It is at this time of year that many of us take time to think about what we have, what we don’t have, what successes we’ve enjoyed and what failures we’ve endured.  Some of us look at it all and complain that we’re just not there yet (wherever “there” is) and others of us see it all as part of a journey that should be savored at each step.  My wife is one of the latter and she teaches me daily about this.  I tend to be one of the former at times and I need this push in the right direction.

What she has taught me most is that life is to be lived in the moment and not to constantly look at what could or should happen.  She is always pointing me in the direction of being grateful for everything, even the bad stuff.  Someone once told me that everything is the way it needs to be for everything to be the way it is.  Now that sounds a little odd but if you think about it, it makes sense.  If things were different in one way, how many things in your life would be way off?

I guess what I am getting at is that we should be grateful for everything, even getting stuck in traffic, the flat tires, crab grass, and leaky faucets in our lives.  How many times has something bad led to something good?  How many times have you looked back on your life and considered how many negative experiences pointed the way to a positive one?

As hard as it sometimes is for me to say, when I get a chance to really reflect, I am grateful for everything. I am thankful I have the opportunity to get stuck in traffic, I am grateful that I have running water that causes the leaky faucet, and I am grateful for what I have …and… what I don’t have (remember the old adage to be careful for what you wish for because you may not be ready for whatever it is).

Are you grateful?  Do you see the blessing in not having it all or are you a complainer about what life hasn’t offered you?  Those with the former attitude, like my wife, walk through life with a joy that brings more blessings daily…and I am blessed with her to lead me in my journey…even though she gives me a to-do list that I need to find a way to be grateful for.

Take this Thanksgiving and really think about what you have and don’t have, your successes and failures, and find the blessings in all of them.  We are graced with so much and the journey is worth the price of admission if we stop to enjoy it.