Thank You Nonnie!

I’m officially declaring September as Gratitude Month in honor of Nonnie, my maternal grandmother Mabel Rebecca Harrison, who passed in 2005 and would have been 99 on September 1st.

She was an amazingly strong woman, mother, teacher, business owner and all-around renegade for her times.

She had a huge presence in and impact on my life and the lives of my six siblings.

She taught us to read when we were very young, encouraged us to use daily
affirmations--her favorite: “I am healthy, wealthy and wise”--nurtured us all through her amazing cooking, blazed the trail as single working mother/entrepreneur, constantly extolled the virtues of positive thinking –“if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” took us on trips that extended from the pyramids in Egypt to Big Ben in London, and taught us a lot about the power of gratitude.

My siblings and I often drove her crazy (picture a sweet but strong seventy-something Nonnie chasing four wild boys ranging in age from two to fifteen) and I know she thought my mom, her only child, was off her rocker to have had seven children! But, as the years passed—particularly after my mom’s sudden and unexpected death in 2000--we became her greatest joy and frequently made trips to visit her in Houston.

So my brothers and I will be gathering tomorrow evening to celebrate Nonnie and thank her for teaching us to remember the power of thanksgiving—as a way of life. (We were going to cook a grand southern style feast in honor of Nonnie, but my brilliant 7-year old reminded us: “Nonnie loved Luby’s.” So, good is good enough.)

And, in Nonnies’ honor, I invite you to spread the word (put Facebook to good use!) that September is officially Gratitude Month. What are you grateful for today?

AN INVITATION: Interested in reconnecting with who you are and feeling more grateful and joyful every day? Consider starting/joining one of our women's self-renewal circles, signing up for our FREE September 17th Global PRG Sampler Teleclass on Reconnecting with Who You Are or attending our life-changing October 2-4 Fall Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat at The Crossings (early bird rate ends Aug. 31st).
Also, visit Live Inside Out and sign up to receive weekly tips on how to live more intentionally by becoming a fan on our Live Inside Out Facebook page.

The Journey, a blog about coach/author/entrepreneur Renee Trudeau’s personal journey to life balance and living life from the inside out, comes out weekly. For more information on Renee’s upcoming events, click here.

Photo: Circa 1975. Nonnie's only child, Juliana Harrison(my mom), with two of my younger brothers in our ranch-style home in San Antonio.