Gratitude - A 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge!

I can hardly believe it is NOVEMBER already! I find it interesting that when I was a kid I couldn't wait to grow up..for my next birthday. To become 16. Then 18. Then 21. After around 25 I think I was ready for time to slow a bit. It seems to just fly by and I definitely can have it slow down as I am only a few years, ok maybe 2 years and a few months, away from 40!!! Wow! 

Anyway, back to topic. Since it is November, people start talking about gratitude. Being thankful. Thanksgiving. You see daily posts about it on Facebook. On Twitter. The news media talks about it. Talk shows focus on it. People are reminded of all that we have and all that we should say Thank You for !!

For me this is a great lesson. As time moves on, I find it easy to take for granted all that God has given me. And when I really sit down and write it out, He has blessed me with so much!!! He really has. It is so easy to focus on negative things in our world.  You see that kind of stuff everywhere. It's also so easy to compare ourselves to other people. The grass is always greener as they say. I know I have gotten caught up in this. But when we focus on positive things, surround ourselves with positive people and start each day being thankful, our perspective changes. We are happier. We see things in a new light. 

It's easy to get caught up in the day to day stuff. Ugh, the dishes need to be loaded into the dishwasher AGAIN (but then I realize how thankful I am to HAVE a dishwasher!) Or the laundry is piling up AGAIN! 

But hey, we have a washer and dryer that works well and detergent to clean our clothes…and while we are at it, we have the money to BUY clothes that are nice. Or are thankful to people like my mother in law who have clothed my children in the past so they have nice things to wear. 

When I think about those things then my attitude changes from ugh I have to do more chores to…hey God, thanks for giving me another one of Your days so I can do my chores to help my family. And while I am at it, thanks so much for my family!!! They may drive me nutty at times but they are all in all pretty darn awesome and are blessings in my life.

So there. I went on to write a quick post about gratitude and you know what it did? It turned that sink load of dishes and baskets of laundry that are waiting for me when I stop procrastinating here, to something to look forward to. Ok, I know you don't buy that. I don't look forward to doing those things - ever! But it changes my perspective  just a bit to know it is one of the things that God has called me to do. For that I am truly grateful.

So my challenge to you is to think of one thing you are grateful for each day. Write it down. Put a Facebook or tweet up about it. Or comment here. Tell a friend. Tell your significant other. Tell God! try it. It will brighten your day and help to put things into perspective.

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Today I am thankful for….God and the gift of my life. I am not deserving of all of the wonderful blessings He has given me but I am so incredibly grateful for another day here. 

We are all His children. And that is something to say thanks for. :)

Thanks for reading! I hope you will join me in this challenge for the next 30 days. 

Have a wonderful day!

~Rebecca~