introducing: thursday thanks

there are many ways in which i fall short, and i miss the mark more often than i care to acknowledge. but if nothing else, there is one thing i am pretty good at: gratitude.

i don't know where it comes from or when it began, but i'm certain that i had a remarkable example somewhere who instilled in me the importance of this principle. i'm also certain i didn't recognize it at the time.

but as i've grown older, and every now and again, wiser, the principle of gratitude has on more than one occasion, been my saving grace. it keeps me sane, balanced, faithful, and hopeful.

there are always comparisons to be made with those who seem to have more or better, but i often find myself focused on those who have less and worse. they are everywhere. they are at work, at home, at school, in the grocery store. and there are those with less than them, those who don't go to work, have a home, get an education, or shop at a store. i am constantly amazed at how much i have been given, despite all of my shortfalls and missed marks.

with that said, i'm making my gratitude a little more public. i'm going to attempt to dedicate a post a week to the things/people i am particularly grateful for that week. we (and by 'we', i mean 'me') are gonna call it 'thursday thanks'. i've got a list already in, so now you have something to look forward to!