The rising sun. A new day. A breath of fresh air. A child’s laughter. Food to nourish. Warm clothes. A home to shelter. Family. Friends. Neighbors. A church community.

These are just a few of the blessings that have been part of my day today. The list of blessings is endless, and these blessings surround us everyday. What is on your list?

How often do we take the time to experience joy, true joy, in all of the blessings, large and small, that surround us?

How often do we get so consumed by all of life’s challenges that we forget to notice and give thanks for all of the blessings in our lives?

Even for those who are good at gratitude, it can never hurt to have an extra nudge to take a moment and reflect on those things for which we are grateful.

Are you noticing all of your blessings? Are you experiencing all the joy you can?

And what about life’s challenges? We are all fighting a battle. Perhaps we or our loved ones are not in the best of health. Perhaps there is conflict in our lives. Perhaps we are busy and overwhelmed. These things can consume us if we let them. They can put on our blinders. They can make us forget that even being given this day is a true blessing.

No matter what challenges are happening in our lives, we can still experience joy in our blessings.

I’m not writing this because I am a master at this. I am writing this because I fail all the time. I am writing this because I want to do better. I am writing this because I know I can do better.

When I wrote my post reflecting on the New Year, I wrote that I had many goals for areas in which I could do better, and this is one of them.

I have always tried to appreciate all of the beautiful things in life, but at times I get consumed by life’s challenges and I let that focus rob me of the joy I could be experiencing. At times I forget that I can still take joy in life’s blessings, even if I am not at my happiest for other reasons. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. At times I focus on what’s wrong or missing and forget to give thanks for the multitude of blessings in my life.

Life is so beautiful, I don’t want to miss any chances to experience its joy.

To become more mindful, I have decided to write down one blessing each day. (I started on the first of the year.) Every month, I will share the blessings I’ve captured in a series called Everyday Blessings. The blessing I share may not be the biggest or most important thing that happened that day. The idea is to capture joy for all the little things that make life beautiful. I invite you to capture your daily blessings as well and keep your own list.

By the end of the year, there will be 365 blessings to be thankful for on the list, and the number will only keep growing. What a great and tangible reminder of life’s joys!

What is one thing you are grateful for today?