Thanksgiving

      One of my goals this Thanksgiving “season” was to become radically thankful. I refer to the holiday as a season rather than a day, because the single day passes quickly as we are often so busy that we are not mindful of the two components of the word: Thanks and Giving.  To my surprise, I discovered this was a difficult task to accomplish!

       Likely no one would assert that he or she is unthankful, but do we purpose ourselves to express that gratitude? I must admit that I’m at fault for placing the show of thankfulness as an assumption. By doing so I am missing out on valuable opportunities!  The expression of gratitude creates a joyful spirit! I wish to find the good in life and to be satisfied with the many blessings God has bestowed upon me. This starts with actually recognizing and praising Him for all He has done in my life. God is so good! I simply must stop my busyness to take it all in. The second valuable opportunity I'm missing out on by assuming thankfulness is the impact I could be having on the lives of others. I wish to live beyond myself; to do more than to live according to my own agenda. One way to start is to simply express thankfulness for positive character qualities or acts of service displayed in others. I truly believe we would see a positive return for displays of kindness. I know from my own work experiences that a customer or patient that relayed to me genuine appreciation or a complement made my day. Share this along! We can each make a difference. Perhaps a little something to think on the next time we're stuck in a long check out lane. I certainly will! I challenge you to take on "30 Days of Thanksgiving" next year!


      Another reason I prefer to think of Thanksgiving as a season is because the single day goes by so quickly. There is so much preparation that goes into the meal, and then in only a couple of hours the festivity is over. It's rather disheartening to think that family time can be contained in such a short time. It's as if we come, we eat, and then we leave. Why are we leaving so fast? Family is certainly comprised of a variety of personalities, but it is an entity worth pursuing wholeheartedly! If we don't know our family members very well, then let's put our differences aside and take advantage of getting to know them during this holiday season. (Hey, perhaps even tell them you're thankful for them in the family ;). I encourage you to do a search for conversation starters or group games to break the ice! I am blessed to be able to visit with both my family and my husband's this year. I throughly enjoyed their company. We started our day together from breakfast through the evening hours. Each family set aside the entire day to be together, and a couple of them even had to travel to get there. Love them! I'm already looking forward to spending an entire day with them during Christmas. My prayer is for families to come to know the full meaning of the work and make it a priority! <3
       My challenge to you is this: take a moment to slow down and make this holiday purposeful!