learning to be thankful.

   Today Hannah and I decided we wanted to go to the farmer's market that's semi-close to our house so we could get some fresh veggies.  It was still late-morning and hadn't gotten too hot yet, so we decided to walk down instead of drive.  As we were walking we both commented on how beautiful of a day it was, and now nice it was to actually walk somewhere.  We're so accustomed now to just driving to where we needed to go, that we get into our routines and forget what about what a simple pleasure walking is. 
   Anyways, that got my mind going in a tangent about the simple things I forget to be thankful for each day, and the little things God puts in our lives to make it worth living each day.  There's a blog I'm quite fond of called justlittlethings.tumblr.com/.  All it is is a list of submissions people have made about the small things that fill our lives that we often forget to appreciate.  New ones get added each day, and it has become one of my most frequently visited websites.  There's so much joy to be found in them, joy that we often pass by as we get caught up in the humdrum of life.
   That said, I have added the practice of thankfulness to my summer list.  Praying with a thankful heart should be habit, and should go beyond "thank you for this day, for this food, for my health, etc...."  It should be at all times during the day, it should even be at times when things aren't that great because we know that God is present and in control, and it's through those times that we grow the most.
   One way I've seen it done is to simply make a list--in a journal, on a blog, etc.--that simply says what we're thankful for that day or that week.  Not only does this help focus and direct our prayers and our minds, but it also re-centers us and helps us change our mindset and perception; it's so easy to get caught up in what hasn't gone so well, what someone has said or done, or just the stresses of life.  Recognizing what we have to be thankful for helps us remember the things that make life beautiful and give us reason to love it, and that our God is the creator of all these things.  

♥ C