Gratitude from A to Z: Things to be Thankful for
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All Scripture references come from the King James Version of the Holy Bible (KJV)."
All Scripture references come from the King James Version of the Holy Bible (KJV)."
What Are Some Items on Your List of Things to Be Thankful For?
I saw a comment that said “Thankful people are happy people” and I absolutely agree. Gratitude is so important! We truly have so much to be thankful for. However, we don’t always stop and thank the One from whom all blessings come.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Not only does counting our blessings, remind us to be joyful and happy. But bringing to mind things to be thankful for is especially important when we are feeling down and discouraged.
This is a great reason why I am a fan of the gratitude journal. In a regular journal, the prettier the better, get into the habit of handwriting 3-5 things daily of what you are thankful for each day. Click this link for a great selection of gratitude journals.
As a quadruple amputee, I type everything with a stylus strapped to my wrist. Writing in my journal is a great opportunity for me to replace a pen for my stylus and actually write things out. It requires more effort for me and it means more. Not only that, it’s a chance to work on my penmanship. It’s hard to write with no hands. I write like a 4-year-old, so any opportunity to practice my “a to z gratitude list” is a great blessing in itself.
Things We Have to Be Thankful For – The Alphabet Gratitude List
As a huge proponent of gratitude, I always hear that running out of ideas when gratitude journaling is a common problem. That can only be true if you don’t think outside of the box. I believe that there is always something to be thankful for, even during challenges.
In fact, gratitude and looking for blessings in every challenge have been instrumental in my healing and recovery. With that said, this printable 40-day gratitude idea prompt calendar is a great start. But also, this A to Z gratitude list will help you learn how to expand your thinking while you’re growing your gratitude habit. Grab yours below.⤵️
A-Answered and unanswered prayers: When you have a relationship with God and you pray daily, knowing that God answers prayers according to his will is wonderful. What about unanswered prayers? Personally, I’ve had prayers go unanswered and later on have been extremely thankful. God truly knows what is in our best interest. So let’s pray “His will be done” and trust Him.
B-Bathing: Bathrooms, for starters are blessings. Think about past times when they used outhouses. Since we have long winters in New Hampshire, I would be miserable having to use an outhouse. However today, we have showers and whirlpool tubs, and warm homes. For me, since I don’t have hands, using a bidet is not only a luxury, it’s a necessity. Today, there are also less expensive, very affordable models.
C-Coffee: What is better than that first cup of Joe in the morning after a long, restful sleep? The coffee is great, but drinking it from a favorite mug, which reminds us how blessed and grateful we are, makes the experience even more enjoyable.
D-Dog: Our dog, Ruby is the sweetest, funniest, most personable pet we’ve ever had. She brings joy to our lives every single day. I’m partial to dogs, but any pet can make you smile.
E-Electricity is something I’m very sure that we take for granted. However, where would we be without lights, refrigeration, heat, and Heaven forbid, our internet?
F-Family: I’m sure everyone will say this but I have the best family. My husband is my soul mate. He is a godly, wonderful man who overturned his life to care for me in my illness. My kids have been my greatest achievement. For the last 29 years, I have been a mom. Every day, they amaze and bless me. Being a mom to my 3 kids has been the greatest job I’ve ever had.
G-The grace and mercy of God: Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Grace means that God chooses to bless us despite the fact that we don’t deserve it. Mercy means that God does not punish us, even though we are all sinners.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
H-Home: I am so thankful for my beautiful home. It keeps me warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Our home is where we raise our families and make memories. It allows us a place to entertain and fellowship with friends and family. Actually, all who enter our home become family.
I-Ice Cream: Double caramel Magnum ice cream bars. If you haven’t tried them yet, you’re really missing something.
J-Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior: I’m thankful for the salvation of my soul. Jesus Christ died on the cross and shed His precious blood to pay the debt for my sins. When I asked Him to save me from eternal damnation, he said “Yes”!
K-The kindness of others: Have you ever had someone hold the door open for you, or a friend you could count on? What about loved ones who pray for you or a visit from someone when you’re feeling down? It’s certainly nice when others are kind to us. There are so many benefits to kindness. It’s an even bigger blessing to be that person who shows kindness to someone else. Pay it forward. It’ll touch your heart.
L-Legs: Of course, we should never take our limbs for granted. However, as a quadruple amputee, I am blessed with prosthetic legs to enable me to walk. As a result of my prosthetic legs, I can walk just like you can with your real legs.
M-Marriage: I’ve said this before but my husband is my hero. He’s willing to do whatever he can to provide for our family. As someone whose wife has a list of needs like I do, to be independent, he makes sure my life goes on as normal as possible. I couldn’t ask for more. As I said, he’s my hero.
N-Naps: How wonderful is a nice nap every once in a while?
O-Optimism: I am a great optimist. I would rather think positive and find the good in things than take the negative route. You will find that the more gratitude you show, the more positive and optimistic you become.
