I think that being grateful for what we have is a very important part of living life to the fullest. We need to reflect and count our blessings. Pursuing achievement, prosperity, and the finer things in life is fine, but if we don’t stop once in awhile to be grateful for what we already have, then we may fail to experience the full joy that life offers. I have a lot to be thankful for and you probably do as well. No matter what we are going through in our current circumstances there are always things to be grateful about. Having a grateful heart is important to living life to the fullest.
I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. ~G.K. Chesterton
The things in my life that fill me with gratitude and joy.
As I said, I have many things to be grateful for and these things are where the joy I have comes from. I hope that you will take a moment with me today to stop and count the good things you have in your life. I also hope that by reading my list it will remind you of the great things that you have to be grateful for in your life.
1. I am grateful that I have a loving and faithful wife.
My wife is quite a woman to have put up with me for the past 16 years. She has made our house a beautiful home and given me two wonderful children. She is my best friend and my companion for life. She has stuck with me through the good times and the bad. She understands that love is a verb. We have had plenty of fights, but we always stick together. For my beautiful wife, I am very grateful!
2. I am grateful for my two wonderful daughters.
I am blessed to be the father of two wonderful girls. They bring a great deal of joy and laughter into my life. I am so proud of them. I consider it a true privilege to be their daddy. It is easy to get distracted by the difficulties of parenting, but in the end I would never trade the experience of being my daughters’ father for any other experience in the world. For my two wonderful daughters, I am very grateful!
3. I am grateful for my extended family.
I am fortunate to have loving parents that taught me the values I have. My parents divorced when I was little and although this isn’t ideal, they still remained committed to raising me and my brother to the best of their ability. In addition, I am now blessed with my wife’s incredible family. They have accepted me as one of theirs and for that I am truly thankful. Finally, I had an uncle and a grandmother that were amazingly strong and positive influences in my youth. All of this has made me who I am today. For the love and support my extended family gives me, I am very grateful!
4. I am grateful for my good health.
My body and mind are healthy and have served me well for almost 43 years now. I have never had to take any regular medication and I have always been healthy enough to do anything that I have desired. In addition, I have always had good eyesight and hearing without the need for any corrective devices. I only go to the doctor about once every other year and then it is usually for something very minor like a sinus infection. When everyone else is getting sick, I very rarely get it. For my good health, I am very grateful!
5. I am grateful that I live in the United States.
I am very fortunate that I live in one of the richest countries in the world. I am often humbled when I think of the conditions in other countries and what my life would have been like if I would have been born there. I am grateful to have clean water, plentiful food, numerous freedoms, and unlimited opportunities. In addition, we enjoy peace and security here that very few other countries in the world know. For my country, I am very grateful!
6. I am grateful that I have religious freedom.
I believe that a healthy spiritual life is a very important part of living life to the fullest. I mentioned above that I am grateful for the freedoms that I enjoy here in the U.S., but this one is so important to me that I feel it deserves to be mentioned separately. I am thankful that I can choose how and when to pursue my beliefs without interference from the government. I can also practice my faith openly without fear of being harmed or imprisoned. I know this is not the case in many other places around the world. For my religious freedom, I am very grateful!
7. I am grateful for the opportunities I have.
I have been very fortunate in my life to be able to go to school, work, and pursue my dreams. I love being able to express myself in these ways. The sense of achievement and pride that I get from setting a goal, pursuing it, and ultimately seeing it come to fruition is truly satisfying. I know that many people in the world struggle just to survive every day. I, on the other hand, get to pursue whatever I can imagine. For the opportunities I have, I am very grateful!
We all have a lot to be grateful for.
I imagine that you have many of the same things to be grateful about as I do. Stopping to think about these things really gives me a sense of joy and peace. It is easy to get caught in the trap of only longing for what we don’t have. Taking the time to be grateful for what we already have is a valuable step toward living life to the fullest!
What are you grateful for? Please leave me a comment and let me know!
Photo by ScubaBeer
It’s good to take a step back and appreciate what we have. Things we take for granted and never truly appreciate.
It may surprise some that people from some African countries risk their lives and go through the Sahara to try to make it to Europe and then to the US.
I keep a gratitude journal where I write 3 things I am grateful for each week.
On material matters, look towards people who have less than you and on knowledge look towards people who are more learned than you. THis was told to me by an American many years ago. Makes complete sense.
I am grateful for many of the same things (wife, children, health, etc.). I am also grateful for my community of blogging friends (of which I would include you, Jeff). It’s strange to share a kinship with a bunch of people you have never met in real life, but I feel like I really know these people after reading their daily work and trading occasional emails. I consider them my “virtual” friends, and I am grateful for their writing, and their ability to share new ideas with me.
@fathersez – A gratitude journal is a great idea!
@FD – I know what you mean about blogging friends. It is amazing the loyalty and connection I feel toward a lot of the people that I have met. It sounds sort of geeky, but it is true.
Thanks again for commenting!
We are indeed fortunate to live in the richest and most free countries the world has ever known. The tragedy is how few people truly take advantage of the opportunities they are afforded by this.
Micah and I sometimes keep a 1-liner gratitude journal. We each write something we’re grateful for from the day as we go to bed. Even if they day turned out feeling sucky, we can look back to at least one good thing (there’s always one good thing) and have that be in our last thoughts before going to sleep. I think it’s good for us.
The 5th listing is true… unfortunately cant have it
@Mrs. Micah – The journal approach sure helps to keep gratitude at the forefront of one’s mind. I like it!