“When I think about the Lord,
How he picked me up and turned me around,
How he placed my feet on solid ground,
It makes me wanna shout, ‘Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus!’
Lord, You’re worthy of all the glory,
And all the honor, and all the praise.”

Two years ago, I encountered an incident that became my biggest downfall. It had become a turning point where I found God in a new light and redefined how I should live my life. The song above reminds me of the lesson I've learned that time and I am continuously applying it to my everyday life: to be grateful for every blessing, big or small, and every challenge that comes my way.

One of the things to be grateful for is the gift of life itself. Last month, I celebrated my birthday. Unexpectedly, it became my first month-long celebration. (Okay, that’s an exaggeration but it really felt like it!) This, I can say, is the happiest birthday I’ve ever had.

First, I got to spend time with family. Aside from the usual lunch and dinner to celebrate the occasion, we were able to have fun at a nearby beach resort. It has been several years since we had such an outing! I enjoyed the time we spent together, eating and relaxing under the sun.  This was one of my simple wishes that came true!

Thank you, Lord!

I also had a surprise party, thrown by dear friends, mostly from my caring group and the singles ministry group. If I’m not mistaken, this is probably the first time I ever got a real surprise party. Another surprise came from my other caring group. We had a night of laughter and great conversations over pizza. I was overwhelmed with the love I felt from these groups. Amazing!

Thank you, Lord!

Lastly, my friends and I were able to serve our brothers in prison. We prepared and served meals in one of their Church activities. It was great to experience the presence of God, even inside the prison. Once again, I was able to witness genuine commitment and dedication from the servants who invited us and saw God transforming the lives of our dear brothers, who are living behind bars.

Thank you, Lord!

Happiest birthday indeed! But, I guess more than the celebrations, surprises, and the greetings, this year was the happiest because I was able to give thanks to the Lord for every little thing that happened in my life. As the Scripture says, “In everything, give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

So, for being able to wake up in the morning, for getting the last parking space available, for overcoming little and big challenges, for having great people surround me, for words of inspiration heard ever so often, for lessons learned from mistakes –--thank you, Lord!

Gratefulness begets gratefulness.

There is always something to be thankful for, even in our lowest moments. The more we think of our blessings and our blessings-in-disguise, the more we find reasons to be thankful for. The more we appreciate what we have and who we have, the happier we become.

What makes you happy and thankful?