by Christine Senter

Created on: July 20, 2008

It's hard to be thankful for anything when it seems that everything is going wrong in your world. You might be having one of those days when your kids are sick, the washing machine has just spewed soapy water all over the room, and to top it off, you car won't start. The last thing you want to do is say thank you for any of this. But, there are reasons to be thankful.

First of all, be thankful that your child is at home sick, and not in the hospital. Be thankful that you have such things as a washing machine and a car. There are many out there who don't have these luxuries. Even when things seem totally lost, there are several reasons to be thankful.

There are a lot of people out there who believe that Thanksgiving is the only time to sit down and count their blessings. I believe that everyday is a reason to be thankful. Instead of complaining about having to go to work, be thankful that you have a job and can take care of your family. Think about all the people out there who can't work, or those that have lost their jobs due to downsizing. You have a lot of reasons to be thankful, if you just take the time to look for them.

It's easy to sit around and grumble about the way your life is going. However, finding the silver lining can be the difference between having a bad day, and having a great day. It can take a bit of creative thinking, but if you look deep enough, there are some positive points to focus on. Sometimes these points may seem trivial, but a positive outlook will make being thankful much easier.

Take a look at some of the things going on in your life. For everything you see as being a disappointment or a reason to complain, see if you can't come up with something to be thankful for. For example, let's look at the way our kids dress these days. We can bark, scream, throw a fit, and yet they seem more determined than ever to continue with their image. As hard as it seems to find something to be thankful for, there is the fact that your child has clothes to put on. Or, the fact that your child is trying to find their own mark in the world, as an individual. As minute as these things seem, they are reasons to be thankful.

We, as a society, have forgotten that it's the little things in life that make it worth living. We forget that generations before us had it much worse than we do now, and they almost always found reasons to be thankful. They were thankful that they had food to give their families, thankful that they had a piece of land in which to build their homes, and thankful that they had the ability to get out of bed each morning.

Remember, no matter how bad your life seems, there is at least one reason to give thanks. Take a moment to look over your situation and see if you can't find that one positive aspect and embrace it. When you have a positive outlook and a reason to be thankful, others around you will pick up on this. It could eventually give everyone else a reason to be thankful for their own lives.

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