Turkey Day Gratitude

Tomorrow, most of us will spend a good part of our day eating and enjoying time with family and friends. We are encouraged to stuff our bellies and lounge around watching football all day. Most people throw caution to the wind and eat until they are uncomfortably full. No one is shamed for the portions they take; in fact, hosts and hostesses are insulted by sparsely filled dinner plates. Loosely fitting clothes are a must. Thanksgiving is my kind of holiday!

Do you have butterflies in your stomach in anticipation of Thanksgiving? Is there a little kid inside of you secretly hoping you get picked to split the wishbone? Are you banking on Swedish Meatballs as one of the appetizers?

I love Thanksgiving! I imagine the pilgrims and Native Americans sitting down together to share a meal, and it makes me smile. I love that the origins of this holiday are part of our history as a nation. I understand that there is some conflict in regards to exactly when the first Thanksgiving occurred, but, at this point, it doesn’t matter. It’s been a celebrated national holiday for my whole life.

Besides eating, the other theme for the day is to “give thanks.” What are you thankful for? How often do you close your eyes and say a prayer of thanksgiving for the blessings in your life? Do you keep a gratitude list? I recommend you make a conscious effort to identify people, places, and things you are grateful to have in your life. It can be something in your head, but a physical piece of paper is better. Corny as it may sound, it will change your life if you regularly review your gratitude list.

You probably have many more things to be grateful for than you think. If you sit in a quiet place and truly reflect on your blessings, I bet you compile a long list. Once you identify and take notice of what you are grateful for, you cannot help but appreciate these things. You may even come to value them as integral parts of your life. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

How many times have you driven down the highway on auto-pilot? You know, when suddenly you realize you are at Exit 70, and the last sign you remember seeing was for Exit 61? As frightening as this sounds, I know you have had this happen to you. If we are not paying attention, we can blindly drive (walk) through life without noticing what is going on around us. By focusing on things we are grateful for each day, we will tend to stay more “in the present.”

Growing up, my mother would say, “there’s always someone worse off than you,” whenever I would complain about something. She was right, and no matter how horrible things got for me while battling cancer, there was always someone in the news I could point to that was worse off than me. She taught me to focus on good things instead of bad. I didn’t understand it when I was younger; however, it has undoubtedly served me well once I was able to grasp the concept.

I am looking forward to tomorrow, and I hope you are too. I know my heart will be more full of gratitude than my stomach could ever be full of food. I have an incredible family and wonderful friends. My life is abundantly full of blessings! I will be sure to thank God for each and every one of them. And, then, I’ll look for some Swedish Meatballs.

Happy Thanksgiving!