No, this is not a misprint. I know that it's June and a bazillion degrees outside. When our refrigerator died last week, I felt lost. I never knew how much I could miss ice cubes.

My wish for you is inspired by a lesson from our church's vacation Bible school.

On Monday, our scripture came from Paul's letter to the Colossians:

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful" (Col. 3:15 NIV).

Throughout the day, we talked about why we felt thankful. The children's comments ranged from "I'm thankful for my Hot Wheel Cars" to "I'm thankful for my friends."

That got me to thinking. It's nice to be thankful for the things that we already have that we really wanted. Maybe you just returned from a family vacation. Perhaps you've enjoyed dinner at a nice restaurant. Or maybe, you've recently made a large purchase. Those things are usually pretty easy to think about.

What about being thankful for the things that we don't have that we don't want? For example, I'm thankful that no one in my household has a catastrophic illness. I'm pretty busy running errands, taking my son to his friend's house and playing with our dog. We're not stuck in an emergency room or radiation center. For the most part, our little aches and pains look minor next to friends who are fighting cancer, blindness, diabetes, heart problems and mental illness. I feel so grateful that our family doesn't live in poverty. I haven't had to worry about where our next meal is coming from. There are so many that face this challenge each day. It's comforting to know that we are not surrounded by violence. There are people who live in constant fear within their own country, town, neighborhood, or home. I have been blessed to go to sleep in night in safety.

I'm so glad that I don't have to worry about the necessities. I really feel blessed. But, do I act like it? Or, do I spend my time wanting more? Do I spend enough time in a "thanksgiving" mode?

One thing about kids. You can't pull anything over on them. They can tell if our words are genuine. They watch everything that we do. If I want my son to be grateful and humble, I need to have a thankful heart. It needs to be natural.

So, instead of complaining about the heat, traffic, or the price of gasoline, I'm going to count my blessings. I'm going to try to stop complaining about what I don't have. Along with being thankful for the things and situations that are in my life, I'll include the things which aren't.

And this week, I'm going to celebrate a happy thanksgiving. What about you?