"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." ~Charles Dickens

It has been a year since I began this walk of gratitude. It has been a journey. This certainly has been the biggest project I have committed myself to and have completed. I have benefitted greatly by the exploration of gratitude along the way. There were some challenging days which made this project all the more gratifying. Contemplating gratitude has instilled in me a sense of greater peace of mind and added joy. Gratitude became habitual.

This image from beautiful Dubrovnik, Croatia added a visual to this journey. The streets and walkways of this historic walled city and UNESCO World Heritage Site are rich with the presence of life. This city has experienced a great deal since its founding in early 7th century. It is known as the 'Pearl of the Adriatic’ and is on the gorgeous Dalmatian coast. The citizens of this city experienced a severe earthquake in 1667 and over three years in the 1990’s this city was heavily bombed by neighboring countries during the Bosnia Serbian War. The people of this historic city are friendly, thoughtful and wonderful hosts. They are very peaceful. We are thankful we visited this wonderful city.

Tomorrow this project will draw to a close. I am so very grateful for this journey and all that it has added to my life. Thank you for joining me and encouraging me along the way. There were days I wondered what I was doing. Who was I to be writing about gratitude? But those negative thoughts dissipated after some deep breaths and I was back on my way. Gratitude is a rich blessing with many rewards.

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~Melody Beattie

Peace.