What Gratituesday Is All About (and how I plan to keep the focus on gratitude)
ByI began writing Gratituesday posts when my blog was just a baby - I believe back in January of 2008. I loved the idea of focusing one post each week on God’s work in my life – plus it helped keep my thoughts focused on what I was thankful for.
A few months after I began writing my own Gratituesday posts, I opened it up for my readers to also participate in this weekly blog post theme. I added a “Mr. Linky” so that other bloggers could write a Gratituesday post and then link up here. Over time, more and more people began joining in, and soon, we were able to click over and read many Gratituesday blog posts which shared about God’s provision and care. I found it to be inspiring, and a huge dose of God-focused encouragement every Tuesday.
Hey, guess what? I still do. I LOVE reading your Gratituesday posts.
Except for when they aren’t really Gratituesday posts.
I have to say that I can find it a bit discouraging to click on your Gratituesday link and instead of reading about what God is doing for you and your family, I find a tip about how to clean purple sharpie marker ink out of my carpet. As wonderful as it would be to learn this information, this does nothing for my spiritual walk. Nor do your recipe tips or your ideas for decorating on a budget. Again, these are some great posts and wonderful tips, they just don’t really fit with the Gratituesday theme.
Somehow over the course of four years of Gratituesday linking, gratitude got lost. Don’t get me wrong – many of your posts do share what God is doing in your life. Many of you are writing specific posts about what you are grateful for – keep it up!! I love it!
But I’m finding it hard to find the grateful posts among all the posts that tell me how to organize my sock drawer.
I feel yucky writing this post today. I’m not trying to be the mean neighborhood lady who stands on her porch grouching at the kids who are just trying to have fun. I’ve not cracked down on this earlier because I don’t like to be the bad guy. Plus, enforcing that Gratituesday posts remain Gratituesday posts will take a lot of time that I really do not have each week. Do I really want to go in and analyze each post and then decide whether or not to go delete it? No ma’am. I sure don’t.
But enough already of the “how to avoid getting gassy when you eat a lot of beans” posts when Gratituesday is really about giving praise to our Father. (And for the record, I’m making up these non-Gratituesday related blog topics as I go. I don’t specifically remember anyone posting about gas or sock drawers or sharpie markers – just in case you did and you think I’m picking on you.)
The thought has occurred to my husband and me that it might be fun to add some sort of “Heavenly Homemaking Helpful Hints” link-up once a month, so that those of you who do want to link these other wonderful posts full of helpful hints have that opportunity here on our site. We’d love for you to share these homemaking type posts, when it is appropriate, and if we host a link-up for that purpose. What are your thoughts on us adding this feature to our site?? We’d appreciate your feedback on this.
In the meantime, I’m asking you to please join me in keeping the gratitude to God in Gratituesday. Write and share about what you are grateful for. And please thoughtfully link back to my blog on your post, saying something like Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers! – because that’s the kind bloggy thing to do when you link up with someone.
If I feel that a post is not in line with the Gratituesday theme that I know my readers are looking for, I will delete the link. I won’t enjoy myself, but I feel that I owe this to my readers. I’d be ever so, well…grateful…if you’d make this deleting job easier and not give me anything to delete. Simply write and link up a post about what God is doing in your life and we’re all good to go! Because I know that God is working all the time in all of our lives, I’m very sure you can think of something each week to share! And as always, for those of you who don’t have blogs, please continue to share what you are grateful for each Gratituesday in the comments section.
So there you go. Can we still be friends? I’ve been needing to, but not wanting to write this post for several months now. I love and appreciate you all and would like to hear your thoughts on this subject, and on the idea of beginning a new monthly feature/link-up allowing us to share homemaking tips.
Okay. Your thoughts? Questions?
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I think this is a great idea. I have a question about linking up on Tuesdays.
I post a simple list of God gifts each Monday. Would this be okay to link up? You can see what I’m talking about here?
http://a-heart4home.blogspot.com/search/label/Endless%20Gifts
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Laura Reply:
April 2nd, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Absolutely, that will be just fine!
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Hi Laura, I am new to your blog and really enjoying it. I am digging your writing style! :) maybe a silly question but how do I link a post?? Thanks!
