I try to live with an “attitude of gratitude” all the time, but it never hurts to set aside some time to focus on being thankful. The beginning of a new year seems like an ideal time to take stock – even if I don’t believe that an artifical date for creating “resolutions” makes any sense.

We are going through a lot of stress and upheaval in our lives right now, and it’s easy to get bogged down in all the “junk.”

But I really do have so very much to be thankful for. Just for starters:

• A loving Savior who died to redeem me
• A wonderful husband who serves God
• Three beautiful, intelligent, loving children
• The good health that all of us enjoy (whatever trials we have in this area, they are so small in the grand scheme…)
• A roof over our head, and food on the table (again, what is “struggling” to us is still plenty)
• The wonderful grandparents (biological, in-law, and “adopted”) my kids have (while missing my dad!)
• Discovering a community of like-minded believers online, so we aren’t quite so isolated in our walk

There are many others, naturally… but a lot of things are personal to me/us, or they relate to other people/situations who we have elected not to discuss in a public venue. Obviously, we all have such a list.

All during November, I taught a cute little echo song to my Mission Friends class on Wednesday nights (in the curriculum for Thanksgiving, obviously). It’s sung to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?” (Frère Jacques):

We are thankful (we are thankful)
For so much (for so much)
Thank you, God, for *insert item of your choice* (thank you, God, for *item*)
Thank you, God. (Thank you, God)

We started out with “missionaries” in the blank, since that’s the class theme, but I asked the kids to name things they were thankful for, and got some adorable responses.

• Jesus
• The Bible
• Church
• Everyone in the world
• Pets / Animals
• Fingers / Teeth / Hair / etc.
• Food / Apples / etc.
• Mommies & Daddies

I don’t hold a tremendous amount of optimism for things like the economy in 2010, since the socialist agenda of the administration will continue…

But I am thankful that, at the end of the day, God is on the throne, and He will work all things for our good!

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