I watched the morning rise from its long slumber and slowly begin to awake the rest of creation with his stirring.  I am standing in a sleepy cotton field near Weiss Lake as the sun kisses this Morning Glory and whispers, “wake-up”.  Fueled by the warm kiss, I watch the Morning Glory gradually turn her beautiful face toward her lover and smile.

          As I bask in the delicious silence of this place I am once again reminded how fortunate I am to have discovered the treasure of tranquility.  O course, I realize that I am not special, just an ordinary man who has learned that everything has its own unique beauty and that earth is crammed full of heavenly things.  Our problem is that we never pause long enough to enjoy or appreciate them; we rush pass them, oblivious to the wonders scattered at our very feet.

          The more I study nature, the more I am amazed at the Creator.  Its stillness speaks louder than a choir of voices.  Every tree is full of poetry; every bird sings in harmony and each flower is charged with grandeur and beauty.  I have been blessed to rise each morning surrounded by gifts and treasures that put my best dreams to shame.  I truly have so much to be thankful I am ashamed at my silence.

          When was the last time we paused long enough to look up and say, “Thank you”?  Gratitude and thanksgiving ought to be a normal part of our days.  Appreciation and enjoyment should be as natural as breathing.  Yet, instead of gratefulness those around us hear constant grumblings and complaints.  Take a moment and look around; inventory all the blessings that are in your life and whisper a silent prayer of thanks.  Family, friends, health, and opportunities and on and on we all could go…  Perhaps this is a good time to unwrap our gifts with thankful hands and realize how rich we are.  Happiness is a choice; choose to live with gratitude.

Something to think about:

• The key to contentment is to realize that life is a gift.

• This small moment is the carrier of God’s most endearing gift. It must not be permitted to slip away unsavored and unappreciated.

• Cultivate the thankful Spirit! It will be to you a continuous feast.

• It is in solitude that we discover that being is more important than having, and that we are worth more than the result of our efforts. In solitude we discover that our life is not a possession to be defended, but a gift to be shared. It’s there we recognize that the healing words we speak are not just our own, but are given to us; that the love we can express is part of a greater love; and that the new life we bring forth is not a property to cling to, but a gift to be received.

• For thy great gift, O Father,

• We thank thee today—
  The gift of silence;
  For the rich, warm, generous silence
  We thank thee,
  Wherein our souls,
  Stunted and shrivelled and starved
  In the arid desert of everyday hurry and strain,
  May rest, and quietly grow, and expand
  Upward to thee.

Let us give thanks for Someone to thank.
Rickey Moore