Why the title?

I am thanking God right now that we are so blessed in this age of prosperity and the printing press to have access to the wonderful and godly thoughts of others, that fuel our own thought trains. I picked up the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp about a week ago, in addition to my regular Bible reading and the mass of reading I do to prep for homeschooling. Thank you God for a well-fed mind. One with rich, nutritious food for my soul.

If you haven't read One Thousand Gifts yet, it IS wonderful and provocative. It is all about giving thanks as a means to glorify God and receive grace in our lives.

Today while reading, I was put in mind of something I read years ago -I can't find the exact quote at the moment- the gist of which is that we wear paths in our souls (and our childrens' souls) by our actions. I remember reading it mostly in light of my children's actions. I was inspired at the time to be diligent to train my children in self-control, obedience, and choosing the interests of others over themselves in the hopes of these things becoming common trails on their hearts.

It struck a different chord today in light of Ann's book. I want to model for my children the habit of thanksgiving. I want to train my children to have a well-worn soul path of gratitude. I have walked that path for distances in my own life before straying into critizism and complaint. I want to more faithfully keep to the path. And as my children follow me in the daily movements, I pray their souls will follow mine in the path of gratitude. And hopefully in my life and in theirs it will become a well-trod, familiar walk, and by God's grace, one less-strayed from in the future.