Have a Gratitude Party!

Beta Child, Nilajah, and Anu

I hosted my first ever Gratitude Party last Saturday, and it was great! What is a Gratitude Party, you ask? Well, it's something I made up. I invited three people, cooked dinner for them, and we all talked about the things and people we are grateful for. It grew more festive when Vaneta and Shanna got there, so I made a point of telling them that I appreciate them and love them. That's really the gist of it.

I'm keeping them small because of the size of my house, but you can invite as many people as you want. You can have one big one, or lots of little parties. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Just make sure you focus on appreciating each other, and keep the vibe positive. No complaining or venting. This is for positive folks. And the kids love it too! When we asked four-year-old Anu what she's grateful for, she said, "The Earth." Isn't that cool?

Alpha Child, Anu, Nilajah, Shanna, Vaneta, and Rom

We had SUCH a good time. Nilajah said it was the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon. My husband showed them a million pictures. The kids played with each, without incident (that's always good.) And I had so much fun watching everybody eat. I kept it vegan. I made macaroni and "cheese", barbecue tofu and brown rice, apple crisp, biscuits, and a kale salad. If you host any parties, you can always make it a potluck. I think I'll do that next time.

Life is too short, and no day is guaranteed to us. A mutual friend of myself and Nilajah was killed last week by her husband, and she'd died the Thursday before I had this party. Her death heightened my feelings about the importance of telling loved ones how you feel about them while they are alive.

Beta Child was hiding in the toy chest!

Anytime is a good time to have a Gratitude Party. Today is Thanksgiving, a day dedicated to giving thanks. But you can do that everyday. Start now.

Next time, I'll have pictures and recipes of everything I made for Thanksgiving.

love,
Althea

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Have a Gratitude Party!