Give Thanks, Be Happy

from a children's book, The Secret of Saying Thanks by Douglas Wood

"The heart that gives thanks is a happy one,
for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.
The more we say thanks, the more we find to be thankful for.
And the more we find to be thankful for, the happier we become.

We don't give thanks because we are happy.
We are happy because we give thanks."

Just a random book I picked up from the library, I loved the ending.

I am convinced that being thankful is something we have to learn. Something we have to practice. It just doesn't come naturally.
Growing up, my mom stressed the importance of thanking people. I am forever thankful she did. 
One summer when I was in college, I decided to start a prayer journal in which I would specifically write reasons I had to be thankful. It was such an amazing experience. In the beginning, my attempts were short and generic. By the end of the summer, my entries had grown tremendously. I had "learned" to "see" what I had been missing. Like the quote above, " The more we say thanks, the more we find to be thankful for."
I want my kids to be considerate and say "thank you." Probably for a lot of wrong reasons: it will make me look like a good mom, it will help them win favor and get places in life, so that my gazillion reminders to them each day won't be in vain.

But deep down inside I think it's because I know they will be happier with a thankful heart.

Owen is catching on and it's precious. He doesn't always remember for the everyday little things (when I nag him to say thank you). But he is genuinely saying it for the big things. And boy, does that do wonders for my heart.