"Be Happy With What You Have." ~William E. Gladstone

We've all heard the saying "Count your blessings" time and time again, but most of us still go about our daily lives taking things for granted. We focus on the things that we once had but have no longer; we spend our time wishing that the future will bring us more than we have now. And we're never happy. But maybe if we enjoy what we do have right now, we could be happy.
There are a lot of things from my past that I miss and that I wouldn't mind having back. More time with my extended family; money that I spent on God knows what; priceless moments with my grandmother. But those things are a part of the past and they're not coming back. Yes, I miss them, but why spend my time wishing that the present was more like the past? If that's how we spent our lives, we'd wake up one day and realize how much time we wasted, time that we can never get back.
As for the future, none of us know what tomorrow will bring. It's great to pray that tomorrow will hold many blessings and good fortune, but there is a difference between having faith and dwelling on things that you do not have now. Sure it would be great if I had more money tomorrow than I do today; if everyone I knew were healthier tomorrow than they are right now; if everything were better than it is. But don't I have so much to be thankful for in this very moment?
I have a loving family and a safe home. My family, friends and I are healthy. I have opportunities to pursue happiness in ways that many do not. I have air in my lungs and a beautiful baby boy growing in my belly. I have God watching over me and my family. Right now, in this very moment, I have so much to be thankful for. Why would I spend this time any other way than to be happy for what I have?
As for the future, there are things I hope for. But I have faith. I thank God for what I do have now, and I trust Him to lead me in the right direction. I trust that whatever He has in store for me and my future will be the best outcome, whether it is what I expected or not.
We are all human and most of us do not live our lives being thankful 24 hours a day. Things happen that make us angry and upset, leaving us wishing we had more time, more money, more patience, more, more, more... But maybe--instead of getting angry so easily--if we all just stopped and thought about all the blessings that we do have, rather than the ones we have no longer or the ones we wish we had; maybe we'd all be that much happier. Focusing on negativity will only create more negativity. So what else is there except to be positive, to be thankful for this very moment?
As for me, I am going to try to think more positively; to be thankful for what I have now, rather than angry about the things I no longer have; to have more faith and trust in God, leaving my future in his hands.
This morning in church, my minister said, "To love God is to live a life of appreciation and thankfulness for what He has done." My goal is to do just that.