Monday, November 21, 2011

Gratitude


The first American Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621, when the pilgrims, thankful for their bountiful harvest in the new land and their Indian friends, gathered together to praise God and to express their gratitude. Since then, Thanksgiving has traditionally been a day to celebrate all the things for which we are grateful. One day, out of three hundred sixty-five days in a year, when many families sit around their dining room tables, hold hands and tell, one at a time, what they’re grateful for. Which is wonderful but. . . .
What about the other three hundred sixty-four days? We’re all busy living our lives; we can easily get so caught up in work, writing and/or other responsibilities that we take things and people for granted. We forget to stop to appreciate all that we have and to be thankful for our many blessings. We need to remember that each day is a gift, a present.
Do we get up in the morning, thankful to be alive? Are we determined to make the most of each day or do we slog through life, bitter and complaining? Do we notice all the little things that go wrong in our day or do we focus on the ones that go right? There’s so much beauty in the world. Do we take time to appreciate and enjoy nature? Do we tell the important people in our lives how much they mean to us? Do we stop to give thanks (and credit) to others who encourage and support us?
I think of gratitude as an attitude we should strive to possess and express every day, not just on Thanksgiving. In our complicated world, often, the simplest words can have the greatest meaning. The following lines, from a poem I learned as a child, sum it up. “Thank you for the world so sweet. Thank you for the food we eat. Thank you for the birds that sing. Thank you, God, for everything.”

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for this post on gratitude. While I have my reservations about the original Thanksgiving, I share in the celebration of life, relationships and blessings that have been bestowed on me and my loved ones. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Patricia and all!

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  2. What a great reminder! And, may I add, look for the humor in each day. Humor is what keeps me going sometimes. God does have a sense of humor, and sometimes He sets things right in front of me.

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  3. Theresa and Marja,
    Thanks for your comments. We all have much to be thankful for, that's for sure! Friends, like the two of you and several other people in our group, are way up there on my list.

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  4. Patricia, thank you for taking a moment, yes each one of us are blessed even though many of us do not take the time to just breathe and thank the Lord for a new day. Have a fantastic Thanksgiving...augie

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  5. Thank you, Augie. I hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving too!

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  6. Lovely message, Patricia. What can be better than gratitude -- in all seasons and on all holidays. We should be thankful for our families, our good health, our ability to write and share our thoughts with others -- as you've just done here. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

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  7. You'll be starting on your next book real soon, I bet. WOW that's nice. xoxo Evelyn

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  8. I'm so grateful that my family and friends support and encourage me in my writing career. Thanks, Aunt Evelyn!
    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  9. I think it is true, at least to a point, that we create our own reality or our own good or bad days. The part where you say about if people are determined to make the most of each day or just go through it complaining pertains to this. Although we can't always choose what happens to us or our circumstances, we CAN choose how we perceive it, how we react to it. I think this can make a HUGE difference in our quality of life! Even in tough times, there's still much to be thankful for. Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.

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  10. Absolutely true! Attitude! For the most part, it isn't what happens in our lives that matters the most; it's how we perceive it!

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