On this beautifully blue and hot sunshiny spring day, my yard symphony is loud, more noise than music. I’m listening to a weed eater and lawn mower concerto with an occasional raucous train whistle solo thrown in the mix. When that concert played out a glorious quiet settled over the landscape. I could hear the joyful songbirds singing and the lonely calls of an Eurasian dove. I leaned back in the swing and thanked God for another day in this wondrous world, grateful to have this porch swing from which I can watch the spring awakening in her beauty, getting ready to put on her Easter bonnet.

Now the day is a quiet gloaming, dimming in her dusky beauty. The sun walked down the horizon dressed in a blindingly bright sterling silver pageant gown. When the sun was almost down the horizon, Mother Nature painted a pageant backdrop of pale blue, gray, and orange, the colors of her watercolor brushes copying the colors of a titmouse’s plumage. As the sun slipped into bed she pulled the daylight’s covers down from the horizon and bid the night hello. Father Sky kissed the sun’s cheek goodnight and hurried away to hang the moon and the twinkling stars on the velvet purple of the night sky.

As I watch the night’s darkness enfold my yard, I think how fortunate I am to perch in a porch swing and watch the earth spin on its axis. In my retirement I am greatly blessed. We all have so many things in this wonderful world to be thankful for. I was first wondering what’s the purpose of being grateful. We owe God a thank you for breath each day, being grateful for all the blessings we take for granted. Colossians 4:2 reminds us, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” Being grateful just makes you feel better. Praying to God in thanks brings a positive attitude and impacts our life in so many ways. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 states, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

We work hard, we reap the benefits but we still need to go to God in prayerful thanksgiving. In James 1:17 we read, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” All material and spiritual gifts come from God. Human nature and the world around us are sometimes unreliable and storms form on the horizon that test our faith. But God is steadfast and stalworth, faithful and unwavering. He has patience as he waits for us to reach out to him.

Our faithfulness in God gives us a sense of trust that anchors us in the darkness. We know when we reach out to God he will grab us by the hand, pull us up, and lead us into his holy light. Gratitude gives us gifts of appreciating the simple joys in life. When we notice all the blessings of our daily lives the sun shines brighter, the songbirds sing prettier, our loved ones smile more, and we find a contentment in the life we live.

Colossians 3:15 reads, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Be thankful and grateful y’all!

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward