Gratitude #627

Yes, you read that right. I've been doing daily gratitudes for 627 days. Prior to this point and during my divorce I began the 40 Days of Thankfulness challenge. That challenge changed my life! 

I had no idea how many negative thoughts and words were creeping into my day until I began consciously taking note of the good things that were right in front of me. 

Because of the storm I was in, this was the perfect time to step out of the "boat" and find something better. I just did not have any idea how much it would change my life. 

Through 40 Days of Thankfulness I began making friends of friends of friends. Some of those friends have become a few of my greatest friends ever. 

Through 40 Days I began seeing that people were seeking something better. They wanted to be better and to live better. They wanted to find happiness no matter where they were standing in their lives. 

This prompted me to start a 365 Days of Gratitude group on Facebook for those that said to themselves, "40 Days did that?! I want to keep going!" Of course, 365 days of gratitudes is a huge commitment and when challenged with it myself, I quietly laughed and "said that would be HARD." 

You see, I accepted that challenge and kept going. I kept going because I knew I really wanted to engrain gratitude into every single crevice of my life, including my past, especially my past. I knew being thankful for every difficult time or difficult relationship was key to not being locked up in pain and misery for the rest of my life. 

As I grew in my gratitude, the book I knew I wanted to write began taking shape. Soon after I decided on a name. I would say the name of the book out loud to myself alone in the car or jot it down anytime I was on a conference call. As I continued to do this, I began envisioning the cover of the book and what would soon end up as the logo you see on this blog and on the other social networking sites we use. 

If anyone had told me during those difficult and emotional days of my divorce that something good would come of it, I probably would've doubted them. 

What I realize now is that my doubt was really doubting God.  

"He works all things together for good." ~Romans 8:28

It's always hard to see during a time of heartache, hurt, and struggle how things will work out for good when things seem that they cannot get any worse. 

I tell you this from my own experience that started exactly 24 years ago today. 

So what is my 627th gratitude? 

It is simply this: 

Thank you, Lord, for showing my doubting spirit over and over and over again that YOU will take anything bad that comes into my life and turn it into something amazingly beautiful. Thank you for teaching me that  YOU are bigger, stronger, and more loving than any struggle I will ever face. Thank you. 

*This post is in memory of my baby brother, John. He taught so many of us to "Stop and Smell the Roses." Life is too precious to complain and nit pick through our lives. Be thankful in all things.