What Are You Thankful For?

We all have troubles, and things that worry us:  physical limitations and health scares; jobs (or lack thereof) and money issues; and any number of situations and problems among our families and friends.  But don’t let that become the focus of your life.

Focus instead on the wonderful things in life, the things that you are grateful for, the things that make you happy.  I am thankful for my faith.  Unbelievably thankful!  Even when there are struggles, and bad situations, it calms me to know that in the end it will all be ok.  I don’t have to worry, it is in God’s hands.  And I am constantly reminded of the goodness in life.

I can see my neighbors flag flapping in the breeze, amidst the palm trees as the sun rises this morning.  And I know that despite any political or partisan bickering and nonsense, that I am blessed to live in the greatest country in the world.

As I reminisce about my nephew David’s wedding a couple of weeks ago, I am grateful for my family.  We all flew in from Florida, Colorado, and Tennessee, or drove across the state of Michigan to meet up and celebrate the marriage, and to welcome Caitlin into our family.  It was so much fun to spend time with people I love, to laugh and be silly!  Photo booths are designed to bring out the silliness, so you should just embrace it and have fun (which we obviously did!)

I am grateful for my sweet husband, and our unconditional love.  For his good heart, his strength, and all his “handyman” skills.  For his willingness to dive in, work hard, and get things done.  Even after years of working together to turn our old “fixer upper” into a beautiful home, he wasn’t phased by the idea of tearing down a non-load bearing wall in our new “fixer upper” home to open up the kitchen.  Of course this means we’re living in a bit of a construction zone.  And since we don’t have the money to replace the flooring throughout our house, we’ll  be living with a holey floor for the foreseeable future.  But that’s ok.  We have a roof over our heads, and each other!

I am thankful for my parents instilling me with a strong work ethic.  I am grateful for the blessings of intelligence, for the creativity and sewing talents God chose to give me.

I am so grateful for my beautiful, wonderful children, and their spouse and fiancée.  I love seeing my children happy and blessed with people that they love.  And I’m so, so happy that my daughter and son-in-law brought the blessing of Lila into our lives.  This sweet granddaughter of ours is such a joy!  When we FaceTime, it’s so cute to hear her ask “Where’s Grandpa?” if he’s not nearby when I answer my phone.  She loves to have you sing nursery rhymes over, and over, and over again.  It’s so fun to hear her giggle and belly laugh uproariously when we do “This little piggy” for the twentieth time.  And to hear her sweet little voice ask for “A, B, C!” so that she can (try to) sing the alphabet with me.  I love her quick hugs, and slobbery “smooches”, and to hear her say “I love you” back to me.  She fills our hearts with joy, and I am so grateful for every moment that we get to spend with her, whether it’s running in circles around the hotel, or last minute snuggles before we checked out.

Do you let the wonder and curiosity and joy of playing and running in circles into your life?  Do you appreciate the awesome beauty of the world around you?  Do you pray and place your troubles in God’s hands?  Do you feed your faith by attending Mass, reading The Bible, and living a prayer-filled and grateful life?  God, gratitude, and happiness go hand-in-hand.  Open your heart, cast your troubles upon Him, and live!