P-Positivity: Thinking happy thoughts and finding joy in every situation is always a blessing. It also rubs off on those around you, as well. Keep that smile on your face, add to your a-z gratitude list daily, and you will attract positivity around you as well.
Q-Quiet: Peace and quiet in a world filled with noise are definitely something to be thankful for. I love turning everything off and just appreciate the silence.
R-Retail therapy: Is there anything more delightful to a woman than shopping? Even window shopping with no money can be fun. When my kids were younger, one of my favorite days of the year was back-to-school shopping.
S-Spring: Well, maybe all of the seasons, but Spring is my favorite. To me, it offers hope and renewal after what seems like a long 6 months of Winter. I absolutely love the bright green as leaves start forming on the trees and my excitement makes me dance for joy when I see those buds of daffodils and tulips pushing through the ground.
T-Technology: Since our children have all grown up and moved out, I have come to realize just how much harder life would be without the ability to communicate with our kids, now that they all live in a different time zone. Email, internet searches, texting, and Skype all provide instant access to information and contact with loved ones.
U-The great United States of America: I understand that I have some international readers, so please don’t be offended. I’m sure we all feel this way about where we live. How can you not be thankful for that?
Take some time to break out that gratitude journal and write down the things you are thankful for. #attitudeofgratitude #gratitudeideaprompts Share on XV-Our Veterans and Active duty military: I am thankful for our wonderful military and those who have served our wonderful country. My son has served in the Air Force and I am so proud of him. My husband, dad, father-in-law, and brother-in-law are all veterans. Remember our military and their families in your prayers. They all pay a huge price to serve this country.
W-Work: If you, your husband, and your kids have jobs, you are blessed. With jobs, you have the ability to pay your bills and support your family. Sure, not every job is perfect. However, working is better than not working.
X-Extra money found in your pocket. Need I say more? Don’t you love that feeling? Laundry day becomes that much more fun when you find a $20 bill in the pocket of your jeans.
Y-Your life: Okay, let’s face it, Y is a hard one. However, let’s all be thankful for the life we’ve been blessed with. Oh sure, there are ups and downs. But when you look at things from a Godly, positive perspective, we should be overwhelmed with every little piece of our lives. I know that I am. Praise the Lord! To God be the glory!
Z-Zzzz’s: If you get at least 7 hours of sleep at night, you have a lot to be thankful for. I would’ve said 8 hours, but that’s not really necessary anymore, is it?
Well, friends, there you have it, things to be thankful for from A to Z! I pray this post has blessed your life and helped you to see that we all have so much more to be thankful for than we recognize. If you would like to read more about gratitude, check out Gratitude Lists: More than just the latest, greatest fad.
You will also love the 40-Day Gratitude Challenge, which actually complements the Gratitude Calendar I showed you earlier. For an additional method of counting your blessings, be sure to make your very own Blessings Jar. You’ll find all the info you need right here, including supplies and instructions.
Share some of your favorite things to be thankful for, from a-z in the comments below. If everyone who reads this will write 1 or 2 things from their own ABC gratitude list, we could all share in those blessings.
What are Some of your Favorite A to Z Gratitude List Items?
When we are thankful for the things in our lives, then we are much closer to knowing the true meaning of happiness. The more we focus on what is right in the world and how we can make it better, the happier we will be. We must not allow the things that are wrong in the world to take away from the things that are good in our life. Things are not always right or bad. There is always a reason why things are happening. If you are able to find the reason why things happened then there is hope for you to find happiness.
Some of the most important things to be thankful for in life are the love of your family, the freedom of being able to do what you want to do, the security of being able to have the things that you want, and the joy of your friends and colleagues. You have all of these things in life and you can have them without having to work at them. There are so many different ways for you to gain the things that you wish for in life. All it takes is a little effort and patience.
There are so many people in the world who are so busy doing the things they are supposed to be doing that they just don’t get time to be grateful for the little things in life. They are working so hard and making it seem impossible to get things done that they are grateful for the little things in life. One of the best things to be thankful for in life is the people around you. When you are grateful for the people that you have in your life, you will have more reasons to be grateful for everything else that you have in life. This will help you to realize what really matters in life and that will help you create a life that you will be truly happy with. Start to learn about the things to be grateful for in your life today.
Wendy such an awesome post, and so important that we be intentional to up our gratefulness. I hope to take note of how grateful I am being and be more intentional to do this in the New Year! ❤
That’s such a great goal for 2020, Donna. Intentional gratitude. I love it!
Love this Wendy, I’m definitely guilty of setting aside gratitude. This is a great reminder!
Thank you, Danell! Gratitude from A to Z, every single day makes a huge difference.
I love this post! I’m starting a gratitude series next week and I’d like to include this post as a link. The A to Z aspect is so fun!
That’s awesome AnnMarie. I would be honored if you included my post in your series. I can’t wait to read it.
