Taking the attitude of gratitude

This is the time of year everyone starts compiling their lists of what they're thankful for.

I tried the 30 days of thankful on Facebook last year and embarrassingly fell drastically behind.  I liken it to New Year's resolutions. The first few days you're gung-ho (If you're like me), ready to change the world and then little by little you lose your gusto and just stop all together.

I read somewhere that it typically takes about 6 weeks to form a habit (good or bad). So, instead of reserving the month of November to count your blessings, why not try to count them every day?

As I'm looking to find the sweet in the bitter of this season I'm walking through, I've really had to look hard some days to find the goodness.
Just like when you have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, and you can't even really find one thing right with it. You've got to dig deep and seek it out. Sometimes you have to make your own sweet! (a lone trip to the coffee house for your favorite brew AND a scone? yes please!)

This morning I woke up to a winter wonderland. Tree limbs hung heavy with wet snow and the ground was covered with about 4 inches of the white stuff. We drove out of our neighborhood and the tree branches formed a white canopy over us. The sky had opened up and big fat flakes of wet snow splattered on our windshield.
Is it just me, or is there a quiet hush over your world when it snows like this? The everyday noise just seems to disappear...

The leaves go from bright green, to fall ambrosia. The sky grows tired and blows them all down.  Then, God does something like this:

As if to say "Boom, how do you like that!"

I am thankful for many things some big and some small.

This year I am most thankful for friendship.

I've been through a long, barren, dry season in the friendship department in the past.
It seems that within the past 3 years, God has opened a door and blessed me with a few special folks that I can trust as friend.
He's also opened a door in the blogosphere and I've made several friends through writers groups and link-ups.  I never really knew where this blog would lead me.
I just knew He was asking me to take a step of faith and I'm so glad I did.

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” 
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

With Gratitude,
Forever 31 Mama

Linking today with Coffee for your heart  and Faith Barista.