Learning Gratefulness

I'm learning to be thankful.

I wouldn't say I'm a particularly ungrateful person, but neither do I make a practice of being particularly thankful. But really, when I open my eyes wide and stop focusing on the so-called "bad" parts of my day, there are countless blessings I encounter on a regular basis.

As Brennan Manning writes, "The grateful heart cries out each morning, 'Thank you, Lord, for the gift of a new day.'"

So as I've been trying to be more aware and be better at living in the present, I've been trying to practice gratefulness.

Here goes.

Things I've been thankful for this week:

-Meeting my friend from the train - the one I always said hello to each morning, remember? His name is Jay, he's probably in his 40s, and he works in the office building next to mine. We walk to work together from our train stop. I like him a lot. He reminds me of my dad. 

-Getting to know the other interns at work. They make me laugh so often. Paul and Kate, in particular, are great at making me feel really appreciated. I, in turn, keep them from pulling their hair out when they're stressed. It's a mutually beneficial relationship.

-Getting to travel to Kansas City with my boyfriend's band and worship with them last Sunday morning. (Have I mentioned yet that he's a rock star? Yep. It's true. You should totally listen to his music. Sorry, shameless plug, I know.)

-Spending time with one of my dearest friends while I was in KC. 

-Soy lattes (major weakness)

-Phone calls with good friends from school and old friends from home.

-Finding my favorite cooking blog ever.

-Making zucchini quinoa lasagna from a recipe found on said cooking blog. Yes, it was delicious. And healthy. And gluten-free. And vegetarian. And yes, I'll give you the recipe if you ask.

-My niece, who is growing like a weed. She has the cutest, chubbiest cheeks of any 5 lb baby you've ever seen.
-Emailing back and forth with my friend Grace (she'll be in Thailand for a year, starting in August) and getting excited about being halfway around the world and having adventures together. Also realized that emotionally, we're in a lot of the same places about how we're anticipating our experiences, which was encouraging.
-Anticipating my college roommate's visit to St. Louis to see me....TODAY!

What's on your list? 

"The root of joy is gratefulness. It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful." Brother David Steindl-Rast