ARE YOU GRATEFUL?
BEING GRATEFUL MAKES YOUR LIFE
GREAT AND FULL!
I'm starting this discussion for those who are so down, that they can't think of anything to be grateful for. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments, to make people consider that there ARE good things in their very difficult lives.
Everyone will probably have a point in their life where they lose much, suffer greatly, and can't see anything worth waking up for anymore. I had many years of that. I decided I had to make life as pleasant as possible if I was going to live for a very long time. It took a while of thinking of at least 1 thing a day that I was thankful for. At first it was things like "Well I'm glad the house didn't burn down today", or "Glad I don't live in a third world country" but the more I practiced, the richer my life felt. The more you thank God for your blessings, the more He blesses you, because there are so few people who thank Him for the blessings He gives us.
1) I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT I CAN STILL SMILE, EVEN WITH THIS PAIN! I've been struggling lately with Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN). (Along with my other chronic illnesses.) TN is considered the most severe pain a human being can have. It is nicknamed 'the suicide disease' because so many who could not get help have killed themselves, either accidentally (when out of their mind in pain), or intentionally. It is a damaged nerve on the side of the head, going from the brain to the eyes, ear, nose, and all the teeth on one side. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigeminal_neuralgia
One Dr. offered to cut that nerve, but said it would stop me from smiling. I told him no, it was more important to me to be able to smile, even through the pain.
2) I am praying for people in troubled areas,
and I am grateful I am not in one of the cities that have had riots, killings, floods, earthquakes, cyclones and fires, (all of those did happen in 1 month in Australia and N.Z.). I never thought I'd say this, but even though this is the worst winter in over 50 years, I would rather have the snow than any of those other things. I'm happy I'm not in the Philippines, where the volcano exploded. It has been dark there, due to the ash fog blocking the sun. Dark? 24/7? I guess that leads me to #3--
3) I am grateful I don't live so far North that it is dark for 6 months of the year. I really need the light to fight depression. When we get depressed through the dreary winter skies, it's called S.A.D, seasonal affective disorder. Vitamin D does wonders for it, as well as keeping lights on and curtains open as much as possible.
4) I am grateful to live in the age of Internet! The world's knowledge and world-wide friends at my fingertips! The only disadvantage of having friends worldwide, is worrying about them when their area is in danger.
5) In this month of political frenzy, I thank the Lord that He allowed me to live in a land where there is freedom of thought, of speech, of choice, and of religion!
What are YOU grateful for today?
(no matter how small, mention something.)
