Thanks Poem by Jim Yerman

When I look around at all the misfortunes in the world and think, I can't take it anymore…I stop and make myself think about all the things I have to be thankful for.

I'm thankful I woke up this morning…healthy…not in any pain…
I'm thankful I got to greet the sun…and welcome in the rain.

I'm thankful I have a place to live…a place to call my home…
I'm thankful for my ability to think and write…to put words into poem.

I'm thankful for my memory…all these pictures in my mind…I'm thankful for when and how I took them…
I"m thankful for the foods I eat…and for a stove on which to cook them.

I'm thankful for the birds who outside our windows float melodies on the morning breeze
I'm thankful for the flowers, for the butterflies…for the birds…I'm thankful for the trees.

I'm thankful I've been given the joy of living…and as we step outside our door
I'm thankful for this wonderful day…a day I've never seen before,

I'm thankful for my senses…the ability to touch, taste, hear and see
I'm thankful for my ability to walk…and to have someone to walk with me.

I'm thankful for the the little creek where we stopped and watched the water as it flowed.
I'm thankful for the turkey family who walked ahead of us on the road.

I'm thankful for the colors in the sky and how throughout the day they blend.
I'm thankful for my children…my grandchildren…I'm thankful for my friends.

I'm thankful for babies…even when they fuss and scream.
I'm thankful for donuts, chocolate chip cookies…I'm thankful for pizza and ice cream.

Im thankful that, at my age, I haven't forgotten how to learn.
I'm thankful that I love…and that I am loved in return.

I'm thankful that I can find things to be thankful for each and every day.
I'm even thankful for unknown blessings I know are already on their way.

It's funny but whenever it's to dark places I find my mind has slid…
I take the time to be thankful…and I'm always thankful that I did.

It's a matter of simple physics…one of the keys that could make this world we all inhabit great….because the more time we spend giving thanks…
the less time we have to hate.