rose colored glasses.

johnny and i have been practicing gratitude and optimism lately . . .

thanking our Father in Heaven for His favor and grace in our lives.

it's not always easy to be positive in the face of challenges

{i'm a pessimist by nature, i think. i always jump to the worst-case scenario. always!}

but counting the ways God has blessed us in the past has truly

helped us as we face obstacles together without fear.

here is a very recent example of how this works in our lives:

last night, johnny and i were rear-ended by someone while

we sat together in the car waiting at a red light in rush hour traffic.

we literally heard the tires screeching behind us before

the jolt forward and crash of metal on metal.

thankfully, no one was seriously hurt . . . we're sore, at the very worst of it.

thankfully, our vehicle was not too damaged to drive home for the night.

thankfully, everyone involved had car insurance.

thankfully, the person who hit us was friendly.

{belligerence would have been a kick to the throat, don't you agree?}

thankfully, the Lord helped us respond kindly to the other driver.

thankfully, our families were around to offer supportive encouragement afterwards.

thankfully, we had veggie pasta salad with feta cheese and granny smith apple slices

after as an easy but really tasty dinner to cheer our nerved-up bellies

when all was said and done.

out of that one unfortunate incident, that's certainly a lot to be thankful for . . .

so, what do you give thanks for today?

{via}