Prayer for a thankful heart

God, I want to start with thank you before I start with asking.

Thank you for breath, for a bed, for water that runs when I turn the tap. I forget how much of my life is a gift I didn't order.

Thank you for the people who love me, even the ones who drive me a little crazy.

Today I'm grateful for my friends by name, and I lift each of them to you. Bless them in ways they'll notice. Let them feel how much they mean to me and to you.

Make me the kind of person who sees the good first, without pretending the hard things aren't real.

This is a day you made. I want to be glad in it, and I want to say so out loud. Amen.