Each year I select one word as a personal theme that I intentionally focus on for the next 365 days. In 2014, I chose the word happiness. On Mondays, I blogged about happiness and lessons I'd learned about being happy. The biggest lesson I learned is that happiness and gratitude are intimately entwined. Gratitude truly is the shortcut to happiness. The more gratitude we feel, the more happiness we own. It is as simple - and complex - as that. It seemed natural to choose the word gratitude as my theme for 2015. Although I am incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life, I have an abundance of room for improvement. My hope is that by the end of this year, I will have learned some good gratitude lessons and filled my life with gratitude for all I have instead of continually seeking more. I happened across this 52-week gratitude challenge on EstherandJacob.com It seems like an easy way to focus on a particular area of gratitude each week. If all goes according to plan, I'll share my thoughts each Monday on my blog about that week's challenge. I can hardly wait for next week to share about Captain Cavedweller! Writers get to create the personalities of our characters. Some are kind, some are generous, some are grateful. The one character I've written who exudes gratitude is Ty Lewis. He's an unemployed mechanic who, in a moment of desperation, accepts a job in the middle of nowhere. Grateful to have work, he heads off to the remote ranch where nothing is like he expects and everything is a learning experience. I think I could take a lesson from Ty - in being grateful every day for this beautiful life I've been given. What are you most grateful for as we begin this new year? Learnin' The Ropes *** A hopeless romantic with a bit of sarcasm thrown in for good measure, Shanna Hatfield is a bestselling author of sweet romantic fiction written with a healthy dose of humor. In addition to blogging and eating too much chocolate, she is completely smitten with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. Shanna creates character-driven romances with realistic heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.” She is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, and Romance Writers of America. Find Shanna’s books at: Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple Shanna loves to hear from readers. Follow her online at: ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | You Tube | Twitter
