On Sunday I challenged myself to write a post every day this week about things I am thankful for. It is now almost midnight on Tuesday, so you can see how that’s going.

But, I want to express my gratitude anyway. No… more than express it. I want to call gratitude up from within my heart; stoke the fires of thankfulness. I want it to be more than a cursory “Wow, I am so privileged.”

I want there to be genuine, joyful, amazed gratitude at beauty that I know, behold, have, see.

And this practice of beckoning grateful hearts is even more necessary this year. There is so much to be grateful for and our beings are thirsty for the soul-anchoring, heart-stilling, joy-inducing effect of giving thanks.

This year we need to be more thankful than ever!

We need to mine the hardships for the beauty that comes from ashes.

We need to give extra thanks for the people we love so much.

We need to acknowledge the incredible gifts we’ve been given and trace every single one back to the Giver.

Nothing to be thankful for this year? Quite the contrary!

Everything to be thankful for.

We have a different perspective to know a bit more about how to rightly value and treasure what we have.

We have everything that was taken, which has taught us, grown us, emptied us, refined us.

We have the One who daily fills us and sustains us with life, gifts, and grace that we hardly even have eyes to see.

May we receive eagerly and willingly with empty hands and grateful hearts.