Thankfulness continued......

This Monday morning found me in the dentist chair.  I've spent a lot of time in that place over the years! I remember as a child having eight cavities one time and the older dentist wasn't so nice about it either! I tried to take good care of my teeth....but would still have cavities. My brother wasn't as conscientious and he rarely had any! Through the years I've had my share of tooth issues and solved them with crowns and root canals and large fillings and most recently, implants. I've mentioned before that I've pictured Jesus standing beside me with His hand on my head when facing unpleasantness in the dentist chair. That brought so much peace to my fearful heart. I had also determined to be thankful. Sitting there on this morning reminded me of my intentional thankfulness during a previous dental procedure.....telling my dentist that I know it could be so much worse, rather than having a crown put on I could be dealing with cancer. Hmmm, well now!

Years ago I saw the saying, "There is always, always, always something to be thankful for." I've tried to live this in the ups and downs of everyday life.  So, is it still true when one is facing a difficult diagnosis or an unplanned tragedy? Yes, I believe it is. There are times when the reality, the grief still overtakes me. But I am purposing to continue to focus on what I have to be thankful for....and this is a long list, starting with my precious family and supportive friends and including a hopeful prognosis. How do we live as thankful people? For me, it means not allowing my mind to dwell on the problems. Sure, I have moments of grieving that for the rest of my earthly days, this will be something that will be a part of me. But I will get the Word of God deep in my spirit.  When the Lord speaks clearly through His Word, I will hold onto that and not let go! I will worship and exercise and laugh and journal and make the most of each moment. I will believe that I can have joy and peace TODAY. I will go to my niece's wedding and cook a family birthday dinner and do bookwork and laundry. I will be a thankful person.

I will keep adding to my "thankfulness list" each evening.  Prompted by Ann Voskamp's book, "One Thousand Gifts" about four years ago I began listing three or so blessings from the day in a little tablet.  I've filled one and now have a second. It's a fun ritual each night to look back over previous years on the same date and see what happened, what I was thanking God for and then to add to my list.  It can be as simple as Amish school children laughter coming from the nearby schoolhouse or Jerry's smile or an unexpected visit from one of my children or sunshine or spotting a red squirrel or the song of geese flying overhead. Doing a small thing like this ends my day with thankfulness and fights the feelings of helplessness that can come when the activity stops and I'm alone with my thoughts and the "what if's" come knocking at the door. You know what I'm talking about!

If you are like me, your brain goes into high gear from the moment your eyes open in the morning till you crawl back between the covers at night. How about if you and I made a determination to begin and end each day with intentional thankfulness....expressing to God a grateful heart for the blessings of the day, which are many. I believe, I truly believe that this habit will affect the minutes in between these intentional pauses. We serve a powerful and faithful and compassionate God....He is worthy of our sacrificial offerings of thankfulness.

In looking through Psalms this morning for the perfect expression of my heart, I decided to just create my own "Psalm 150" of praise:

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in your church sanctuary,

Praise Him in your home.

Praise Him for His mighty deeds;

Praise Him for His excellent greatness, His loving kindness and healing touch.

Praise Him with a grateful heart,

Praise Him with worship tunes,

Praise Him with a heart of thankfulness.

Praise Him with dancing and shouting as you declare "I am Yours, Lord."!

Praise Him as you go about your day.

He has given you this season, this breath to praise and worship and honor Him.

Use it!

Praise the Lord.

AMEN.