I practice gratitude and offer up to the heavens a silent "thank you" when small ordinary miracles appear. But gratitude in the face of the obvious is easy. How do you find the silver lining in the maddening, seemingly nothing but frustrating moments?

Going complaint-free is a good start but moving past merely not complaining and into a space where I am actively appreciative of the hard is harder.

Recently I read an article that flipped a switch and the little light bulb over my head went off.

Caught in a recent downpour, Nina Lesowitz was on the verge of whining. Her clothes were wet. The streets were slick. But then she thought: Hey, at least I'm headed home.

Nina Lesowitz is co-author of a new book titled Living Life as a Thank You: The Transformative Power of Daily Gratitude who discovered the power of finding the "thank you" in situations:

Wrenched by that sense of incompleteness, of what-if and only-when, she had "stress contests" with friends, each trying to outdo the rest in lamenting about spouses, children, work.

It was a kind of addiction, and the cure was astoundingly simple. Lesowitz calls it "saying 'thank you' all day."

I love that idea. Even in the crappiest events some good can often be found. That's not to say that real pain, ongoing difficulty and reality can or should be ignored. But finding that bit of gratitude for a lesson or new perspective or tiny triumph of finding our way home in the midst of the storm.

Part of the power of this practice is, I believe, the immediacy and pro-active nature of it. Rather than waiting until the end of the day to remember things for which to be grateful and writing them down, we can stop for a moment, be present and appreciate where we are right then and there. No waiting necessary.

Do you have a great story of a time where you found a thank you? How do you look for silver linings?

Related Reading:

Anneli Rufus at East Bay Express: Hey, Thanks

Viva Editions: A Perfect Moment: Embrace Gratitude

Just picture a world without grumbling, a world where everyone is happy and grateful for where they are.

Dani at Shine from Yahoo!: Living Life as a Thank You: The Transformative Power of Daily Gratitude

Lee Ann Spillane at Pink Stone Days: What's your silver lining?

Pastor Abel railed. He said that if we were still worrying--worrying about what other people think, worry about our jobs, worrying about things "of the world" then we aren't the transformed faithful God calls us to be. We weren't putting our trust in God first. I get it. Barely. I feel the idea of getting it. I glimpse it--when I roll-over mid-dream and feel God in my mind. It's in there.

It's my silver lining, isn't it? I mean like everyday. No matter what. Period. As my friend likes to say for emphasis.

Helene Taylor at The Modern Woman's Divorce Guide: A Silver Lining in Divorce?

1. Discover strength within you never knew existed

Living With Lindsey: Finding the Silver Lining (literally - click for a picture)

BlogHer CE Maria Niles is looking for the thank you at PopConsumer