I walked down the driveway to retrieve the garbage barrel.  My head was hanging;  I was feeling sorry for myself.  It was just one more boring day, and it was hot, very very hot.   As I neared the road I heard a voice.  From the back of the truck, the refuse collector called out to me, “Oh what a beautiful day!  It’s sunny; the sky is blue.  This is a great day!”  

Wow, did he take me by surprise!  If a worker riding around all day on the back of a garbage truck could be so upbeat, surely I had no reason to be  grumpy.   If he could be thankful, I needed an attitude adjustment right away.

Thankfulness can be so simple – looking up with a grateful heart, looking up at God’s gifts that surround us. Thankfulness is not a magic formula.  It does not deny reality with its plethora of problems, but it rejoices in the Lord.    In the midst of our trials and tribulations we hear Paul’s words to the Thessalonians, “In everything give thanks with a grateful heart.”  1 Thessalonians 5:18

 A thankful attitude opens the windows of heaven where we just might see glimpses of God’s glory.  It might be a beautiful day after all.

This was the Gospel of the Lord, preached to me today from the back of the garbage truck. 

Judy