Winter is a trying time for many people. Many become isolated, confined to their homes by the cold and limited daylight hours, the challenging driving conditions. In warmer weather we might sit on our front porches or go for a walk, connecting with neighbors and strangers alike. Sometimes that smile in passing has a bigger impact than we might imagine.

In response to the bitter cold, however, we hunker down in our homes as much as possible, drawing inside ourselves.

That can be very depressing.

A few years back, I read a book that offered a simple way to put things in perspective in trying times. I can't recall the name of the book now, but it was featured by Oprah during her self-improvement days.

The task it outlined could not be simpler -- or harder, at least at the beginning. You have to keep a "gratitude journal," each day writing down five things for which you are grateful.

Caught up in isolation and depression, or facing difficult times, that can be quite a challenge. You start searching for things during the day so that you can have entries for your gratitude journal that night. And you start finding them.

The key to this is to avoid jotting down the tried and true entries every day without really thinking about them. Most people can rattle off a few things they should be grateful for -- family, friends, a job, etc. -- but you need to really see these things as gifts. Sometimes just writing down the same old things can remind you that you do have a lot to be grateful for.

Most times, you start noticing all the little things that happen during the day: you found the book you've been waiting to read at the library; someone waved you through a four-way stop intersection; the cat snuggled up next to you and purred; you saw the most beautiful flower arrangement in a store window.

Individually, these things probably won't change your life. But what will change everything is getting into the habit of focusing on the positive.

That will keep hope alive in your life.