It's the Little Things

A few months ago I wrote a post about gratitude that you can find here. I want to make giving thanks a habit. Here are a few things that I've been thankful for in the last week:

~a Valentine's Day waffle brunch with my family

~precious moments with my niece

~a message of freedom and grace that lifted my soul

~coffee and cookies with a wonderful friend 

~encouragement from a caring friend

~sunshine and warm weather

~a quiet, inviting coffee shop

~pretending with little friends

~photobooth and lots of giggles with three cuties

~a fresh apple and cocoa almonds for an afternoon snack

~extra time for an afternoon walk

~chocolate, chocolate, chocolate

~finding a community of women that struggle with the same things that I do

~discovering some new amazing tunes

~hours of studying paying off

~relief from stress

~a God that's bigger than my problems and struggles

~giant, fluffy snowflakes that stick in my hair

*Have you ever thought about recording the things that you're thankful for? 

*Do you take pictures, write in journal, or blog about them? 

*Have you noticed a difference in your attitude when you take time to be thankful for the little and big things in life?

Counting Gifts

Last year I read an amazing, life-changing book. It's called One Thousand Gifts, and it was written by Ann Voskamp. In her book she talks about the importance of gratitude. God has blessed us with so many gifts, and the least we can do in return is thank Him. Gratitude takes the focus off of us and onto Jesus, because He is the giver of every good gift. If you really think about it, we have no reason to complain, because we can have the Creator of the world as our Friend. For about a year and a half I kept a gratitude journal where I wrote down everyday the things that I was thankful for. This summer I slowly stopped doing that, and I think that I have complained and wanted more because of that. I follow Ann Voskamp's blog and was recently reminded of the importance of giving thanks daily. For this reason, I have decided to periodically post some of the things that I'm grateful for. Here it goes . . .

~a hot bonfire on a chilly night

~building friendships and community

~silly games that are ridiculously fun

~fog that makes everything look mysterious and enchanting

~colorful leaves scattered across the ground

~a hot cup of Earl Gray tea to warm me up

~that God's mercies are new in the morning

~a clean, organized room

~encouragement at a much needed time

~a reminder that God has me where He wants me

If you have some extra time, you should definitely read One Thousand Gifts, and even keep your own list of things you're thankful for. Ann Voskamp's writing is in a little different style, but it is very impacting and meaningful. If you end up reading her book, tell me what you think! Are there any other great books that you've been reading? Let me know! I'd love to hear what you think about this subject of gratitude too!