Last night I had the chance to catch up with one of my dear, dear friends who moved so far from here that “visits” are impossible except over the phone.  Her son and Nick were big, big buddies from the time they were seven, so we share lots of special memories of our boys living life together.

I heard her son’s voice in the background as we talked, and I was shocked at how low and deep it had become!  He was growing into a man, I could tell just through the phone.  It made me wonder what Nick’s voice would sound like now, but I had to “take that thought captive” and remember that God never planned for Nick to be here now and I just can’t go there or I’ll go crazy.

But as we  were talking, she was sharing some counseling techniques she’s been studying and one of them involved rewriting your life story in a way that turns all the bad into something good.  I loved that idea and want to learn more about it.

This morning as I was reading in Choosing Gratitude, I remembered her words and they went right along with today’s chapter in the sense that we can always find a reason to be thankful if we look hard enough.

I want to write so much more, but I need to get to school.  So this afternoon we will dive into Thankful Thursday, Part II.

But for this morning, my prayer is that you will find reasons to be thankful in ALL things you face today.   The good and the bad.  It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.

Smiling in spite of sorrow,