It is a great exercise to remember things that we are thankful. The prophet Jeremiah, in a time where things were not going well for Israel, said: _I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope._ ****Here, he is talking about this exercise of remember good things, even facing some problem, some loss or trouble.

Everytime you read that something important happened to either Abraham, Isaac or Jacob, you can see that they stop what they are doing and with some rocks they build an altar with their own hands, and then they offer a sacrifice. I really got captured by this act of build an altar, but not by the altar or the sacrifice itself. What keeps me in love with this act is that years later, when they are going here or there in the promise land, they cross those altars, and they remember. Even centuries later, when the country is facing problems, war, hunger… their descendants can still see those altars, and remember the promise, and then they can be filled with hope..

Even God, when talking to Israel through some prophet, always started with: “ I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. The God who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt”. When I read it, I can see God trying to remember them that he was always with them, even in the bad times of Egypt, and he brought them to this point, and they are still together… We came here moving together, we will keep moving together forward.

Usually we have this bad habit of make our problems bigger and bigger till the point where we can’t see anything else besides our own problem. This habit can turn us into sad people, with no hope, bad mood and giving up on life and changes.

I have a couple of friends that decided to have a leafless tree in their living room. So everyday, they could stop, write in a small paper something they are thank for and put on this tree (this picture you see in this post is their “leafull” tree. Me and my wife, we decided to write it down in a book, that we hope to share with our son and grandsons someday.

How about you? What can you do to remember things that give you hope? Enjoy your victories, have fun, make them visible, and always remember those victories.

This spirit of “thanksgiving”, build altars and let God show us that he is with us since the beginning will bring happiness to your soul and peace for your mind.

As well said in one of the Hymns I most like from my childhood:

_Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear
__When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
__So, amid the conflict whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
_Count your many blessings, angels will attend and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”