Showing Thanks

This is the time of year when we celebrate thanksgiving with cooking and eating alot of turkey,mashed potatoes, cranberries, and of course pumpkin pie.  Sometimes I wonder if we have forgotten the beauty of the holiday.  Sure it is giving thanks to the Native Americans for sharing crops and whatever with the Pilgrims.  But while we give thanks for that we also give thanks for the things we have throughout our lives.  I do that every week, or at least I try to do that every week.  But November 25 (this year) is one day set aside to show thanks to the people who made a difference in our lives, give thanks for the things we may otherwise take for granted, and in general be thankful we have this pathway called life.  There sre different ways we can say thanks to those around us.

Send a thank-you note. You know, it’s nice to get a little note thanking you for something you did. You don’t need to send someone a formal thank-you card.  Or even a little note to say thank you.

Give a free hug. OK, only do this when appropriate … but if you have a loved one in your life, give them a hug! Often we can go too long without showing our affection and gratitude, even to those who are closest to us

Give someone a list of all they’ve done that you’re grateful for. Take 5 minutes and make a list of 10 or 50 things you love about someone, or things they’ve done for you that you appreciate.  I am doing this with the next few weekly thanks posts.  My mom read hers and it made her cry.

Say thanks even for negative things in your life. This is the hard part, in truth. When things go wrong, when we’re not happy, when people are mean to us, when we are worn down by the million slings and arrows of everyday life … we don’t want to say thank you. But in truth, this is the time when it matters most.

Throughout life we go through various things and sometimes people drift apart and are ever changing.  I am thankful for everyone I have met even those who have disappeared and are no longer as big a part of my life as they used to be.  We should be thankful for even them.  Everything in our lives is a chance to be thankful.