i think about this at least once a week, it keeps me motivated.

1. i try to decrease my consumption of goods/energy/water in order to reduce my ecological footprint, hoping others do the same. i do not want to be responsible for what is to happen.

2. i realize that i could have been born in a slum, or a dirt hut somewhere, and never made a dollar. for this reason i strive to invest as much money as is possible in my retirement and real estate. i feel i have been given a gift, and to not maximize my situation is foolish and wasteful.

this is why there are articles about how immigrants come here and strive to succeed. people who are born here are used to the system, and never take advantage of all this country has to offer.

Very interesting information & a great way to put things into perspective. I am thankful that my husband and I are on the same page with our finances & are working towards common goals. I'm so glad we don't fight about money.

Based on your info, I'm just thankful to be born in this country. It almost guarantees you a very high quality standard of living compared to most of the rest of the world. ;)

I am thankful for my safety net. Between my relatives, my friends, and my church, I never have to worry about what will happen to us if disaster strikes.

~Q

I'm thankful every time I look around and see my husband and our two cats. Seeing my husband reminds me that I'm not alone. Seeing our cats remind me that I'm needed--if only for feeding, cleaning, and ear-scratching services--so I'd better get up and get going whether I feel like it or not.

This list could be incredibly long, considering that I have an astonishing amount to be grateful for. I'm grateful:

1. That I live in the United States, and that because of this I don't go to bed hungry.

2. That I have a job that allows me to provide money for both my wife and daughter

3. My gorgeous wife and beautiful daughter.

4. The fact that I live in the same town as my parents, and get to see them every week.

5. For coffee, because it gives me a wonderful energy boost.

6. For walks in the snow with my wife

7. For email, which allows me to communicate with people easily and quickly.

8. For the Pittsburgh Steelers!

I am thankful that I have a good job and a roof over my head and enough savings to keep that roof over my head for a few months should an emergency arise. I am thankful that I have family who would take me in in a minute if I needed them and who would fly across the country to be at my side in an emergency. I am thankful for my friends who made my move to a new city even better than I could have expected.

I am thankful for a wonderful husband who loves me sooooo much! I am also thankful for my baby girl and a godly church body who supports and encourages me. I am also thankful for a warm roof over my head, especially on days like today, where it has been pouring all day!

I am so thankful for my husband and daughter. He is strong & smart & can fix nearly anything. He's kind to people and so tolerant of my eccentricities. My daughter's severely disabled, in a wheel chair, non-verbal & requires constant care, but she keeps me grounded & reminds me everyday of the virtue in simplicity, and what a blessing health is.

I am thankful to have made it through my son's first year. There's just something particularly nerve-wracking about the first year and it's not like things get easier (he's not my first, so I'm speaking from experience here). But he's not nearly as fragile or helpless as he was when he was born, my oldest adores his little brother, and we've survived the transition to a two-kid family. And I'm always grateful to have even a minute of ME time!

This year especially I am grateful for my job and the insurance I have. My husband underwent emergency bypass surgery and we ended up with only about $1200 out of pocket. I am grateful for the technology in medicine that was able to save my husband. I am grateful for my health and the health of the rest of my family. Unfortunately, until we experience something like this, we take our own health for granted. I never will and begin each day thanking God for theblessings he has bestowed on me and mine.

I wish all goodness and kindness to all who read this and this year, I ask that you say a kind word to or do a kind deed to someone with out the need for recognition. We can begin to create the world we wish to live in.

Nearly every morning that I jump into a nice, hot shower, I am reminded of how thankful I am for where and when I was born. I think of how easy it is to take for granted something like running water, let alone HOT running water.

Like DivaJean, it blows my mind how lucky I am to be living where I do, especially when I read of the atrocities other women in the world must endure.

I am so incredibly thankful for my little nephew. About a year and a half ago, my sister and her husband adopted a newborn boy through a domestic adoption agency. The birth mother had nearly a year to change her mind and it was so nerve wracking for my entire family, thinking that at any time she could take him away. However, this past May, after several court proceedings, the birth mother formally relinquished her rights and my nephew became a legal member of our family, in addition to the family member he had become in spirit the moment he arrived.

I am also incredibly thankful to his birth mother for making such a difficult decision to give her baby up for adoption. I hope she knows how much my family loves, adores, and cares for her natural son.

...my husband, who is the most wonderful and supportive person in the world, & finds me sexy as ever -- even at 7 months pregnant :)

...my friend Johnna, who gave us a book that lead us to the Bradley Method & our fabulous midwife. I have no worries or anxiety about the birth of our first baby.

...finding Dave Ramsey on the internet in February and getting me rolling on paying off our debts and being responsible so that when we found out we were pregnant, it wasn't as financially hard as it would have been (I'm going to be a SAHM).

...my old boss, for arranging the terms of my departure with a better solution than I ever could have dreamed.

...God for putting all these people who have blessed me so much this year in my life.

My sister had a stroke this past Monday. She's 38 years old. I am thankful she is alive and may recover. Forget everything else. Life is precious and we ALL take it for granted.

Have your parents ever said, "You'll thank me when you're older?"
Much to my irratation I heard that repeatedly when I was growing up. When I wasn't allowed to have activities to keep me occupied, 24/7; when I had to (what I thought to be child-labor, then)feed the animals, wash the dishes, weed the garden. I also thought that they must enjoy depriving me of free money when they said the all too popular..."Money doesn't grow on trees, so you will have to earn it".
Now that I am grown, and have my own family, I do thank my parents. With what I thought to be cruel and unloving, was in actuality the best thing a parent could do for a child. What they were doing when they were saying "You'll thank me when you're older" was instilling character-building qualities, like hard work ethics; appreciation for family, and for the hard-earned dollar; satisfaction in a job done correctly; and respect for others.
As I learned these lessons growing up, I was thankful more and more for my parents and their controlled hands that did not give into my every plea, but made me work for what I wanted.
I am so thankful for my parents who loved me so much to show me how to take care of myself and to be content with what I had. "You'll thank me when you're older" was much more loving than "What else can I give you, honey?".
May I look to the future and have the strength to tell my children "You'll thank me when you're older" as my parents said to me.

I am thankful that I can read and write, when so many world-wide cannot and for the kind people in my life.

I am thankful that I found the Wise Bread web-site. It has been the best site I have discovered in the last year

friends, my laptop, and finally being out of college

I am thankful for so much...including:
1) My fantastic, patient and loving boyfriend
2) My two ridiculous dogs
3) A great extended network of family and friends who are supportive and encouraging at all times
4) A great country and city in which I am fortunate to live
5) Organic vanilla soy milk