Thankful!

I realized today that I haven't posted in awhile...we've been busy to say the least, but this afternoon, I've had time to sit and think about how thankful I am for everything God has given me! He's given me a wonderful life...a loving & faithful husband, two beautiful daughters, a nice place to call home, a church family, freedom, opportunity, and more...but most of all, He's given me forgiveness and salvation and eternal life in Christ!! The message at church today was about prayer and it really got me thinking about how little I actually pray. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing, so we should pray to God all day everyday. I don't think this means that we need to bow our heads, close our eyes, and pray long, drawn out prayers all the time, but I think what God wants us to do is just to talk to Him throughout our day about EVERYTHING!!! Yes, He is God and He knows everything already, but He wants to hear it from us, in our own words! He wants us to talk to Him about every detail of our lives and ask Him for advice, help, and support. He is our Father in Heaven, but He also wants to be our friend while we are here on Earth! I really needed to hear the message today because so often, I find that the only time I really and truly pray is when something is wrong or when I want/need something. I think by not praying, I am sinning, because it means I am putting my trust in myself and not in God. I am going to try harder to "pray without ceasing" everyday and to tell God how thankful I am for all of His many blessings and gifts in my life. Without Him, I am nothing!