For the entire month of November, I have been posting various memes on Facebook about gratitude. We all have so much for which to be grateful but frequently are so busy that we do not take the time to acknowledge the wonder of our lives.
As I start my day, I try to consider the many blessings I enjoy and thank God for them. Then, no matter how bad my day may get, I have at least started the day in a positive way. It is sort of like depositing something good into my account which I can withdraw later in the day if necessary, a buffer against the little challenges we all face.
At church, we are frequently told that developing an attitude of gratitude can help us be happier. Non-religious studies have documented the truth of that belief. I love how Facebook can enable us to find a variety of ways in which people are expressing gratitude. I know there is much that is not pleasant that is shared, but much can also be uplifting.
We had a potluck Thanksgiving dinner which was tremendous. I shared this picture before the dinner, but it actually is a good reflection of the wide range of foods that people brought to share. The food was excellent, but the friendship and socializing was even better.
As we now prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, I hope we can consider how abundantly blessed we truly are. Even if we are lacking in material gifts, we live in a world of beauty which we can experience on a daily basis. We have friends or family we can love, and if we do not, there are always strangers who can be served and become new friends.
As we celebrate this week, let us also make a resolution to continue giving thanks regularly after the holiday has passed. After all, who cannot benefit from more happiness in their life?
November is a time of year when we are reminded of all the wonderful blessings in our lives as we prepare for Thanksgiving. It seems a particularly appropriate time to say thank you.
I have a wonderful extended family. I am grateful for the opportunity to be Facebook friends with many of them. This allows me to have more awareness of their lives than I otherwise would have since we no longer near one another. I have relatives that have been there for me when I needed a kind word. They are caring, loving people.
My daughter is married to a helpful man who is actively engaged in the raising of their children. It is always fun (and chaotic) to visit them or have them visit us. The family is full of sweet, loving children.
When I married the Pro, I inherited step-children and step-grandchildren. They have now added step-great-grandchildren. They are all wonderful people. Trish, the Pro's first wife, was obviously a caring, loving Mom. Since she is no longer around, having passed on many years ago, I feel I am proxy for her to ensure that her family gets a loving grandma/mom figure from that side of the family. While there are other grandparents/great-grandparents as well, these wonderful people deserve as much love as I can give. They have welcomed me as a family member and given me a great deal of love which I want to return.
With us retiring this year, we have more opportunity to visit the little ones in our family. Grandparenting is fun since you get the littles only in small doses. However, it is a true blessing to see how loving all of our little families are. The parents all love each other and it shows. They all love their kids, and that shows too. We are grateful for their love.
We live in a beautiful part of the world. The views are spectacular, the weather pretty nice 10 months of the year, and the small-town atmosphere fun. We are blessed with a fairly comfortable life style, fairly good health, and (for the most part), fairly sound minds. We have many opportunities to serve and contribute to the community. We have many friends and acquaintances.
Although there are many things to dislike in the world, there are many more for which to be grateful. At this season of thanks, I choose to focus on those, and to turn my back on the others. Thank you for being a part of my world.
One of my Facebook friends shared this article about a woman who waves at the high school students as they pass her window-and the huge surprise they gave her as a thank you. She didn't do anything major, just smiled and waved from her window as they passed by. Yet, she had a major impact on these young people. She had enough impact that they arranged to thank her for her thoughtfulness.
A video I saw a while back had a similar theme, about someone who did some little things which turned into big things. This young man assisted a disabled friend so that the friend could participate in a triathlon. It wasn't easy, but it made them both feel wonderful.
The story of the boy throwing starfish back into the sea gives us the same message. Doing little things can make a major difference in the life of an individual.There are hundreds of people all around us, just like the hundreds of starfish on the beach, and we can make a difference for the one, whether that one is in your family, among your friends, or a stranger you encounter.
The Boy Scout slogan is "Do a Good Turn Daily!" How different our world would be if we would each follow that slogan. The woman who waved did countless good turns with her wave and her smile. The young man that helped his disabled friend touched many lives. The boy throwing the starfish saved many lives. One of the things I love about Facebook is the many uplifting articles, pictures, and stories that my friends share. Many bring tears to my eyes as I see the goodness in the world around me. These friends who are sharing are touching my life and helping me see the good.
My step-daughter gave me a cute booklet about manners in the 19th century for Christmas. It is amazing how important it was to be thoughtful of others. It is sad how often we ignore that old-fashioned attitude. If we were to adopt it again, how much more smoothly our lives would go. Thoughtfulness acts as a lubricant to decrease the friction in relationships, intimate and casual.
So many people have an attitude that everything around them should be structured for their own convenience. We pick the wrong line-it goes too slowly. We pick the wrong cashier-he is too slow. We are so focused on ourselves we forget to be nice or polite or respectful of those who are waiting on us, helping us, or simply standing in line with us. We know of many who speak loudly on their cell phones so that others are required to listen to their conversations. Their convenience is more important than our peace of mind. We see parents trying to teach their children how to behave in public and make nasty comments when the child is simply behaving as any child/toddler of that age would, forgetting that that was once us-maybe very long ago.
There is a hymn that asks us if we have "cheered up the sad, made someone feel glad" and that is a great question to ask each day. Have we done any good? We should make an effort to do something good daily. That service will make us feel better. Even if that service is simply smiling and waving. Share your smile today :)
