Thankful Thursday

"Dear quiet, Thank you for your stillness, your deep breaths, your moments of gratitude."  

Kelly Rae Roberts

     In the past weeks I've been through a great deal of change and transition.  Moving and driving, new time zones to wreak havoc on my sleep, a schedule and events that at times keep my hopping, and at other times allow me to catch a much needed nap (again--the time zone thing...).  As I've unpacked boxes and attended meetings, I admit I haven't had much time for writing or creating.  I'm hoping to change that up very soon, especially since I have a new order to fill this week.  Hooray!
     This morning it is raining a gentle mist over the orange grove I now live on, and mist is clinging to the mountains like a snuggly blanket.  This is exactly the kind of weather that calls me to "slow down."  To pause and reflect.  And today, I'm using it to remind me of the ways I've been blessed so I can nurture having a thankful heart.  Sweet things and the ugly beautifuls--no matter what form it takes, I see much to be thankful for.

-Sweet birdies dancing on the balcony railings.
-Bathrooms to clean (far better than the outhouse I remember on my great aunt's property, right?!).
-Humorous cards that remind me of good friends and adventures we've created together.
-Coffee grounds to clean; caffeine, thank you Jesus!
-Many windows to bring in light and joy

     What is on your thankful list today?

Thankful Thursday

A few weeks ago I was reading a blog I follow written by author Donald Miller (he's written Blue Like Jazz and others).  You can visit his blog at donaldmilleris.com, and even see this post from January 13th here:  http://donmilleris.com/2011/01/13/the-power-of-gratitude/

A couple days ago I told you I ran a publishing company here in Oregon during my mid-twenties. It was a fun few years for me. I fell in love with books during the time, and am grateful to still be in the industry, these days as a writer, of course.

I don’t know what led me to do it, but one day I decided the company would become more grateful. I bought several boxes of thank-you cards and gave one to each member of the staff (we were tiny, so this was no big deal) and asked if we’d be willing to write a thank-you card to somebody every day until our boxes were empty. The staff loved the idea. We wrote cards to our customers, to our vendors, even to our delivery guys. I wasn’t expecting anything to happen, except maybe to let the people who supported us know how grateful we were, but to my surprise, we saw a fairly significant boost in our business. No kidding.

I don’t know if our business increased because we sent out thank-you cards, but it certainly didn’t hurt. There’s something inherently powerful in saying thank you to somebody. Most good deeds go unnoticed, and when we notice them, especially a year of them or a decade of them, and finally send a card, it goes a long way in encouraging the people around us.

It’s Thursday, and I thought maybe today we’d have something called Thankful Thursday.

Who are you grateful for today?

I read this post and loved it.  That day I went out and delivered some thank you's to those dear to me.  I know I don't tell them how thankful I am that they are in my life nearly enough.  This post inspired me to be more thankful, and I hope maybe it'll nudge you into expressing your thanks as well.  

Drop me a comment and let me know how that worked out for you!