask for, all her babies to be at the table. We offer grace for the meal, the hands that made it, the farmers, all the people at the grocery store, the animals that gave their lives, and for each other. We see one another as an extension of ourselves — parts of a greater whole. We are a team.

And yes, for you skeptics out there, I do make dinner every night and we all eat together. On super busy nights we have “first dinner” which is a huge after-school snack and then after the activities of the night they will all raid the fridge for “second dinner”. It is a house rule that we do not eat alone.

How easy is that? Getting up, going to bed, and breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is an example of how easy sacred living can be.

For more inspiration, you can follow me on www.instagram.com/thejoyfulmomproject.

Originally published at medium.com