Thankful Thursday

I get up at 6:30 to milk and do chores with Joe before he goes to work because it makes it funner and easier. or more fun and more easy. I like it to match.
Anyway. So usually, Brilyn gets up with us (because somehow she is always in our bed by 6:30 a.m.). And, by the time we get back in the house, Cade is up too.
But today? I was able to milk, build a fire in the woodstove, make coffee, and do my devotions before they got up. And, as I was sitting in my living room in the quiet, I started to feel thankful. I was thankful for the smell of coffee, thankful for the aforementioned quiet, the warm glow of the fire, thankful for my precious (sleeping) children, thankful for the sugar maples outside my window (and for the syrup, of course), thankful for God's guiding hand and abiding presence in my life and all the resulting blessings. I didn't start out meaning to feel thankful, but that small moment of peace and quiet let my heart reflect on what is good in my life. Sometimes I forget to remember about the good things because the bad things often require my immediate attention.
So, I wanted to share the gift of a thankful spirit, and I encourage you to take a moment right now to think of just one thing for which you are thankful. And, if you would like, please share it here as a comment to this post.
May the peace of the season descend upon you today (even if it only lasts for 15 minutes).
XOXO
Joce
And Kara wants to know what fruit of the spirit you are eating today. Go tell her about it.