21 Ridiculously free but expensive things to be thankful for.

As a kid on my father’s farm, I noticed my parent’s chickens would take a gulp of water and lift their heads toward heaven. Out of curiosity, I asked why? I was told the cute little chickens are giving thanks for their meal.

On the contrary, we take so much for granted so much that gratitude is the least of our attitude.

Gratitude is more than an attitude, it is an intentional choice we make or don’t.

It is very true that one can choose to be thankful regardless of the reason. On the other hand, there are countless reasons humanity should be thankful and grateful. I used the word humanity because the poor and rich, the sick and the healthy, the young and the old, the politician and the middle class all have reasons to thankful.

During this Thanksgiving season, I will love to share 21 ridiculously free, but expensive things we should be thankful for. They are so expensive that we cannot afford them, but they are free! Thank God!

1- Life Life is a gift. We should be thankful for the gift of life, not regarding what form or shape it comes in for us. Life in you is a sign that there is more.

2- Time We have all been given time. It is a very precious gift. It runs out, but while we have time, we should be thankful for this great gift.

3- The air we breathe I am thankful that the air we breathe is not charged per second, minute or hour. It is free. Otherwise, some of us will not be able to afford it. The rich will live forever and the poor will live only on borrowed time.

4- Sunset and sunrise We do not pay to see the beautiful sunrise and sunset, it is free. The heavens display as one giant screen. It gets better, unlike your Samsung mega screen, you don’t have to pay heftily to view.

5- The bird song at dawn

Nature’s own alarm. Every morning, not a day have they failed. They wake us up to harmony and rhythm. Telling us we are loved.

6- Our Failures

God designed life in a way that ensured our failures are not terminal or fatal. We can learn from them. If our failures were fatal, we fail once and we become outcasts. No longer worthy of success or life. Think of what life will look like then. One shot, take it or exit. We learn from failure, not from success!” - Bram Stoker

7- Second chances In our relationship with people and God, there is always a second chance. We should be thankful for that.

8- Dreams Imagine life without dreams. Dreams are the essence of life itself.

9- Stars and Moon. Without the stars and the moon, we have nothing to aspire or shoot as a target. God’s wonderful creation inspires dream. Shouldn’t we be thankful for this extra inspiration?

10- Flowers. Beautiful. They help us express our feelings. But above all, they teach us resilience. They teach us hope. They help us keep hope of spring alive. They tell us winter is not fatal. They teach us about seasons in life.

11- Sleep Sleep is a wonderful gift from God. A good opportunity to reboot. Refresh. Restart. Dream.

12- You. Do you know there is only one of you in the universe! You should be thankful for that even if you have no other reason to be thankful.

13- The kid in you. We spend our entire adult life bottling it up! But yes, sometimes it still pops out when you need it most, even if you think otherwise. Be thankful that you can still bring the kid in you out even at 70.

14- A cry. Be thankful for those tears. Plus, it is ok to cry! Even the most powerful men need a hankie. What would life be like if we can’t let our emotions out once in a while?

15- Pains The pains we feel remind us of our humanity.

16- Adversaries Without adversaries, there is no triumph. Most things we can go against in life or vice versa make us stronger. That is the way God intended that we do live.

17- Friction Without friction, no motion. Sometimes friction between friends, family members and couples keeps people moving forward towards developing a stronger bond that many waters cannot dissolve.

18- Natural Phenomenon on Earth. From Aurora Borealis in the North Pole, sailing stones in the Death Valley, sardine run, solar eclipse, and the rainbow, life is full of beautiful natural phenomenon we should be thankful for. Even if you have not created time to explore them.

19- Families No matter how close or far you want to be to yours, family will always be family. So be thankful for yours.

20- Christmas I am thankful for Christmas. Billions look forward to this celebration every year. It also offers one good reason to look forward to the winter months. But ultimately, what will life be without the greatest present to humanity- baby Jesus. He came to us for free, but was never cheap.

21- God. The ever present force behind the universe. The keeper of life. The enduring father.

If God hadn’t been for us -all together now, Israel, sing out!- If God hadn’t been for us when everyone went against us, We would have been swallowed alive by their violent anger, Swept away by the flood of rage, drowned in the torrent; We would have lost our lives in the wild, raging water. Psalm 24: 1-4

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