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November 15, 2015

30 Days of Gratitude – Day 15:
Express gratitude to a coach or club leader who works with children.

Patience. The ability to focus an unfocused mind on what matters most. Encouragement. Hope. Confidence. These are all qualities that a caring coach or club leader can offer a child. Whether it be through officiating in sports, preparing a craft for a kids’ club meeting, or just teaching a child the basics of a skill he or she may not go on to master, these individuals give of their time, energy, and talents to offer instruction and knowledge to the next generation. And for that, they deserve our thanks.

Take time today to e-mail, send a card to, or buy a gift to thank the person you chose who works with children as a coach or club leader.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10, NASB).
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By Petals from the Basket | November 15, 2015 | Ideas, Thirty Days of Gratitude |

November 14, 2015

30 Days of Gratitude – Day 14:
Express gratitude to a community worker (police, firefighter, mayor,etc.).

[Before sharing my previously penned thoughts on today’s gratitude focus, I want to express my deep sorrow and promise of prayers for the people of Paris, following the multiple attacks they faced yesterday as a city…as a nation. Above all else, may I encourage you—and all of us—to pray for Paris. It is a sobering reminder for us to be all the more grateful for this day, for this moment, and for the perfectly timed recipients of today’s gratitude focus.]

Daily planners probably don’t work well for many of those who serve our communities. After all, EMTs can’t schedule emergencies. Law enforcement officers can’t pencil in the timing of a 911 call. And even mayors and other community leaders can’t always predict what their next hours will hold as they make themselves available to help others on a daily basis. Yet these public servants and community leaders willingly and, more often than not, sacrificially choose to make their communities better in whatever ways they can.

And for this, they deserve our gratitude.

Take time to e-mail or send a card to the community worker (police, firefighter, mayor, etc.) you chose to thank today.

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1–2, ESV).
#PrayforParis
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By Petals from the Basket | November 14, 2015 | Events, Ideas, Thirty Days of Gratitude |

November 13, 2015

30 Days of Gratitude – Day 13:
Express gratitude to a relative.

“That’s what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you’re not so lovable.” —Deb Caletti

“They” are often those people who are related to us. And for that love, they deserve our love in return—and our gratitude.

Take time to call, e-mail, send a card to, or buy a gift for the relative you chose to thank today.

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7, NLT).
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Do you still need to download your 30 Days of Gratitude Chart? Click on the “Day 13” photo above!
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By Petals from the Basket | November 13, 2015 | Family, Ideas, Thirty Days of Gratitude |

November 12, 2015

30 Days of Gratitude – Day 12:
Express gratitude to a friend from the past (childhood, college, etc.).

“Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver; and the other, gold.” —Unknown

It’s easy to get “comfortable” with friends we’ve known for a long time, and in so doing, we often forget to thank them for what they mean to us. Similarly, it’s easy to lose track of those friends who were a part of our lives for a season but with whom we’ve not stayed “connected” through the years. With the help of the Internet, it’s easier than ever to locate those “old” friends, because sometimes, even our childhood friends or friends from college need to know that they mattered!

Take time to e-mail, send a card to, or buy a gift for the friend from your past that you chose to honor today.

“The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense” (Proverbs 27:9, NLT).
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It’s never too late to be intentional about showing gratitude. Click on the “Day 12” photo above to download your 30 Days of Gratitude Chart!
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By Petals from the Basket | November 12, 2015 | Friends, Ideas, Thirty Days of Gratitude |

November 11, 2015

30 Days of Gratitude – Day 11:
Express gratitude to a veteran.

At the age of 15, I left home for a private Christian boarding school. That year, 1976, was our country’s bicentennial, and much was made over our liberty and the freedom we so greatly enjoy because of the sacrifice that many were willing to make to protect those valuable gifts. Perhaps it was part of my leaving-home and maturing process, but it finally struck a personal chord with me on Veteran’s Day that fall that my father was one of those who had willingly and honorably served our country in the military. I called to thank him for his service, and I continued to call him or thank him in person on November 11 every year thereafter for the next thirty-eight years. This is the first year since 1976 that I won’t have that privilege. 

Maybe that’s why today’s gratitude focus is so important to me. “Sacrificing” a moment to express a word of thanks to those who were willing to sacrifice their time and skills and who would have even given their lives to protect our liberty and freedom is imperative.

That honor-worthy veteran might not be here for you to thank next year.   

Take time today to call, e-mail, send a card to, or buy a gift for the veteran you chose to honor with your gratitude.

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13, NASB).  

My Dad - Ben Strohbehn
WWII - Army Air Corps
Korea - US Air Force (Navigator, B-29)

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Do you still need to download your 30 Days of Gratitude Chart? Click on the “Day 11” photo above!
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By Petals from the Basket | November 11, 2015 | Events, Family, Ideas, Thirty Days of Gratitude |