I just returned from vacation with my family. We spent 3 days on an island in Canada with a family who genuinely appreciates, values, and respects their family members. If I could have counted the amount of times "thank you" was said on the island over those 3 days, I don't think it would be an exaggeration to estimate 300 - 100 thank yous a day. Not forced thank yous, but authentic gratitude for the other's hearts and actions. Being in that culture of gratitude naturally made me appreciate my family, my health, the experiences I was having, the beauty that surrounded me, and the life that I have been blessed with in an entirely new way. It changed the way I interact with my husband - not just expecting him to do certain things for me, but recognizing every action as one of sacrifice and love and deeply valuing it as a gift! I left the island feeling refreshed and THANKFUL! I've returned home, still THANKFUL, having chosen to daily invite in and live out gratitude. Appreciation and gratitude are a choice. My friends on the island are living proof, however, that after daily choosing gratitude for a period of time, it becomes a way of life, woven through your being, and creates a culture that exudes light, joy, and freedom.

What culture do you chose to invite into your life and your home today? I encourage each of us to try to break the record of saying "thank you". Thank you to our partners, our children, our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers, our God. Because nothing is guaranteed. Nothing is deserved. Every good thing we have is a gift. What a privilege to have the eyes to see and the relationships to share appreciation.