If I had money, if I were younger, if I had finished my degree, if I had time… but what you have is this, right? Well look, do one thing, every day, give thanks for 3 things you do have now: a husband, a mother, a job, a school, a house, a friend….
And even if you are very negative and everything seems black to you, I suggest you also give thanks for things you don’t have: an illness, a hateful boss, a sick child, an unfaithful wife, a broken foot or a flat tire.
Do you realize that when you get a flat tire, you think about how unlucky you are, that it’s the worst moment, and maybe you even swear, get angry and yell at the person next to you? But do you ever think of giving thanks after a trip in which you have not had any breakdowns or mishaps?
At home we have a “thank you corkboard” hanging on the wall in the living room. On that board we put things to give thanks for when we want and how we want throughout the year. It is very nice to see that everything is coming out a little bit: the day at friends’ houses, the hat I got, the afternoon playing cards, the 10 in math… and on December 31 we read them all.
We have so much to be thankful for. It is true that we would want more or different things, but that does not mean that our life is not a pure gift. There are things we don’t like, misfortunes and bad times, shortages at times and hard times, but there are always things to give thanks for and that gives us a different look, a smile and an attitude towards others and towards God. Let us always look forward and upward. Forget about what you don’t have, it doesn’t do you any good to think about it.
Look at what you have and those around you, look also at all that you do not lack. And give thanks.
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