Thankfulness can not be over rated. It is the elixir that makes the trials of life more palatal. The tests that we face become much easier to digest when we wash them down with gratitude. We can not stop events that seem to be disastrous from occurring in our lives, but we can cushion ourselves with a grateful attitude. I am not purporting that one be thankful for the bad things that occur, but rather , look for all of the good things that do occur and be thankful. Maybe you do not live in a big mansion, but you have a comfortable bungalow that does not leak. Maybe you don't have 20/20 vision, but you can see and the list goes on.
The point is to count all the wonderful treasures that you do have. You may not have a thousand dollars in the bank, but you do have food in your refrigerator. When you start looking at your life from the standpoint of what you do have, this leaves room for gratitude.
If counting your blessings doesn't work, try visiting a local nursing home. Notice the people there who would give anything to be able to come and go as they please or walk without the help of a cane or be able to walk at all.
There is always something to be thankful for, if you keep your heart and mind open to see it!

Author's Bio: 

Dr. Emily DeCarlo is a fascinating woman with a very strong belief in God. Her faith leads her to know that nothing that God does is insignificant and therefore, we do not have to live limited, mediocre lives. She espouses to the belief that God is great and therefore greatness lies within all of us. She is the author of several books of poetry, one of which was used as a supplemental text for English 211 at Virginia State University. She also has written a manual entitled "Using Poetry to Promote Linguistics and Language Acquisition" which was used in the graduate Special Education Department at Virginia State University. Another manual that Dr. DeCarlo has penned is entitled " The Crab Effect". It is a manual based on the story of Joseph in the Bible. The subtitle is "How to Handle the Haters in Your Life". Dr. DeCarlo is an evangelist, author, poet, researcher and entrepreneur. She is in the process of developing the DeCarlo Institute for the Healing Arts, a center for research relative to the promotion of wellness and the maintenance of healthy lifestyles. The center also addresses different approaches to maintaining and promoting health such as Thai bodywork, meditation, natural healing, faith healing, relaxation therapy and Ayurveda medicine. Dr. DeCarlo also uses poetry therapy to assist others in facing and resolving life's tests and trials. Her book entitled "Poetry for Healing" is soon to be released. She is a licensed and ordained minister and has served as an associate minister and head of the Daughters of Esther Women's Ministry for the past ten years at the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church at 925 Arlington Road in Hopewell, Virginia. She also has a poem " Epiphany" which was published in Essence magazine in 2008 (January edition). Her CD of anointed poetry made its debut in 2009 and is still available today. She was inducted into Sigma Tau Delta Literary Society for outstanding contributions to literature. She performs her original poetry for various occasions and events around the country. She has traveled to China to view the education system and learned some of their Ancient Chinese Medicine practices during her approximately two weeks tenure there