30 Days of Thanks

For the month of November, I am going to do 30 days of thanks. 

Please join me. 

You can write it, draw it, take photos of it, combine them. 

The biggest point is, take 30 days and be aware of what you are grateful for each day.

Enjoy The Little Things

The leaves are changing, enjoy the beauty.  Watch a sunset.  Take some time to enjoy the little blessings in life.  

Just For Today, Focus On The Blessings

Look around, and live a life of gratitude.

No matter how rough times are, there is something to be thankful for each day.

Life Is A Blessing

Feeling down or discouraged? 

Adjust your focus and see the blessings around you.

Golden List

Take time every day to make your GOLDEN LIST.  Gratitude changes your heart. 

Little Acts Of Kindness, Bring Big Smiles To Others

Random Acts of Kindness idea:  Send a note and $5 gift card from your favorite coffee place to someone who needs a thank you, a pick me up, a word of encouragement. 

Pay for the person behind you at a drive thru.  

Little things bring big smiles to others faces.

Random Acts Of Kindness

When is the last time you did a random act of kindness? It will not only bless those you give to, but it will bless you. Involve your kids, grandkids, neighbor kids, nieces, nephews, friends and teach kids about kindness & unselfish giving while you do this. 



I am issuing a challenge for the rest of the summer, approximately 13 weeks, to think of RAOK (random acts of kindness) and to implement at least one a week. I will post some ideas, please join me in posting your ideas & results.

Do You See It?

Stop.  

Put your phone or tablet down.  

Step outside.  

Take a deep breath.  

Now, look around.  

Do you see it?  

Do you see the flowers, the clouds, the green grass, maybe a butterfly or bird flying by?  

Don't miss the beauty that surrounds you, everyday. 

Relax.  

Take it in, and let the stress of life go as you breathe in the simple, yet oh so complex, 
beauty of creation.  

The Dance

I don’t want to miss the dance.  I get hung up on so many things in life,  worrying about what I will never do or achieve or have. But I don’t want to miss the dance. I want to love my spouse, care for my kids, and give life to my friends. I want to do the work God made me to do. I want   to love God and the world he made. I want to do my part to help it flourish, for my spiritual maturity is not measured by following rules. “The me God made me to be” is measured by my capacity to love. When we live in love, we flourish. That is the dance.

– John Ortberg, The Me I want to Be

How many times do we miss the dance? 

How many times do we turn away, quit trying, because we’re tired,  lonely, or forgot why we                         even cared in the first place? 

The world can be a difficult place to live at times. We need each other.

God wants us to love each other, serve each other.  He is asking us to dance without fear, so take                     the first step and enjoy the dance.

Honey or Poison?

Words...if you wouldn't say them to someone face to face, don't say them to others behind their back. 

Words are either sweet as honey or as deadly as poison, so think about each word you say, before you say it.

Reach Out and Help Others

As you grow older, 

you will discover 

that you have 

two hands.

One for helping yourself, 

the other for helping others. 

~Audrey Hepburn

Speak Life

Do your words speak life or death? 

Do you encourage or discourage, lift up or put down?  

Words cut, hurt, destroy OR words inspire, help, build up.  

Choose 

words

with care, 

use wisdom, 

and speak in love.  

To others.  

To yourself. 

Change Your View

Perspective affects our lives.  

Do you tend to complain and be angry, or do you try to speak words that are uplifting and helpful?  Are your words negative, or words of praise and thankfulness?  This world is filled with sadness, ugliness, and hurt, but it's also filled with joy, beauty, and healing.  Which do you focus on?  Which do you you speak?  

What is your perspective?  

Where we place our trust greatly affects our perspective.  Is your trust placed in yourself, the powers of this world, in others, or in God?  God makes a difference.  He is in control.  He will change your perspective if you truly place your trust in Him.  

Do you need to change your perspective today?  What will you do to change your view?  What steps can you take to see the dandelions as wishes instead of weeds?  

100 Days To A Better You, Gratitude

Want to improve you? Write down 5-10 things that you’re grateful for every day. Gratitude brings joy to your life by helping you see things from a different perspective.

Importance of Words

Words are important. Choose them carefully. Speak words of encouragement, grace, love, & strength.

Christmas Challenge

Christmas weekend is upon us.  I would like to issue a challenge for all of us from now through Christmas night: disengage from social media, engage in real relationships.  Disengage from staring at a screen, engage in staring at loved ones faces, because you don't know when this will be the last Christmas you are together.  A friend of mine buried both of her parents in the past six months.  I know she doesn't wish she had a few more moments this past year that she could have spent on Facebook or Pinterest.  No, she wishes for a few more precious moments with her parents, to hug them, and tell them she loves them.  She did plenty of it while they were alive, but as she said "can we ever really tell those we treasure in our lives that we love them enough?  Can we ever really spend too much time with those who are precious to us?" REAL relationships matter.  

Disengage from playing online, virtual games and engage in real relationships by playing a card or board game. Laugh together, have meaningful conversations, give hugs, go for a walk, enjoy life.  Be thankful. See the beauty that surrounds you in creation, in people.  

REAL people, REAL relationships are what matter.  Take the next few days to deeply invest in real relationships, face to face.  

Merry Christmas!

30 Day Challenge

As I finish up the 30 days of thanks, having missed a couple days because I have been spending the time with family, I want to challenge each one reading this to live a life of gratitude and thanks each day.  Look for the gifts around you, and be thankful.  A life of gratitude makes the heart be filled with joy.  It puts our focus on the good in life, not the bad.    I am not saying to live in a false reality and pretend  tough times aren't happening when they do.  I am just challenging each one of us to find a daily gift, a small joy, to see the blessings in life despite the difficulties we all face.  

Thanksgiving

30 Days of Thanks, Day 26

Today I am thankful for sunsets and lakes, both of which help me to relax and unwind, and focus on how God truly blesses my life in the simplest, most beautiful ways.  

Ask Yourself These Questions

While I focus a lot on what I am grateful for each day, I had the question pop in front of my face tonight of 'what did you do today to show you were thankful for your blessings?'  The question made me stop and think.  How did I live it out, make it apparent, show the world I came in contact with today that I was thankful?  What did I do that showed the world that living a life of thankfulness and gratitude makes a difference in my day to day attitude and choices, in how I see the world, in how I live?  

Want to focus on changing the world with a grateful heart?  Ask yourself these questions each day.