"Gratitude, like faith, is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it grows, and the more power you have to use it on your behalf. If you do not practice gratefulness, its benefaction will go unnoticed, and your capacity to draw on its gifts will be diminished."

~Alan Cohen

November is National Gratitude Month, which makes sense with Thanksgiving being celebrated at the end of this month—hard to believe that turkey/Tofurky day is just around the corner! While it’s certainly wonderful to have an entire month, and a very special day, dedicated to thankfulness, I’ve found that practicing gratitude year round does wonders for my well-being.

Gratitude is a reoccurring word in my daily affirmations. I often wake up and place a hand on my heart and start my day being grateful for all I have in life. I take a deep breath and exhale with specific intentions for the universe. I honor how grateful I am to be healthy; to have happy, healthy children; to be surrounded by love; and to have a career I cherish.

Then my day is off to the chaotic rush of getting the kids to school, gym, emails, meetings, animal rescue, kids’ sports, and the list goes on and on. At the end of the day, I ask myself, “Did I stop and enjoy the little things in life? Did I remember to tell my kids I love them, tell my partner I appreciate all he does or call a friend ‘just because’?” Some days I feel are epic fails—that I blinked and the day was over, and I can’t remember if I ate lunch. But most days, I smile and am able to say, “Yes, I took a minute to say ‘I love you’ to my kids, to call my friend or give a big hug to my partner.”

The older I get, the more I realize that it’s the moments like these that matter most in life. If we just live in the chaos and mad rush all the time, and don’t stop to take stock of all that we have to be appreciative of and show our appreciation, our mental health, not to mention our physical health, will suffer.

Given just how important gratitude is, I thought it would be a good idea to have members of the incredible South Jersey Natural Awakenings team share their thoughts about it with readers. I really hope you enjoy our gratitude feature, along with the array of other great local and national articles.

I’m grateful for you—our loyal readers—and am grateful for our advertisers that help make this magazine possible!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Shae