The beauty of a thankful heart

We celebrate Thankful Thursday at my new school. We sit family style around a large table, a parent brings in food to share, and we enjoy being together. In a moment of silence as we begin to learn to be together and trust each other, someone will be prompted to share what they are thankful for. Something I am noticing in this act of saying thank you is the words are not natural. It must be taught. As a mother, I spent a lot of time focusing on say please and thank you. As my children grew, I prompted them to write thank you notes. Yet I am not sure this is enough to teach a heart to be thankful.

Remembering to say thank you is good. Saying thank you communicates a seen appreciation of another. The simple gesture of noticing deepens a relationship in appreciation. Taking time to notice enhances our understanding of the goodness surrounding our decisions and trials of the day. "Take time to smell the roses" pushes this notion of awareness into the realm of action rather than simply being receptive to noticing. This depth of heart calls me to ponder if slowing down isn't the key to a grateful and grace filled heart; if slowing our moments isn't critical for the growth of enjoyment in our relationships.

C.S. Lewis wrote, "The more often a man feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel." When I allow the stresses of my day to press down on me, I feel exhausted mentally, but there's more. The exhaustion seeps inside to my core, creating a sense of entrapment. A numbness comes from not seeing a break in the near future. It's in those times that I am retraining myself to notice tiny beauty around me. The sound of the neighbor child as she runs down her yard to greet me. She's the beauty of innocence and gladness. The bee that fell asleep in my rose. It's exhaustion reminds me of those still waters and green pastures that I will be led to by my Shepherd. The solitary cow next door grazing in a different direction from the rest of the herd, shows the strength in nature to not always do what is expected. Strength is beautiful and often awe-inspiring.

When I do take the time to recognize and appreciate the little beauties in my path, I see gifts of love from the Keeper of my heart. Balance begins to enter into my chaos.

Have I perfected this? Not even close. The world around is very loud, very angry, very demanding. But I find myself looking more for the gentle touch of love from my Father in heaven. The result is a feeling of being alive deep inside with a warm light. This little light of mine is something I am very thankful for.