Start A Thankful Banner

We have so much to be thankful for in our lives that most of the time we take it all for granted. It really is an eye opener to be able to visualize all of the things you have around you that make your life so great. We did this one year as a family and it was an amazing experience to see all the blessing we have: we started a "Thankful Banner" and it was crazy how quickly it filled up.

When I did this with the kids I got a big sheet of butcher paper and decorated it. At the end of each day everyone had to write down three things they were thankful for that day. The only rule was you couldn't write down something that you wrote a previous day: anything you wanted to write was fair game.

At first this is easy, because you get all of the easy answers: family, house, food, etc. After a week or so this starts to get a little tricky and you have to really look deep for the things in your life you are thankful for. In my opinion, this is when things really start to get good because it is at this point that you really have to look beyond the obvious - once you look beyond the obvious, it is amazing how many things you have in your life to be thankful for.

I am doing this again this year, but I will be just doing it myself, since my kids are not in the house to do it with. I have made a sheet of paper that I have printed out and is sitting at my desk. Each day I am going to write three things I am grateful for between now and Thanksgiving. I'm in the easy stage now, but am actually looking forward to those deep contemplative days.

I challenge you to take on this task this year. You will be amazed at how many things you have in your life to be thankful for. It makes all the other stuff not so important any more.

I will be posting all of the things I put on my thankful banner this year on the Facebook page, so check it out and add your own to it each day.