Well, it’s finally here: Thanksgiving!
I realize that some of you may be very busy and may perhaps be reading this after the actual holiday, but HAPPY THANKSGIVING all the same!
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, and not just because of the food – especially the coconut custard pie! Actually, it is because it is a day about family and friends, with no need for gifts or worrying what you’re going to wear. It’s about being together and laughing, remembering, and being grateful.
Gratitude and thankfulness are beautiful reminders of our blessings. Gratitude can be known to change challenges into opportunities! Often, we become so busy and stressed that we forget about the beauty in the ordinary that surrounds us all the time. Being thankful and grateful helps us remember those beautiful moments in our lives. Gratitude, at its core, is an acknowledgement of the more positive aspects of our lives.
Many years ago, I read a book called Prison to Praise, by Merlin R. Carothers. The whole idea of the book was to help you change your negative thinking into being grateful. One particular story I remember from the book was about a little girl who always said her nightly prayers with her mother, thanking God for all of the good things that happened during the day. One day while riding her bike, she fell and got a bump on her head. That evening during her nighttime prayers, she finished her thank you with ‘God, thank you for the bumps!’.
Wow! I wonder how many of us would think to include that in our prayers? From that time until today – at least most of the time – I try and thank God for the challenging situations that come my way. A simple thing like saying ‘thank you God for the red light as it may have saved me from an accident’ helps us to fine tune our gratitude brain cells.
Gratitude is not a fleeting emotion. Being a grateful person is a way of living that enriches our lives in countless ways; gratitude helps us to enjoy the present moment, appreciate the people in our lives, and find strength in adversity. As humans, it is good to keep track of things, so I suggest that you keep a gratitude journal for all of the things you are grateful for during each day, and don’t forget to thank God for the bumps!
Till next week,
Sister Theresita
