Brothers and sisters:
Hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus
and of your love for all the holy ones,
I do not cease giving thanks for you,
Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 1:15
Did you realize how nice it feels to give thanks? Try it! Go take a walk or watch out your window or go wherever you like to be, and say a thankgiving prayer for each person you see. Even when you don't know them, or even when you aren't sure who they are, just say thanks in a prayer.
It really turns the heart around if you practice that! I am not sure if it is because we have taken some time out to think about someone other than ourselves, or if it is because we have put our worries down for a moment to simply watch what is happening around us.
I met a gal who gives thanks for every meal by naming the foods she is eating in her prayer. I really like that idea, because it takes the routine Before Meals prayer and makes it special to that moment's foods. "Bless us O Lord for these the gifts, these peas, (haha) these burgers, these cookies..." Try it and see what happens!
