Seasons of Gratitude

  

Thanksgiving is just days away and my mind fills with thoughts of family, fellowship, and good food. I enjoy taking a day off to spend time reflecting on the blessings of life. 

My children and I normally start a thankful tree at the beginning of November, and go to the end of the month. We write one thing each day we are thankful for on a construction paper leaf and hang it on our tree. At the end of the month, our wall is filled with colorful art work reminding us of God's goodness in our lives. 

While it's nice to set this time aside for thankfulness, it's important to not lose sight of our daily blessings. 

The older I get the more I find gratitude in the simple things of life. Just waking up each morning to my family's warm embraces is reason enough to praise God. 

   I'm thankful for God's salvation, and His power to change lives. 

In a world that seems void of peace, having peace in my heart and in my home is truly a reason to thank God. 

Safety at home and when we go to different places, should not be taken lightly. God's protection is unlike any other. 

Although I don't live in a mansion, or some specially crafted home, my family and I have a place to come home to. We have a roof over our heads. We have protection from the elements. 

We are well fed and we have clean water, that shouldn't just be a convenience but a blessing. 

Often times we take for granted that we can openly read the Bible and own many copies. That is not the case world-wide, so we should count it a blessing. 

We have an abundant amount of clothing, so much so that if we didn't do laundry for days, we'd still have something to wear. We should be thankful for that. 

Even though it's not always easy, I should view being a stay-at-home mom as a tremendous blessing from God. Not everyone gets to homeschool their children. It's a sacrifice that we should not take for granted. 

We should be grateful for the love that surrounds us. Most importantly we should be thankful for God's love. His love is unending. 

I remember many times before I got married of being stuck different places because my car wouldn't start, so I'm thankful for a van that is reliable. 

  I am grateful that we have electricity.  We have had the power go off during storms and         it reminds me of how blessed we are to enjoy this convenience.

  I am thankful that I can see God's beautiful creation. I am grateful that I can hear                     amazing  sounds and precious words like, 'I love you." I'm thankful that I can walk and move  around without difficulty. I'm thankful that I'm in my right mind. 

We should be thankful for the littlest things. If we can be thankful for the little things we will definitely be thankful for the big things. Normally big things don't make up our days, but little blessings that may not mean a lot to others, but things that make our days special. 

 There is a set season of gratitude, but let's make every season a season of gratitude. Let's  make every day a day of thanksgiving to God. He blesses us way beyond we deserve.