Jestti

See this ugly little box? It’s one of the most beautiful things in the world to me. Truly.

Years ago when my two oldest children were in preschool and 2nd grade, I read about a mom who started a “Thankful Box,” and I knew I wanted to start one, too. The idea was to decorate a shoebox (or jar, or whatever) and set it out every November to have your family write down things they are thankful for and throw it in the box. Then on Thanksgiving everyone sits down together, takes them out and reads them. Precious, right?

So when my mother-in-law offered to take my kiddos for the afternoon to have “craft time” at her house, I asked if she would help the kids make this. The only instructions I gave were, “Decorate a shoebox with autumn/Thanksgiving decor.” Knowing how crazy my mother-in-law could get when she started creating with her grandkids, I had settled in my heart ahead of time that no matter what it looked like, I would use it. Well, they did not disappoint! They brought this home and were SO proud of their creation. My mother-in-law laughed and told me all about how they had to go on an adventure in her basement to find a shoebox, how this was the only autumn style fabric she had, and how her and my daughter got glue EVERYWHERE. Oh how we laughed about this box.

My beloved mother-in-law passed away nine years ago, but I can still hear her laughing about this box. My older children remember making it with her and they cherish that memory. We’ve set it out every November since then and have collected 15 years of notes of gratefulness. It’s one of our family’s favorite traditions.

This ugly little box means the world to me. It has some rips, stains, and has lost most of its decor (there used to be a whole cornucopia glued to the top). Definitely not a designer box that you’d find in gorgeous homes on HGTV…but to me it’s beautiful and is one of my most cherished belongings.