I don't know its origins exactly, but over the last few years many of my Facebook friends have participated in "Thirty Days of Thanks" during the month of November. It simply entails posting something for which you are grateful each day.
When I declared that I would be sharing a "grateful thought" each day, it had slipped my mind that November, and therefore the Thirty Days of Thanks, was right around the corner. So I took the opportunity to let myself off the gratitude hook. I did post a few times during the month, but I didn't hold myself to the daily posts I originally intended.
I realize that seems a bit counter intuitive. Shouldn't November be the month I give special attention to the maintenance of a grateful heart? Well, yes. And I did. But I was able to do it vicariously through all of you who participated in the thankful phenomenon. You see, the point of this exercise is to remind myself to thank the Lord for the blessings in my life, even on days I may have to search a little harder to find them. Eleven months out of the year, I need the accountability of posting a grateful thought to Facebook or this blog.
But in the month of November, I didn't need the nudge to remember to find the blessings. You all reminded me every day to look for things for which to be grateful. Every morning as I read through my newsfeed, I'd find myself resonating with others' posts and giving a hearty "Amen!"
Alas, November is gone, and I will be resuming my (semi-)daily grateful posts. And to kick off the first day of December, I'm grateful for all of you who did participate in the Thirty Days of Thanks. I was encouraged and blessed.
