choosing to give thanks

awhile ago, i wrote about choosing to focus on the good things in life.  for me, it's important because a lotta times i find myself focusing on the bad parts of life.  it's really too bad because the bad parts are far less in number then the good parts of my life.  if you wanted, you could read the blog here.

a small part of focusing on the good for me is focusing on the blessings in my life, the things that i often take for granted, and choosing to be thankful for them.  if you don't mind, let me tell you a quick story: last semester, while sitting in a seminary class, i was down.  i mean down, down.  like thinking i just wanted to scrap the whole seminary thing and move on in my life.  i was focusing on all the bad things.  then it hit me, sometimes i have to choose to focus on the good things, the things that i take for granted, and give thanks.  so, i literally looked out the window and started making a list of things i was thankful for: the flying birds, the leaves, the blue sky, electricity, denver seminary, the sunshine, grass, etc.  those are pretty basic things, right?  right.  but they still pulled me outta that funk.

a couple of months ago, i was reading through the good and beautiful god (james bryan smith) for a spiritual life class we were doing at new denver church.  smith challenged me (well, technically anyone who reads the book) to make an "on-going list of blessings."  so i did.  i admit i haven't gone back to the list much recently but i should.  especially on thanksgiving.  i'm sure you can see in the picture that some of them are really basic.  but that's the point, i don't wanna take those things for granted.

here's a list of a few of the things i'm thankful for (in no particular order):
coffee, sunshine, shade, big trees, baseball, playing sports, spicy food, air conditioning, heat, books, worship music, fruit snacks, grace, my brother, encouraging emails, love, the newspaper, new denver church, to-do-lists, sweats, loving parents, flip flops, my supporters, the book of james, comfy jeans, the nile river, warm showers, baby wipes, mountains, the smell of clean clothes.

i think you get the point.  it's really simple but it's been revolutionary for me.  and the cool part is when i start noticing the small blessings in my day-to-day life that i would've usually overlooked.  

maybe you could start today?  make a list of 10 blessings that you're grateful/thankful for.  add 10 more tomorrow.  or maybe add one a day, i dunno.  whatever works for you.  i just think it's really important to look for the blessings in our life, rather then the negatives.  and, if you're like me, i think it's important to give god thanks for blessing our lives so abundantly.

ml.