What are you thankful for? In a world where every time you sit down to eat at a restaurant, walk through the airport, or go to a bar with friends, TVs display the latest breaking news filled with danger, problems, and crime. It’s inherently difficult to remember what matters, to see the forest through the trees.
Last week a close friend of mine lost his father. He died unexpectedly and without warning. I care for my friend and feel for him, his family, and his loss. When I first heard the news, I thought about my friend, what was going through his mind, and how terribly off guard the news must have made him feel. As tears rolled down my face, I prayed he was going to be all right and that his father went peacefully. 
My next thoughts are inherent within the human condition. I put myself in the shoes of my friend’s mom and her sudden loss of her husband. I then put myself in my friend’s shoes and thought about losing my own dad. And then I took myself back out of the situation and wept for my friend’s lose.
As my friend went through the grieving process and the preparations for the funeral, I again revisited my thoughts and realized something that we, humans, overlook. At one time or another, we’ve taken our lives and the people in it for granted. We don’t know what we truly have until we lose it, and we are programmed to not show our love until it’s too late. Instead of feeling like a victim, look inward and then outward and recognize what loveliness and beauty is your life.
Join me today and begin writing your grateful list. I began a notebook and am writing down everything and anything that comes to mind that I am thankful. Recommended: Buy a spiral notebook and carry it with you everywhere. This allows you a dedicated grateful place to write down what comes to mind when it comes instead of trying to remember throughout the day.
When things come to mind in which you are grateful, write them down in your GRATEFUL notebook. I don’t think you’ll ever be finished with your list but you can get your basic list that you affix to your bathroom mirror. Your bathroom mirror is an excellent place because you see it every day. When we make ourselves aware of our GRATEFUL list we begin to see the world in a new perspective. No longer will you live in fear of the news, violence, and the sadness, you will be grateful and happy for what you have and love. Every morning you and I can look at our grateful list and realize just how truly lucky we are!
