A couple years ago a dear friend gave me the book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp.

I needed that book right at that moment in my life. I mean I really needed it! I embraced the book's message of living with a thankful heart. The author’s poetic writing is not my cup of tea, but that message is what I try to live each day. The message is embodied by the word eucharisteo, and it has become a social-media hashtag and is the focus of many blogs.  

Eucharisteo is a Greek word that means, "to be thankful in all things." ALL THINGS! To find joy and grace and gratefulness in each of life's moments. I loved this word so much that I wanted to see it every day, and I got my first tattoo!  Eucharisteo is now on my foot. I see it every morning when I wake up and many times throughout the day since I spend a lot of time barefoot! (Shoes make me claustrophobic. I know, I'm weird.) 

I encourage you to embrace EUCHARISTEO as I have. Okay, maybe not getting tattooed with the word, but living with a thankful heart. Write down something you're thankful for each day. Look for the little moments you might miss if you weren't paying attention. Even if you're having a rough day, you can enjoy the fragrance of flowers, the sound of the crickets at night, or the beauty of the sunset. When we learn to be thankful for the things that surround us, our hearts change. You can't be grateful and angry at the same time. Try it! Live the dare—a dare to live fully, right where you are!