Praise and Thanks

"Gratitude... takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God."
--Thomas Merton

I don't know about you, but I take things for granted all the time... My warm home, food on the table, nice clothes, a loving family... all kinds of things, everyday. I take them for granted and I forget to say "thank you."

Part of being generous is being generous with our words - our thank yous, our praises of others, our acknowledgement of the blessings in our lives! That's why we've been making a paper chain of thankfulness at church - a reminder of ALL the things we have to be thankful for! That's why we've been starting meetings and small groups asking people to say something they are thankful for - an "out loud" reminder. That's why we keep talking about - and writing about - the blessings in our lives... it's so easy to take them for granted and to never say "thank you."

And when we take notice, when we appreciate, when we say "thank you" - we are being generous with our gratitude. We all like to be thanked and appreciated for the things we do - let's remember to thank those around us, too!

Who will you thank today?