Welcome to the first Gratitude Linkup of 2015! As I look back over the past year of writing and sharing weekly gratitude lists, as well as reading the gratitude posts you’ve shared with me, I can truly say that the practice has been life changing. I’m looking forward to the next year, and hope you will join me in expressing gratitude throughout the coming months.
As you might have guessed from the title of this post, I’ve decided to make a small change to the format of the Gratitude Linkup this year. Though I’ll still be posting my own weekly gratitude lists each Sunday, I’ll be keeping the same linkup open for a whole month instead of setting up a brand new one each week. There’s no limit to how many posts you’ll be able to add, though, so please feel free to link us up to as many gratitude posts as you choose to write throughout the month!

My Gratitude List
In no particular order, here is my own gratitude list for this moment in time. I hope that after reading it you’ll go on to write and share your own!
- A fresh new year of possibilities and potential stretching ahead of us, just waiting to be experienced.
- Celebrating the gift of another birthday.
- Receiving some wonderful gifts from my family – a gorgeous pair of fingerless knit gloves and an olloclip telephoto lens for my iPhone. Now I can enjoy taking longer-distance outdoor photos while still keeping my hands warm!
My lovely friends at our favourite diner, who sang Happy Birthday as they presented me with my order of French toast studded with lit birthday candles.
- A 24-hour stream of Happy Birthday greetings and good wishes from Facebook friends.
- Receiving a new set of 3-in-1 lenses for my iPhone camera from olloclip to replace the ones that broke.
- Discovering the new, fun, free, and gently motivating YOU-app.
- The fact that we still don’t have any snow here in Windsor, in spite of the fact that other parts of the province (even areas not so far from us!) have been hit by winter storms. I know it’s coming eventually, but it’s awfully nice to have been spared for this long.
- Enjoying a wonderful 17-day vacation (which is fast coming to a close!) from work.
- Having a great job to which I don’t mind returning after a vacation.
- A workday that doesn’t start until 11:00 a.m., giving me the freedom to sleep in and/or time to pursue my own interests.
Now it’s your turn!
How to get involved in the Gratitude Linkup
Note: This linkup will be open for the entire month, so feel free to add as many gratitude posts as you choose to write in January!
- Write and post a gratitude list in your own blog.
- Click the “add your link” button below and share your gratitude post.
- Click “get the InLinkz code” below and add the linkup code to your post.
- Visit and comment on some of the posts listed in the Gratitude Linkup.
P.S. – Here’s some background on why I started the Gratitude Linkup.

This is a great idea! I’ll have to do this. I think it is important for everyone to take a step back and evaluate all the things we have in our lives that we should be grateful for.
KathleenO recently posted… The Funny Thing About Parental Supervision
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 4, 2015
I think you’re right! I know it’s made a real difference in my own life.
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: toninelsonbiz
January 4, 2015
Love the quote you have here:) One of the best ways to start the day is by thinking about all the things you do have instead of worrying about what you don’t have. It puts you in a great frame of mind.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 5, 2015
So very true! I need to remind myself of that – thank you for the nudge. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: RamblinGarden
January 4, 2015
Although I didn’t have 17 days off for the holidays, I had enough days off that I feel like I had a vacation. That I can be grateful for, along with the fact that I didn’t have to be out in the icy weather yesterday, and that it got up to 50 degrees today.
Alana Mautone ( recently posted… Civil War Sunday – Football and War
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 5, 2015
I’m glad you had a nice vacation! And definitely not having to go out in the cold is a bonus.
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
I am grateful that my family got to spend a good deal of quality time together over the past week.
Myke Todd recently posted… Find the Time
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 5, 2015
That’s excellent, Myke!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: kleebanks
January 4, 2015
Love this post! I have been doing daily “Attitude of Gratitude* posts on my Facebook page for just over 3 years now. It is amazing how it does make you realize just how much you have to be thankful for. I’ll have to look into doing this link up. Thanks for sharing!
K. Lee Banks recently posted… Funny Things Happen with Animals in the Home
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 5, 2015
Thank you! Hope you join the linkup some day! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Happy 2015! Glad you had 17 days off. I had 5 at Christmas and 4 at New Years.
