Gratitude

Gratitude, as with all fine art forms, must be practiced to excess and exhibited as often as one can. 

As I sit at my laptop this afternoon, I am feeling content.  It's been rainy this morning, and I am thankful for the rain's rhythm.  It's so relaxing.  I've been very reflective lately.  Autumn has that effect on me.  As Thanksgiving approaches and the year begins to draw to an end, I have realized that I have forgotten a measure of gratitude.  I am very thankful for the blessings that I've received, but as my days grow more hurried and the holidays approach I've noticed myself getting lost in the rush of it all.  I find myself worrying about silly things instead of trusting that God really does have my life in His hands and genuinely has good things planned for me.  I've noticed that the more I worry and give way to stress, my joy, faith, and gratitude are all deeply affected.  So this week, my goal is to practice my gratitude a bit more - gratitude for the good things, gratitude for the things that make me stronger, and gratitude for all the little things that fall in between.