Thankful for Moments (and meals) to Savor

Sometimes it's the ordinary or the little things that should inspire gratitude, but we're rushing through life without stopping to notice.

Even when it comes to eating.

Okay, not me when it comes to eating.


But how often do people eat without even tasting and appreciating their food?

I once witnessed a person (who shall remain nameless) get to the last few bites of a burrito before noticing he had been putting ketchup on it instead of hot sauce. This person was eating as if chain smoking. How do you not notice you are putting ketchup on a burrito?????

How often do we stop to feel and express gratitude for moments, meals and "ordinary" experiences worthy of savoring?

I often walk through the aisles of a grocery store and feel thankful for the luxury of having so many choices; all the food I need and want so available to me at any time.

What about the wonder of nature?


The ocean?


A sunset?

Warm sunshine?

The beauty of budding spring leaves, full green trees of summer, and the spectacular color of fall(ing) leaves? Not as beautiful are the bare trees of winter, but out of death will come new life every spring. How amazing is that?

How amazing is it that God gives us a reminder of His resurrection power with every new spring?

I think about the comfort of air conditioning in the summertime and heated air in the winter. I think about the generations of men and women who had neither. And not only inside my house, but in the vehicle I drive. Transportation has become so comfortable as well as efficient. I take a little handheld computer (which also serves as a phone) with me everywhere I go. What a life I'm living.

My cell phone dropped all my contacts recently. And then my Google cloud just vanished. My calendar was erased. I had to add my email and Facebook back as if I had gotten a new phone. I was told by the Verizon tech that Google had an issue that affected some phones' syncing and within a few hours I should have all my phone's data back just as mysteriously as it disappeared.

Well, that didn't happen. My lost data never came back. But I did have text messages going all the way back to June. Fortunately, I recognized every conversation and could identify and add all of those phone numbers back into my contact list manually.

I knew I had a choice between being mad and resenting the annoying inconvenience or just being thankful that my text messages from the last six months survived the glitch. And I chose gratitude.

Truth is, I haven't really been that inconvenienced. I had to reset a few features and rebuild a couple of lists. Whatever contacts I don't have, I can get with minimal effort. I still have an amazing handheld device that makes life and communication easier. And so far I haven't even needed any of the numbers I lost.

I could have easily convinced myself (with my own thoughts) that this had been an egregious failure that disrupted my life. I could have wasted precious time feeling aggravated and annoyed, cursing Google.

But really? Do I want to spend my day -- time I will never get back -- feeling annoyed and aggravated? Or would I rather be grateful?

Not only are we happier when we're grateful, we're healthier. Your blood pressure will thank you for choosing gratitude.

There are so many big and little things to appreciate in every single day.

Life is fuller and richer when we take the time to savor small pleasures and find the silver linings to clouds.

Choose gratitude as often as you can!