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Laura Reply:
April 27th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Not a silly question at all! Once you’ve written a Gratituesday post of your own and published it, click on the title of your post from your site, which will give you the URL. Under my Gratituesday post in the Mr. Linky box, type your name, your blog name, and or a short title for your post (like this: Laura @ Heavenly Homemakers – Grateful for Boys!). Next, paste your URL into the next spot. Hit enter and your link will show up on my site!
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Your site has been such a blessing to me!!
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Everyday I write five things God has done for me the day before. I am a 73 yr. old grandmother and I have
seen so many miracles and wonderful things God has done throughout my life.
My husband and I have been married 48 yr. this July. We have three wonderful, Christian sons.
Daily I list everything from seeing a butterfly to
wonderful news of something one of our nine grandchildren have done! God is good all the time!
I am in a Beth Moore Bible Study of James and it just continually shows me things I need to work on.
At 73 I’m still a work in progress! God bless you all!
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Stephanie Reply:
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:15 am
Ann, this comment made my day! How beautiful that you realize that God is still working in you. May God bless you with many more years of happy marriage and several great-grandchildren. Blessings!
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Thank you Stephanie! You made my day by responding.
Isn’t it wonderful how we can encourage each other
without even knowing each other. May God bless you and your family. Keep on encouraging others, it comes back ten fold!
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I’ve been following your site for right around a year or so. Just recently (in March) decided to try this blogging adventure myself. So, since I’m a newbie, I don’t know a whole lot yet…but one thing I do know is that I am V E R Y grateful for is this blog site!! And I really want to try linking up here with some other things I’m grateful for.
Oh – and I hope you do that monthly tip thing. I would definitely be reading it, and Lord willing also participating.
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Love your post Laura, but missed out on the one for gassy beans……..
What else is there to do except take BEANO ?????Is there a special way to cook beans ??? Just sayin……….I’d really like to know….love beans, anyway they are fixed….. :)
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Anna @ Feminine Adventures Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 10:32 pm
Don’t worry, I did NOT post this on a Gratituesday link. I was actually reading the guidelines to make sure my (non-bean-related) post qualified.
Anyway, here’s a link to how I make our beans that makes them much easier to digest: http://feminineadventures.com/2012/10/11/recipe-mexican-beans-and-bean-dip/
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Hi Laura: really enjoy your blogs and your recipes. I am blessed today to have awakened without pain and with energy. I am in my sixties. I have a Tuesday morning women’s bible study and I am blessed that almost everyone showed up including the birthday celebrant who almost did not make it. So God is good and I am eternally grateful for his Grace and Mercy in my life.
Stephanie
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Hi Laura; you are funny and I enjoy reading your adventures. Today I am grateful for the Lord. My husband is in a health crisis and the crop still needs to be combined. I am grateful that I can go to Him with praise and thanksgiving, I literally feel His peace. Life can change in a split second. I am grateful for my husband, who has withstood many of my storms in life. I’m grateful for my children, who want me to pray over them. Wow!
(funny how our society tells us we’re useless:>)
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I don’t have a blog and am new to your site, but love it. God has blessed me this year and opened my eyes and find many wonderful uplifting connections outside church. Folks that are pointing toward Him. I have never looked before, satisified with my church family. Thank you Lord for showing me all the wonderful people around me who are also on your path that I have never met before.
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Hey Laura,
I was trying to post a Gratituesday post, but actually all I did was link to my webpage as #26 and #27 on your website. That isn’t what I was trying to do so now I need to go back and figure out how to link to a certain post and not my webpage. I apologize and just want to let you know that this isn’t what I was trying to do. I’ll try again later though.
Thanks
Debra
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how about gratitu—-everyday ? (:
i’m just plain happy that GOD woke me up this morning and every morning ! (:
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How do you find a Godly mentor for your children?
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Laura Reply:
February 13th, 2013 at 12:27 pm
I believe that you are the best mentor for your kids. In addition, I’ve found that being very involved with our church family has been a great way to provide additional godly mentors for our kids.
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Laura, I am so sorry. I posted a link that I now realize does not fit your theme. I tried to remove it but I can’t figure out how. I just got all excited about the link up idea and didn’t read your criteria!
I’m am greatful for how God has used all things, both good and bad, in my life to teach me how to be more like Christ. I am greatful he has blessed me with two beautiful daughters and a loving husband.
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