Look for a lot of MMMs in 2016 that deal with Gratitude and Forgiveness (but more about that next year).
In the interim, I am providing five things we can be grateful for that we might have thought about.
Be Grateful for What You Have
Give More Than You Take; You’ll Get More in the End
Understand that giving take more strength than taking.
Yet the rewards are far greater.
Find ways to give more often.
Don’t get locked into the idea that giving is merely materialistic.
Open a door for a stranger. Let a car get in front of you in traffic. Pick up a piece of trash on the street.
Remember, if you don’t have money, give time.
If you don’t have time, give a smile.
If you don’t have a smile, ask for help.
Thanksgiving & Gratitude Quotations
In honor of Thanksgiving, a collection of quotes for you.
• Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough. ~ Oprah Winfrey • As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~ John F. Kennedy • Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse. ~ Henry Van Dyke • You may have heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There’s another day you might want to know about: Giving Tuesday. The idea is pretty straightforward. On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, shoppers take a break from their gift-buying and donate what they can to charity. ~ Bill Gates • I’m thankful for every moment. ~ Al Green • Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. ~ Erma Bombeck • Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves. ~ Henry Ward Beecher • Dear Lord; we beg but one boon more: Peace in the hearts of all men living, peace in the whole world this Thanksgiving. ~ Joseph Auslander • Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year because it reminds us to give thanks and to count our blessings. Suddenly, so many things become so little when we realize how blessed and lucky we are.~ Joyce Giraud • Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~ Melody Beattie • Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.~ Brian Tracy • Gratitude is the sign of noble souls. ~ Aesop • Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for. ~ Zig Ziglar • When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. ~ Elie Wiesel • At the age of 18, I made up my mind to never have another bad day in my life. I dove into a endless sea of gratitude from which I’ve never emerged. ~ Patch Adams • Give thanks often, especially when it doesn’t seem like you have anything for which to give thanks. ~ Scott “Q” Marcus
For more quotations on gratitude – and to find where I found many of these – follow this link.
Giving thanks in Confusing Times
Consider this column a holiday public service.
Consider it an aide memoire of what really matters. Consider it anything you wish. However, I wanted to take these moments, particularly at this time of year, to remind us — me — of some reasons to offer up thanks. After all, despite what sometimes passes as common belief, Thanksgiving is not a caloric competition.
With beheadings and renewed violence in the Middle East, an exaggerated Ebola scare; a frightening escalation of global warming; vitriolic hyperbolic, unproductive, childlike exchanges among “our leaders” about everything from affordable healthcare to immigration; a still-shaky standard of living for far too many; gridlock in Government, and — oh yeah — the worst drought in centuries here in California, we’re having quite some time of it all.
In times such as we find ourselves, it is vital to recall the words of Francois de La Rochefoucauld,
“Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.”
The future will be better; be assured. Yet, while we are still chopping though the rough seas of today, some reminders might be in order.
Nonetheless, what really matters is that many of us will be surrounded by family and friends, people who support and guide us.
When we are off course, they redirect us. When we are on track, they congratulate us. When illness ravages our body and beats our spirit, they, like angels, sit by our side and heal us. When we are overwhelmed, they hold us near. When infused with joy, they join us in song. What a blessing, in the midst of seas of swirling, chaotic, pandemonium, to find islands of protection where we can have a rest and reclaim our souls. To say to them, “Thank you,” is woefully, pitifully, inadequate. Yet, it can do no harm.