I almost didn’t post today. I still need to figure out my schedule for posting, pre-writing posts, etc.

But I was feeling very grateful today and wanted to share as an encouragement to anyone who’s reading. Hopefully “I’m thankful for…” is not a phrase we use once a year at the end of November, but one we can repeat day after day.

Last night I fell asleep pondering what “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” really means (from this week’s verse), and while I don’t have a definitive answer yet, it can’t be a coincidence that I woke up feeling a greater appreciation for my life. So here is my list so far. I’ve found that when I start these lists I tend to add to them mentally throughout the day. I hope you will find the same to be true for yourself.

-Two vehicles that work. For the first 8 years of our marriage we shared one car, so although we’ve had two cars for over a year now, it still feels kind of new, and whenever I see that second car my heart feels a little warmer. We can go anywhere we need to, at any time. We’re spoiled.

-Plenty of food. I’m at the grocery store a lot, but this week I don’t think I need to go, and it feels good to know that we have enough. If we needed to, we could probably eat for a month with what we have in our fridge, freezer and pantry. Maybe longer than a month- I haven’t really thought it out, because I haven’t had to. Compared to the rest of the world, we live like royalty and I don’t want to take that for granted.

-Connections with far-away friends and family. Most of our friends and family can be reached by Facebook, text, email or phone at pretty much any time! It is so fun to send someone a little “miss you” or “thinking of you” message from time to time, and I also enjoy sharing more deeply with those friends who are very close to my heart, but live very far away.

-People who care for me. If I have a problem, I have many people to turn to, and a small circle of people who will come to me if they notice I may be going through something but not speaking up. This is so valuable, and I feel so grateful when I think about it.

-My faith. I want this to be a shorter post, so I don’t think I can really put into words here how thankful I am to know our Creator personally and have the privilege of following and occasionally even “helping” him.

-On the lighter side, I am thankful for little things that brighten up my day- colors and flowers and gift wrapping and decorations. Sun shining in through the window, clouds that change shape and size and color. Even my dog- his hair is all over the house, but he depends on me, and he’s kinda cute.

If Wally could express gratitude, I think ear scratches would be at the top of his list.

-The internet. Let’s get real- where would we be without it? I am thankful for the Internet on pretty much a daily basis. I often marvel at the things I can do that my childhood self could never have imagined. A phone that I can use to watch a movie? Search engines that will answer any question I have (accuracy aside ;))? What a world.

As I find myself saying often, this is the life! Now I’m off to go live it, hopefully with a little more gratitude.