WEEK 4 and 5 #graditudetrain I Love Right Now

It's the final week of the hashtag #graditudetrain (see blogs below) that I started on November 1st.  I'm already feeling sad that it's almost over because even though I will continue to give thanks after the month of November is over, I know it won't be with the same attention and energy that these past few weeks have provided.  I have been challenged in ways that I didn't think I would be when I started this little refresher course in giving thanks.  It's been so fun to see others hop on board this train with me, and it truly has hit a refresh button in my heart and mind. I feel like I have grown in my "attitude of gratitude" and that makes me real happy.  Now the challenge of taking what I've learned and using that growth about having a thankful heart is what I'm thinking about.  If I were to teach a class on gratitude and how to stay  in this place of contentment, gratitude, and thankfulness I think this scripture from the Message version of the bible is what I would start with; 
"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are- no more, no less."
I'm thinking that this quote has become a motto of sorts in my mind.  The older I get the more I'm realizing that in order to be content I have to accept the present moment.  That's not to say there isn't always room for improvement, but finding a sense of contentment in the present moment is crucial to contentment in life as a whole. "That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."
There are A LOT,  and I do mean a whole lotta things that can be bought these days. But I want to be the proud owner of the eternal things that can't be purchased with a swipe or insert of a stupid plastic card. I want to remain grateful for what I already have, as well as know that my love for those around me, and their love for me, isn't defined by, and doesn't hinge on what I give them from a retail store. Finding worth in what can't be bought has got to be where true life is found.  I know it's wrapped up in there somewhere. I also think that you have to work at contentment and dwelling there. It's a habit that is formed over many years of saying "Thank You" even in the midst of heart ache and pain.  In the face of challenges and hardship is where we find our true selves. 
Our character is built in these times. It's easy to say thank you when everything is going well and the sun is shining and unicorns are a plenty. But to remain in a grateful state of mind when everything and everyone around you has gone to the dark side this is the true challenge in life.   "You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God." Matthew 5:5-6 I have a thankful for heart because of the Lover of my Soul.  (Insert old Petra song here) I'm hungry, no starving, for knowing more of the heart of my Creator. There are SO many things in this life that our energy,  and our appetites can be appeased with, but only one gives any return, and that is when I spend time with my Creator, the true lover of my soul. That is why I can say, no matter what ...I LOVE RIGHT NOW!! or  "Yet though you slay me I will still hope and trust in HIM!"  Job 13:15