I’m a natural pessimist. My mind seems to gravitate to negative thoughts. My husband dubbed me his little half-empty wife very early in our marriage, already realizing this quality in me.
He is incredibly half-full. Always. He calls it a choice. While I often questioned my ability to actually choose optimism, I’m beginning to agree with him.
We aren’t always inherently thankful for our circumstances. Sometimes we get so caught up in the darker aspects of our lives, we can’t seem to notice all the light.
I remember years ago when the wonderful little book, Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach, came out. It advised to list 3 things every day you are grateful for. I started this habit immediately, but as they so often do, that habit soon disappeared.
In recent years, as my faith and prayer life have grown, my gratitude list reemerged. I find myself praying throughout the day, thanking God for all the incredible gifts in my life. I even catch myself in gratitude for all of the unanswered wishes over the years that led to so much more than what I originally thought I wanted.
In the words of the late, great A.W. Tozer:
How true this statement is. It has taken me most of my 45 years to come into this “purer faith” and I must admit to still struggling with it. I will probably always have my moments of asking God why or why not…
In honor of November being the month of Thanksgiving, I want to share a portion of my incredibly long gratitude list with you.
I’m thankful for…
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My precious children who have blessed me with my favorite role in life, Mommy.
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My husband and all of the broken hearted breakups before him which made our marriage possible.
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My testimony, including all the difficult years of addiction and non-existent faith so I could serve others still trapped in those horrific, lost days.
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Grace, that beautiful gift from God which allows me to be forgiven and to finally learn how to forgive myself and others.
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Being able to pay my bills and all of the years I couldn’t so I can appreciate this immensely more.
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My mother and sister who have lived this crazy life with me since the beginning and love me anyway.
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My father, who left when I was very young, for (unintentionally) teaching me how to deal with the most painful hurts and disappointments in life.
- And most of all, I’m incredibly thankful for my true Father who has always been here with me even before I believed in His existence…
I encourage you to make your own list of things you are grateful for in honor of this blessed month of Thanksgiving. I would love for you to share a couple of gifts from your list with us in the comment section.
Let’s start Choosing Thankfulness on a daily basis. It really is possible…
Great list! I’m thankful for my children, my husband, my mom, my brothers, neices and nephews, grandparents, and the rest of my family. I’m also thankful for having a house, working cars, and having all of my needs taken care of.
Awesome list, Sonya! I love all the people you included. I think we can get caught up in what we don’t have and forget the people in our lives are really the most important.
I’m a big Tozer fan! And I’m grateful for the incredible wisdom that we still glean from his words all these years later! Thanks for sharing your gratitudes with us, Candace …
Tozer is a newly discovered author for me, Linda! I’m so excited to check out his books in the bundle. I have heard amazing things about him. I’m even more intrigued now that I know you are a fan :)!
That quote and image is fabulous! Just pinned it. I love that your husband calls you his half empty wife, mine calls me persnickety!
Persnickety- I love it! Every time I visit you know I’m going to think of that nickname :). Thanks for the pin! I have been saving that picture and this quote fit it perfectly. I think the picture was one of the weekly freebies from lightstock.
I’m thankful for my family, my friends (real life and blogger), and I’m thankful for all the struggles in life that continue to teach me the importance of gratitude.
Thank YOU for this post. It seems like right when Halloween is over, everyone turns to Christmas. Even though I am an online seller, I still can’t bring myself to do that. It’s refreshing to see a good post on gratitude. So, thanks again, my friend. =0)
Hi Kim! I completely agree about struggles being a necessary part of it all. They really make me appreciate the good things so much more.
I’m also annoyed about all the Christmas stuff out already! Our stores had it lined up with the Halloween stuff last month. I was shocked! I love Christmas but want to enjoy Thanksgiving first. Thanks for the party today :)!
Oh how I love this post Candace!! I love your list of ‘thankfuls’ from every piece of my heart. Your perspective is surely one of pure faith, my dear friend. I adore that quote. I have never seen it before, so thank you for blessing me with not only YOUR words, but A.W Tozer.
=Keep being intentional, and show your hubs up!! 😉
I’m going to show him, Chris ;)! That reminds me of a funny story. My son saw me tweet this post yesterday with something about me trying to be more of an optimist. Last night at dinner, I was complaining about something and he said, “Mom, that’s not being very optimistic…” My husband and I were cracking up. Now they are both calling me on my pessimism!
Thanks for blessing me with your visit, my friend!
I find it so amazing how once we start looking for our blessings and things to be thankful for, the list is never ending! I went through a season of not seeing any blessings at all – and once God opened my eyes, all I could do was see blessings – everywhere. Love your list – and the practice of being intentional about thanksgivings.
That is so incredibly true, Kathryn! I love how blessings multiply when we focus on them :). I have definitely been through those seasons as well where I couldn’t see any. I was lost for many years. Being intentional with this does not come naturally for me, but it is so worth it.
I have to remember everyday what I am thankful for. Just the air and beauty all around us is an every moment reminder. Only God could give us something that beautiful. Thanks for sharing
I love to be out in nature because it is a perfect reminder of God’s beautiful gifts. I completely agree with you, Tammy! Thanks so much for your encouraging Thanksgiving linkup :).
I know the transition from pessimism to optimism is not easy because some habits are just hard to break. So i want to honor you for making the effort and the choice. Kudos!
Thanks so much for your encouragement, Lux! It’s really a difficult transition. Always a work in progress for me :)! This month of Thanksgiving is the perfect time to refocus.
Hi Candace!
Thanks for linking up to Fellowship Fridays!
Full confession – today is one of those days where I feel (felt?) like i just couldn’t get started. Hubby is off to work, Baby girl is off to school, Big girl now lives at school and here I am in a post-surgery funk. After about 20 min of tossing (& wincing) in my bed, God nudged me to get up and read all the links from Fellowship Friday that I didn’t have time to read this past weekend. Your post was JUST what I needed to read. Oh and….of course I see that nothing is a coincidence…i *just* got my first A.W. Tozer book to read. Can’t wait to dig in now.
Thanks for the reminder that gratitude and a heart of thankfulness is a choice. And that I can choose to go there regardless of what I’m feeling this particular second. And what a gem of wisdom you’ve given us all when you showed that this choice of thankfulness caused you to stay in more constant prayer and praise of God. WOW!
Big hugs! You’ve hugged my heart today! 🙂 Julie
I just got my first Tozer book too! I’m excited about learning more from him. I’ve heard wonderful things about his writing.
I’m sorry to hear you are in pain, Julie. Praying for your healing! I’m so impressed you are pushing forward, spending time visiting and encouraging others. That says so much about you :). I’m honored your heart was hugged here today!! XO!
I love your choices to be thankful. They are very encouraging for me to read and rejoice in. Thanks for linking up to the Fantabulous Thanksgiving Favorites Linky Party. I’ve pinned your post to the Party board.
Thanks for the pin, party, and visit, Tammy :)! I need to print out my gratitude list and read it every morning. It would stop so much unnecessary negativity.