(from Facebook)
I’ve just spotted this picture on my Facebook, thanks to Sian Lawton (who’s choosing our Bible passages for #bigread13).
What a LOVELY simple idea… and judging by the Likes, Comments and Shares already on this in only about 10 minutes on Facebook – it’s hitting a chord with others… if we combine with this Pinterest image – could be explosive!
I used to keep a thankfulness diary, and I definitely think it improved my output on life (I don’t know about you, but I always remember the negative stuff – I can get 25 students in a class saying they loved it, learned lots, etc but I can’t forget the 1 negative comment!). Always simple – day to a page diary from a Poundshop – draw or write at least one thing thankful for in the preceding day – then pray thankfulness! Throw it on the floor… it’s one of the few things I haven’t thrown away in the ‘big clearout’ as it was the year that I went on antidepressants – and it’s good to look back on it. I’ve talked about doing it again this year… but I like this idea (as well/more – I don’t know yet…).. similar to one that Katie James suggested to me … keep a notebook with the compliments/positive feedback that people give you for the days when you feel that you’re not doing anything worthwhile!
Anyway, when I saw this, I immediately thought “is there a digital version of this?” – and if so – how would it work (we don’t always recreate what happens offline, online). There’s something particularly tactile about having a piece of paper, and at the year end, that sense of excitement that you used to get when you sent a film off for processing, and got back those precious 36 pictures and were reminded of the good times. I’m sure there’s ways of doing this digitally, but part of digital literacy is understanding when/where/what circumstances it’s appropriate to use which kinds of technology.. and for this paper/pen and a jar seems like good technology.
I wonder if we should do one, and share some of the highlights this time next year?! After a day thinking about God’s unconditional love.. I’m sure we all have plenty to be thankful for, even in the darkest times.
From 2010–2015, the BigBible Project sought to host conversations about the Bible through local reading groups & online conversations. Since 2016, the project has taken a slightly different focus, hosting discussion from experts on Biblical Literacy and Biblical Reception in a Digital World. 
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could you have a pintrest board that we could post our thanks on? how practical?dont know. love jar though
Definitely possible, but have to create an image first to pin … I like the idea that it would make our thankfulness public. Always possible to mix paper/digital, by writing, then photographing … but there may be some thankfulness items not suitable for public domain :-)!!
Very true about ‘appropriate technology’ – I find taking real notes in a real notebook at a meeting is more helpful than typing them, I can make connections and scribble notes and I feel as if it actually helps me to think (of course I have no empirical proof it actually does!)
One advantage of doing things digitally for me is that I can usually find them, whereas even notebooks can be a bit elusive unless you have a good filing system, and nobody has even accused me of that. (Of course, if you do things on third party sites there’s also a danger that they could disappear one day.)
I think it would be the discipline of doing this each day that would challenge me, which would apply to any format.
My meeting notes on paper tend to end up like weird spider diagrams, which can then be difficult to decipher.. but can lead to some new connections 🙂 Online note-taking tends to look something like this – http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2012/11/jiscel12-why-do-i-need-a-teacher-when-ive-got-google-thatiangilbert/ 🙂
Every type of technology has its affordances – and disadvantages – as we always say – and some things never change – e.g. the discipline of doing this (not sure it does specify daily, but we can choose our own path!)
Love this idea Bex! Have kept a “thankfulness” diary before. Have started a prayer journal in which I am recording both the things to give thanks for and the hurts too. Though I should be more disciplined about recording it daily. I started a blog with the intention of finding things to be thankful for and making these things a part of the blog at least some of the time. I agree there are times it may not be appropriate to share them publicly I guess it’s about using our discernment, and asking God for wisdom, about when to speak/write/post and when to keep silent. Re: pictures, there’s also sites where pictures are copyright free. 🙂
I really love this idea 🙂
I also like that thought that some things are better NOT digital… I absolutely love receiving handwritten letters, for instance, and there is something so much nicer, personal, more special about that than an email or a Facebook message. I received a handwritten letter on pen and paper from one of my best friends yesterday and it completely made my day!