This month I decided that every night before I went to bed that I would write ten things I was grateful for. And honestly? It’s been easy. Sometimes its small things, like the color of new leaves against a blue sky, or a good nap in the middle of the day. Often the smallest things are something to be grateful for, and I’m really enjoying taking the time to think about them throughout the day and storing them in my mind for later.

It’s easy to be grateful when things are going well, right? When life is cruising by and we are all healthy and happy. But what happens when things aren’t awesome? When people get sick and die, or children you know are diagnosed with horrifying ailments? I’ve known so many people who have lived through the unlivable and still get up each day and soldier on. These people are my heroes.

If you know me personally, you might have seen that we had to let our cat go on Monday. It was really hard to make that decision for her and on that morning I woke up dreading the day. She’s been our fur baby for fourteen years and despite the fact that she was ill and not doing well, we cherished her. Watching her die was so, so hard for me. The second the vet said, “her heart has stopped,” I just lost it. The finality of it was horrible. I’ve been heartbroken for days and I didn’t expect it to hit me this hard. I knew I loved her and knew this was the right thing to do, but the emptiness she left behind is palpable. My heart is broken.

But you know what? That night, laying in bed and making my list of ten things I saw the magic in it all. Some of the things I was grateful for:

Being able to pet her and lay my head next to her while she passed, telling her I loved her.

Getting texts from my mom all that morning and right after letting me know she was there for me.

Receiving a poem via text from a friend that made me smile (have you read the “rainbow bridge?”)

A picture my daughter drew for me at school about the cat going to heaven.

The stuffed kitty my son let me sleep with “so I wouldn’t get lonely”

I came up with ten things I could be grateful and happy about, even on a really hard and emotional day. It was actually easy to come up with them, too. So many ways I could think of how blessed I am and I believe, truly, that there is something to be grateful for no matter what. Even on dark days there is something beautiful to be grateful for.

I’ve always been a big believer in being positive and knowing that I am lucky to have what I have because there is always someone who would be thrilled to be in my shoes. I think knowing this and living it really cements the fact that if you have a grateful heart, good things will come to you.

Tell me, would you write down ten things to be grateful for each day for a month?