The Story of The Blessing Jar
We have all had those moments in life when something happens or someone crosses our path leaving us full of gratitude, encouragement, and love. But life gets busy and sometimes it can be hard to remember those little moments that bless us, especially when we are navigating through difficult terrain in life.
Sometimes this shows up as financial difficulty, stress in our family or romantic relationships, a situation at work or in business that seems insurmountable…the list can go on.
The founders of Mountain Arts Pottery, Dave and Jenny Lockie, knew this all too well. After coming close to filing bankruptcy during the recession, with four young children, they put forward their best efforts (which inevitably required their best attitudes), and with a very humble beginning in 1980, they built Mountain Arts Pottery.
They experienced the power of gratitude and prayer countless times throughout their lives and wanted to instill that value in their children. So, every time something special would happen, they would take a moment to write it on a small piece of paper, fold it and put it in one of the special pottery vessels Dave had thrown. These blessings would range from a lost pet who had safely returned home, to a college acceptance letter, to a friendly gesture from a stranger, to something falling into place right at the perfect time when one of them had needed help the most.
Eventually, the jar became known as “The Blessing Jar”. Once a year the family would gather for a special Family Day and at some point in the evening, they would all sit down and take turns pulling a note from the jar and reading each slip of paper aloud.
Could you imagine how much more we all would enjoy life if we took time to appreciate all of the little (and sometimes big) things that happen throughout the year? Not to mention, how much more connected we would all feel to each other! To sit down with those you love and remind each other of how blessed we are is bound to leave anyone with, at the very least, warmth in their heart and a little extra pep in their step. To add onto the benefits of this ritual, remembering how much others do for us throughout the year nurtures the desire to spread the love and pay it forward.
If you are new to the concept of the blessing jar, we highly recommend trying it out for at least a year to experience the power of this beautiful practice for yourself and your family.
Many Blessings,
The Mountain Arts Pottery Family
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Mara Amedia
March 05, 2019
Over the years, I have given Blessing Jars as housewarming gifts, as wedding gifts, and “just because” gifts. When I was in charge of managing our church as senior warden when our pastor retired, I introduced the Blessing Jar to our congregation. So many of our members were fearful and negative about the future of our church. I knew the Blessing Jar would help them to focus on all of the positive and wonderful things are church had to offer them. It helped to make them see the goodness in their lives. I’m happy that I was able to thank Josh’s dad for the wonderful idea of the Blessing Jar before he retired.