Reasons to be Thankful

Parts one, two and three.  Social media is full of thankfulness.  30 days of gratitude; 10 things I'm grateful for ... I'm much better at grumpiness.  Like a hippo, I wake up grumpy; grump my way through the day and grump myself to sleep.  But  numerous studies have found that giving thanks makes us more content, improves mental and physical health and generally does us good.

So, in no particular order, are the things that I'm grateful for this month:

Home comforts.  Working central heating; constant hot water; a comfy bed.  Bliss!

Which leads me onto slippers. Yes really!  Slippers.  Our house has wooden floors.  Easy to clean, beautiful to look at but cold on the feet.  I don't do cold.  Well, not if I can help it. The ideal slippers are warm and cosy but sturdy enough to nip outside in occasionally to put things in recycling.  And don’t make you look like your granny. 

That dry January is, at the time of writing, nearly over.  Rev T and I do this each year.  Not that we're big drinkers, but it's a useful discipline.  There's nothing like giving something up to make you appreciate its good qualities.  A glass of wine with friends and family over a meal is a wonderful thing.  Some of the scenes you see at chucking out time on a Saturday, maybe not so much.  Pastoral ministry has also made us grateful that drink is something we can take or leave.  

A hand in mine.  She may be messy and stubborn but she's still my bubs. Every so often the Tubblet decides she's not too grown up to to hold my hand.

Trains.  My trains have been so dysfunctional recently they've got their own hashtag on Twitter.  #farringtontrains.  You don't appreciate the joy of stepping on a train and getting exactly where you want to go within a reasonable time until the same thing takes you 2 hours and makes you feel like you're staring in your own version of Trains, Planes and Automobiles. 

My other half.  He may have his funny little ways - insisting the house is kept tidy; that chores come before fun etc but he is the foundation that everything else rests on.

My job.  People are great, the work is interesting, the office politics irritating beyond belief.  But it keeps the wolf from the door.  

That we have enough.  We're not multimillionaires, but, provided we're careful, we have enough for everything we need, plus a little of what we want.  Something that isn't true of everyone - sadly.  Our church has opened in food bank in collaboration with other local churches and I helped for the first time last week. 

Are you giving the gratitude thing a go?  What are you grateful for?

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