Acknowledging one thing we are grateful for can positively shift our perspective. The New Ulm Public Library is definitely a happy thought for me. Library customers, staff, and supporters bring me joy each day. I am so grateful for my library community. If you are looking for ways to start or embellish your gratitude practice, try these library books and resources.

“Wild and Free Holidays 35 Festive Family Activities to Make the Season Bright” by Ainsley Arment. This book is full of activities to brighten the holiday season. I recommend the section called the “The Thankful Tree.” Create a tree that “provide[s] a visual reminder of all we have and how we are to share with others.”

Creativebug – Thanks to the generous support of the New Ulm Friends of the Library, this online resource for crafters and those wanting to learn. Creativebug–is available to library card holders and is accessible via the library website. There are so many ideas here to help you express your creativity and thankfulness. Here are a few wonderful examples, with descriptions from Creativebug:

Gratitude Art Journal – Take a 3 hour 50 minute virtual class on creating a Gratitude Art Journal. A beginner class working with mixed media, brush pens and watercolor. “Make gratitude a part of your daily art practice with artist and Faber Castell creative Mou Saha. Each day this month she’ll share a prompt and technique focusing on the moments. People and themes of her life for which she is most thankful.”

DIY Painted Gift Wrap – “In one afternoon you can create enough painted paper to wrap gifts for any occasion. Courtney Cerruti teaches several quick and easy dry-brush techniques, from sophisticated crosshatch designs to loose geometric squiggles–no prior painting experience required.”

Or learn how to creatively wrap wine, make customized paper envelopes and personalized thank you cards. This digital resource is amazing!

“The power of Thank You” by Joyce Meyer – “In The Power of Thank You, #1 New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer encourages us to take a look at ourselves and the importance of being thankful.”

“Thanks a thousand” by A. J. Jacobs – “After being dared by his son, A. J. Jacobs decided to thank every single person involved in producing his morning cup of coffee. The resulting journey takes him across the globe and transforms his life.”

“The Thank-you project: Cultivating Happiness One Letter of Gratitude at a Time by Nancy Davis Kho. – “As it turns out, emerging research proves that actively appreciating the formative people in your life, past and present, can lead to a lasting increase in your happiness levels — and The Thank-you Project offers a charming, entertaining roadmap to see, say and savor your way there”

The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life” by Janice Kaplan. – “On New Year’s Eve, journalist and former Parade editor in chief Janice Kaplan makes a promise to be grateful and look on the bright side of whatever happens. She realizes that how she feels over the next twelve months will have less to do with the events that occur than with her own attitude and perspective. Getting advice at every turn from psychologists, academics, doctors, and philosophers, she brings readers on a smart and witty journey to discover the value of appreciating what you have.” From dust jacket.

“Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” by Ross Gay. – “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” is a sustained meditation on that which goes away– loved ones, the seasons, the earth as we know it — that tries to find solace in the processes of the garden and the orchard.”

“Thank You, Teacher” edited by Holly and Bruce Holbert. “Grateful students tell the stories of the teachers who changed their lives.”

Library staff can help you place a request on any of these books and will help you find Creativebug. Give us a call at 507-359-8331. To place a request online, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose “Library Catalog.”

New Ulm Public Library is located at 17 North Broadway and is open Monday-Thursday from 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. The library will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23 and remain closed Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25 for the Thanksgiving holiday. It will reopen for normal hours on Saturday, November 26.