Lesson on Thankfulness

On my milestone birthday this year I woke up feeling blah. It’s supposed to be a great birthday. It’s a milestone! I’m supposed to have a great day! Yet I felt unloved.

As I went for a walk in the woods, I remembered that even when I feel unloved and as if no one remembered, God knew. My husband knew. My kids knew. My uncle and my aunt knew. I was still loved. I was still appreciated. I just needed to look for the blessings all around me. I could focus on everything I was missing or focus on everything I had. I chose to look at the blessings God showered on me that day and to fully appreciate them.

You know what? I had a lovely day! Even though the day wasn’t perfect, my husband and kids showered me with gifts and time together. I felt very loved.

In what situation do you need to look at the blessings instead of the trouble?

Quotes about thankfulness

• Gratitude is the appreciation of things that are not deserved, earned or demanded – those wonderful things that we take for granted. – Renée Paule

• Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy. – Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

• Gratitude is an antidote to negative emotions, a neutralizer of envy, hostility, worry, and irritation. It is savoring; it is not taking things for granted; it is present-oriented. – Sonja Lyubomirsky

• Gratitude turns what we have into enough. – Anonymous

• “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” —Oprah Winfrey

• “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” —Anthony Robbins

• “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” —William Arthur Ward

The last quote by William Arthur Ward certainly is true. My milestone birthday was an ordinary day and yet it turned into an extraordinary one because of the choice to be grateful for all of God’s blessings.

Go and do likewise.

Thankfulness prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank you for your wonderful blessings. Sometimes it takes us a while to find them. Sometimes we miss them because we look at the glass half empty instead of half full. Give us your sight so we can see all the blessings you shower down on us, even when it’s difficult. We especially need to be thankful when we feel there is nothing to be grateful for. Give us the sight to find one thing each day to be grateful for when we struggle to find blessings. Help us to remember everything we have to be grateful for.

Amen.