Around this time of the year, this can be one of the only times when we emphasize being thankful.

No matter how thankful we believe we are, we always express more gratitude.  When was the last time you said the words thank you? When was the last time you demonstrated thankfulness?

Yes, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but it shouldn’t be the only time we express gratitude or thanksgiving.

Just this past week, my family and I experienced an unfortunate situation. My wife’s grandmother passed.  All of our hearts were heavy and we are still in need of prayer, but we decided to celebrate her life instead of her death. She was kind, loving, encouraging, and spunky. She had such a beautiful spirit that will live on in our lives.

For this reason, I have even more reason to be thankful for having the opportunity to know this amazing woman. Today I would like to share 13 reasons why we should say and demonstrate thanksgiving everyday.

1. Life. Tomorrow is not promised. Everyday we are able to live is a reason for us to be thankful.

2. Love. Whether you feel loved or not, God's love is constantly surrounding each of us. Matter of fact, everyday we live is evidence of God’s love for us.

3. Health. Aside from God, two of the most valuable things in this life are life and good health.

4. Family. The gift of family is one of the greatest blessings a person can experience in this life. Every family has some form of dysfunction, but life is about enjoying your family. A family is two or more people who share goals and values having long-term commitments to one another. Family is one of the greatest keys to success.

5. Job. In an age with staggering unemployment statistics, we all should be thankful daily if we have a job. You may not have the best job, but it is a way to provide for you and your family.

6. Grace. We all have been in situations when we received something we did not deserve. Everyday we all are recipients of God’s grace, which is God’s unmerited favor. Whether it is just life or the ingenuity we were created with, God’s grace is a reason for us to be thankful.

7. Friendships. Life is about relationships. Quality friendships are more important than the quantity of friendships. However, even the disagreeable relationships are great teachers.

8. Learning from mistakes. We would all love to live a perfect life, but then we would not be human. Only one person lived a perfect life, so mistakes are inevitable for the rest of us. Mistakes are the greatest teachers in the life, so be thankful for your mistakes.

9. Home. Whether you live in a mansion, apartment, trailer, or a tent, having a place to call home is a reason to be thankful.

10. Bed. Your bed may be plush, on a pallet, or a mat, but having something to sleep on instead of the ground is a reason to be thankful.

11. Laughter. I believe everyday we must find a way to laugh every hour. We may not be able to every hour, but you get the point. Life is serious enough. We have to make laughter part of our lives because it is great medicine for our souls. Be thankful for laughter.

12. Senses. We are blessed to have any of our senses, but if you have all of your senses you should be eternally grateful.

13. Challenges. I don’t know anyone who enjoys going through challenges. We grow from them, but in the midst of our struggles it is quite hard to see the purpose. We should be thankful for the growth from our challenges.

I encourage you to wake up every day with a thankful heart because of these things and more.  Lastly, I want to say how grateful I am to God and my grandmother who just passed for inspiring this blog and the rest of my life.

Question: Why are you thankful?  Please leave a comment below, send me a tweet on Twitter, or leave a comment on Facebook.

Bryant