Thankful

Why is it so hard to be thankful or so easy to forget to be thankful? I was thinking about how much an attitude of thankfulness could really change the way I see life. I would like to be a more thankful person. When I am stressed because my house is messy, instead I could be thankful that I have a house to live in. I think my life would be a lot more joy filled if I had the more thankful perspective. I have so much to be thankful for compared to so many people in the world who are just struggling to find their next meal. It is so hard to comprehend that reality. But along with being thankful for big things, I'd also like to be more thankful for small things. Such as butterflies. And ice cream. And music. So I am going to try to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness, with God's help... since I can't do it on my own. Here are some things I am thankful for...in no particular order...

• going to Nashville this weekend to spend time with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law
• my parents generosity in giving us so many things
• my new watercolor class that I recently started teaching- the women in it are great and I think it will be really fun.
• Robin and Melissa, friends from college, are coming to visit in about a week and a half.
  
• Kyle's garden and all the great food we get from it.
• Being able to work from home and have my own schedule.
• Being able to feel our baby moving around inside of me every now and then (a recent development).
• our church and the people in it.
• our neighborhood.
• Kyle.
• God's grace.
• Our neighbors, Amanda and Ryan, who help watch out for our house and trade produce with us.
  
• Sunshine, and living somewhere where the sun shines most of the time (unlike the town I grew up in where it was usually cloudy or snowing most of the year ;).