"Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!" Ephesians 5:20

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One day, Johann Tauler of Strosbourg met a peasant and greeted him, "God give you a good day, my friend!"

The peasant answered briskly, "I thank God that I never have a bad day!"

Tauler, astonished, kept silent for a moment. Tauler then added, "God give you a happy life, my friend."

The peasant replied composedly, "I thank God that I am never unhappy!"

"Never unhappy!" cried Tauler bewildered, "What do you mean?"

"Well," came the reply, "When it is sunshine--I thank God; and when it rains--I thank God. When I have plenty--I thank God; and when I am hungry--I thank God. Since God's will is my will, and whatever pleases God pleases me--I am never unhappy."

Tauler looked upon him with awe. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I am a king!" said the peasant.

"A king?" Tauler asked, "Where is your kingdom?"

The peasant smiled and whispered softly, "In my heart!"

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"Thank you consists of just eight letters that form two of the most meaningful words in the English vocabulary."

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"Counting up our mercies and our every-day reasons for gratitude, looking at the hundred little things and large things--we do not know where to end the list. The only thing to do, is to live always in an atmosphere sweet and vital with thanksgiving!"

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"Be thankful for the small things--the trivial things and the mundane things!"

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"If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way to happiness--he must tell you to make it a rule to yourself to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you."

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"Have an attitude of gratitude. Don't wait till Thanksgiving."

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"Everything short of Hell is mercy!"

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"God is glorified, not by our complainings, but by our thanksgivings."

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"We can always find something to be thankful for. There are reasons why we ought to be thankful for even those dispensations which appear dark and frowning."

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"A cheerful heart has a continual feast!" Proverbs 15:15

"Be thankful to Him, and bless His name!" Psalm 100:4

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For further reading: William Nicholson's article, "Thanksgiving".