This was such a fun post to read. We always have something to be grateful for. We have a good Father that blesses us in many ways.
Thanks so much, Carolina! We can be grateful for everything with the right perspective. God is so very good!
Wendy – I’ve always heard of having a thankful journal, but haven’t implemented it in my life just yet. Perhaps this is the year to start! I love the idea of going through on a regular basis and being thankful for the A-Z’s of life, though!
I think gratitude journals are great, especially if you tend to feel discouraged. They are great to pull out to be reminded of all your blessings. The A to Z prompt helps with ideas, if you run out of ideas.
Lovely post and a fantastic read. You’ve inspired me to do something along the same lines as this, thank you for sharing!
Davis – http://everythingstartswithtea.co.uk/
Hi Davis, I’m so glad I’ve inspired you to try some new prompts to your gratitude writing. Thank you for reading.
A perfect post to read on this Thankful Thursday!! I also love the idea of listing everything you are grateful for from A-Z. Super cute!! I loved everything you wrote but can I especially love the 💤💤💤 lol!
Abby
Thank you, Abby. I’m so thankful that you loved the post. I appreciate your comment! I’m a big fan of the zzz’s as well ;)!
Thanks for reminding me of all the things to be grateful for. And I too am very happy Magnum ice cream bars are on the planet! All the best to you.
Hi Dawna, thank you for reading. It’s also good to know my magnum bar fan club is growing!
This is such a wonderful idea! I definitely need to do this too, just a massive A to Z list of what I’m grateful for.
I’m so glad you liked the list, Erin. I hope you can implement it into your daily gratitude journal.
Ditto to everything on this list!
Thank you Kasha! I’m so glad you enjoyed my list! Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for sharing. We can all skip over the things we take we take for granted. Sometimes we don’t realize it until it’s gone. Great post!!
Thank you Angie. With a little bit of effort each day writing in a gratitude journal, we can all remember the blessings in our lives.
That is a feel good post, something needed to inspire balance in our life. Well done.
Thanks, Blair, I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for reading.
This is a beautiful list. Thank you for sharing. Sometimes it’s easy to forget all the things we have to be grateful for. Especially on those days that we’re struggling.
You’re right Amy. Sometimes, when we’re struggling we just need a little prompting to remind us of all that we have to be thankful for.
there is SO much to be grateful for. Love this!
Thanks Kathleen, I’m so glad you liked it!
Oh, I just love this list. I found myself being prompted to think of so many things to be thankful for. I m not a coffee lover, like you. But I did come up with cocoa, cool weather, children … And I love your Z word 😉
Kimberly, that’s so awesome! I love that you’re adding to the list. If everyone could come up with several other options for each alphabet letter, think about how great that list would be.
Great ideas for finding something to be grateful for! This would be a fun activity to do with the kids.
Thank you Jodie, I hadn’t thought about bringing kids into the activity. However, kids need to be taught gratitude too. What better time to give them gratitude skills, than when they are young?
I love this! Gratitude is so important. After all, we are blessed with all we have all due to our Heavenly Father, and we are called to be grateful. Thank you so much for sharing this! Another awesome post! 🖤
Thank you, Emily. We absolutely have so much to be thankful for, praise God! Thanks for such a nice comment!
Oh, wow you really upped the bar on gratitude with that list! I try to do ten gratitudes in my journal (I try and mix it up daily) and then write at least 3 things where God has shown Himself miraculous to me in my life. The latter because, it is easy (for me) to forget all the ways He has provided, protected and cared for me over these past 50 years. I have a friend who has also challenged me to list at least one thing a day I am grateful about how the Lord made me (my friend noted I tend to be hard on myself). Some mornings I struggle to list ten things, honestly, but your A to Z list has really challenged me to keep focussed on the good things. Thanks Wendy!
Hi Rosemarie,
You’ve given some great examples of additional ways we all can show gratitude in our lives. I appreciate all you do to show your love for the Lord. You’re great blessing in my life. ❤
I love the idea of a gratitude journal. I am truly grateful for Jesus, my husband, my children and my health. I thank God for these 4 things (and more!) every day. Writing down what I am thankful for reminds me of the abundance of all the good in my life! Thank you for this post. Very uplifting!!
Thank you for sharing a portion of your gratitude list with me, Laura. You are absolutely right! Writing down what we’re thankful for shows us how abundantly blessed we truly are.
Thanks for sharing a great idea! I will start doing my a-z things to be thankful for. I loved your writing and your style! Good work and God Bless You!
Hi Sofia,
I’m so thankful you’ll be implementing my A to Z ideas in counting your blessings. Thank you so much for your comment. It means a lot.
Love the post! I struggle with being consistent in my gratitude and I’m working to change that. I love the positive ideas you shared. I think I’ll work on an alphabetical gratitude list for myself using your example!
Hi Sheila,
I’m so thankful you found value in my suggestions. The alphabetical list is a great way to make note of your gratitude. Have fun with it!