I was reading a post on someones blog today about how someone thinks that she needs to be more thankful for her “talents” and remember that they are “gifts” from God and not something she has on her own.  That got me to thinking about myself and how I try to remember just that.  I am usually pretty good at it.  But there are times when I fail!!  Case in point, I am always getting compliments on how well my daughter behaves and how well my son did behave when he was still here.  I always tell people, only by the grace of God!!!  People look at me strange.  “Children aren’t this polite and well behaved all on there own, you are a good mother.”  I simply smile and say, “By the grace of God!!!”, that’s exactly what it is.  Anything good in my life comes from Him and Him alone.   If you are a good mother, it’s by the grace of God.  If you are a good friend, it’s by the grace of God.   If you sing well, it’s a gift from God.  If you are a good listener, that is a gift from God.  We can accept these compliments and enjoy them, always remembering that if it weren’t for God, we wouldn’t be getting them!!!   More important than that, we can take those opportunities to brag on God about how good He is and what He can do for us if we only let Him!!!  I was also looking at another blog today (Just About Anything) and found some cute pictures of a little baby.  Our children are also “gifts” from God and we should be thankful for every day we have them because we have no guarantee how long we will have them!!   When my son died, I never had to ask myself, “Did he know I loved him??”  He knew I loved him and he also knew I thanked God every day for him.  I am thankful God gave me ten great years with my sweet boy.  And I wouldn’t trade those ten years for anything, even the heartache.  I would rather have had those ten years with him and the heartache of losing him , than to have never had him!!  And I’m being honest when I say that!!  I have learned that the more thankful I am, the happier I am!!