Glad you were able to get the 3 in 1 lens for your iPhone camera. I saw the picture today and it was amazing.
Have a great week. Great list!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 5, 2015
Thank you so much, and Happy 2015 to you! Glad you were able to enjoy some time off over the holidays. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: pythoroshan
January 5, 2015
Okay seriously.. that candle on french toast idea is absolutely brilliant.. have never seen that before 😀
Also, how do those lenses on the iphone work? Clip-on to the phone? And the quality of the shot? Could you perhaps do a “with lens” vs “without lens” post
Roshan R recently posted… Can the words of Atheists save the world’s most religiously diverse country?
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 5, 2015
It was so sweet of them to do it! The lenses just clip on to the side of the iPhone (unfortunately they don’t fit over a case), and I find the quality to be excellent. The 3-in-1 has a wide angle, macro, and fisheye lens, so you can play around with quite a few different effects. I’ve used the macro lens the most so far, but when the weather is warmer I’m hoping to get outside and take some panoramas with the wide angle and also some distance shots with my new telephoto. Fun!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: ellytreehugger
January 5, 2015
Wow! Such a great list: I don’t think mine can top that! 😉 I am curious about that olloclip telephoto lens (though I don’t have an iphone…yet!) 😉 Just seems BIG: how does it fit/attach? 😉 <3
elly stornebrink recently posted… 2015: Here I Come!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 5, 2015
The lenses just clip on to the corner of the iPhone – and both the 3-in-1 and telephoto lenses are very small and each fits into a little drawstring bag that comes with them. I’m looking forward to playing with the telephoto lens!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: shilpaagarg
January 5, 2015
Belated birthday wishes to you, dear Laurel. Lens with iPhone… must check them out. Was not aware of it! And candles on toast is so cute and innovative! Glad that you had a great time! Cheers 🙂
Shilpa Garg recently posted… I See
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 5, 2015
Thank you so much – it was a lovely birthday! 🙂 And the lenses are definitely worth checking out, as they open up lots of new opportunities for interesting shots.
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: FranceneStanley
January 5, 2015
I’m grateful to have my husband beside me. I love him more with each passing year, knowing that nobody lives forever.
Francene Stanley recently posted… Are you a sugar addict?
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 5, 2015
That’s wonderful, Francene. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
17 days vacation and you don’t mind getting back to work as well… that’s just awesome 😀 I somehow survived the the first working day of the year today 😛
Rajlakshmi recently posted… First Day of Workout
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 5, 2015
I’m glad you survived, LOL! I’ll be facing the same thing tomorrow.
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
A great list of things to be grateful for, Laurel. Happy belated Birthday…looks like you had some fun 🙂
Though I’m paring down a bit this year, I’m sure I’ll swing by with a gratitude list to link up every now and again. I enjoy reflecting and writing down my gratitude. As always, thanks for hosting such a great subject! 🙂
Life Breath Present recently posted… 2014 Favorite Posts
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 6, 2015
You’re welcome, and I hope I do see some posts from you! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 36
Twitter: nabanita21
January 6, 2015
That’s a great list Laurel…And you know what, you are the only person I know who truly loves to get back to work after so many days off… And I can’t say I’m surprised…I wish I had something like that too 🙂
nabanita recently posted… #MicroblogMondays:Illusions of Change or maybe not
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 6, 2015
Well, I wouldn’t exactly say I LOVE it… vacation is always nicer than work, LOL! But if I have to go back to work, it’s a great place to end up. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 36
I love the idea of a gratitude link-up Lauren! And it is humbling that you have such a long list of lovely moments to post in just one week of the new year! If only I had confidence that I would stick to it, I would love to sign up as well :P. Let me give it some thought and see if I could attempt to do one post a month at the very least :).
Thanks for dropping into my blog, it’s lovely to make new connections through BAR.
Aparna George recently posted… A Musical January
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 11, 2015
So glad you stopped by, Aparna! And there’s definitely no requirement to commit to anything – feel free to share even just one post in the gratitude linkup! You’re always welcome. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
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