Thankful

I just finished reading Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. It's a fantastic book. This is a little excerpt that I read earlier today that's been echoing in my heart ever since.

The pearl she found one day glistened in the smile of a grizzled street veteran who lived under a railroad trestle in a cardboard box shaped like a casket. This man ate from garbage cans, an unpleasant truth you knew automatically if you had a nose. His beard was matted with dried vomit and the remnants of his last few meals, and he reeked so strongly of booze that it seemed he might explode if someone got too close and struck a match.
Here was a man whose life seemed disposable. Yet he found a reason to smile. Drawn to him, Deborah offered him a plate of home-cooked food and a prayer. Then, truly puzzled, she asked him, 'Why are you so happy?'
'I woke up!' he replied, eyes twinkling in his haggard face, "and that's reason enough to be happy!'

This is so humbling! It's so easy to forget to be thankful, especially when you're accustomed to being blessed. But to be thankful for waking up in the morning--especially if you overslept and are late, or if you have too much to do that day, or if you don't feel good--seems almost foreign; when, in fact, it's something the vast majority of us take for granted on a daily basis.

I was thinking today about how thankful I am for my job, when it occurred to me that I don't remember ever taking the time to thank God for providing it for me. For about a week straight I went around telling people I got the job. But I didn't get anything--I was graciously provided with it. It's a wonderful job and absolutely perfect for me, it's full-time and allows me visit the pool and the zoo on at least a weekly basis, the kids are wonderful, and I love getting a chance to play the part of mom...all the more reason to give thanks!

I have a lot to be thankful for--a lot of things I've been blessed and provided with that I don't necessarily need or deserve. All too often I forget to thank God for those things, let alone the fact that I'm healthy; there's air in my lungs; I can walk, talk, hear, see, smell, taste, and feel. The little privileges that I take for granted every single day constitute coveted losses and desperate desires for some people, and here I am walking around like I did something to deserve them.

Having a thankful heart is something that's SO important to me, especially lately. My heart is so full with thoughts and feelings about this that the best I can manage right now is a huge smile, because words don't even do this justice. I woke up this morning, and God only knows if I'll be lucky enough to do it again tomorrow. Right now that's enough for me :)