It's been a year since Chip and Joanna Gaines, the beloved couple behind HGTV's "Fixer Upper," launched "The Magnolia Journal," their quarterly home decor and lifestyle publication.
On Tuesday, the magazine's fourth issue dropped. Joanna shared the cover on Instagram and TODAY Home got a sneak peek at what we can expect to find inside the issue's pages. (As usual, there's some valuable life wisdom to be found among all that gorgeous design inspiration!)
"It seems like just yesterday we were sitting around a table dreaming of what we wanted this magazine to be and I am so thankful for what has evolved over the first year," Joanna captioned the shot of her and Chip looking very DIY on the cover. "Thank you so much for all the support! Snag a copy of the gratitude issue on newsstands starting today!"
So what does gratitude mean to the Gaines family? "The saying 'gratitude turns what you have into enough”' rings true to me," Joanna, 39, wrote in her editor's note. "The trick is practicing a kind of thankfulness that isn't based on time or place or circumstance. Even in the trials or the mundane aspects of life, if we have eyes to see them, we can find good things everywhere we look."
Jo expands more on this in an essay describing how she has found gratitude in everyday chores like cooking, gardening, driving and laundry. "When I was pondering this piece, I kept thinking I should write about a monumental moment in my life or how a bad situation ended up turning out for the good," she explained. "This kept coming back to me: Everyday tasks and to-dos are basic reminders of how blessed we are."
"I bet you have your own internal list of little daily grievances," she continued. "Instead, maybe find the blessing hidden in the chore. Or try looking at a current trial with fresh eyes. Sometimes a change of perspective is all it takes to let gratitude run free in every area of our lives."
Chip, 42, shared a funny anecdote about a past relationship that went up in flames and addressed finding gratitude in the fact that we don't always get what we want. "I've learned through the years to be grateful in seasons of unanswered prayers," he wrote. "Grateful for the journey that, though winding, leads to the very best for me ... Sometimes the very thing that once hurt the most leads to our greatest hallelujah."
We love their perspective as much as we love their addictive show!