Ponderings (November 2006) - “THANKSGIVING”

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary …

Thanksgiving is “the act of giving thanks; a prayer expressing gratitude; a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness”

Sharing my thoughts …

Thanksgiving, the time when we get together with friends and family to enjoy a scrumptious feast!  But the word thanksgiving implies more than a feast.  Thanksgiving is giving thanks, expressing our gratitude for all that is in our lives.  It can be so easy to take the people and things in our lives for granted.  When this happens we stop feeling thankful and our lives start to feel “disconnected”. However, the act of giving thanks makes you feel alive; more connected.   But don’t take my word for it, try this simple exercise:  For the next week find just one thing each day to be thankful for - then express your gratitude.  Notice how you feel by the end of the week.  You may just find yourself turning this exercise into a daily ritual!

Questions to ponder …

1. How often do you express gratitude?
2. When was the last time you felt thankful?
3. What are you thankful for at this moment?
4. How do you feel when you genuinely give thanks?
5. How are you thankful for the challenges you face?
6. How can you create a daily routine of thanksgiving?
7. How do your words and actions show your gratitude?
8. What is the impact on your life when you end your day with gratitude?
9. What is the impact on your life when you start your day with gratitude?
10. How do the people in your life respond when you genuinely appreciate them?

Related quotes …

When we are grateful for the good we already have, we attract more good into our life.  On the other hand, when we are ungrateful, we tend to shut ourselves off from the good we might otherwise experience.  [Margaret Stortz]

If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness.  It will change your life mightily.  [Gerald Good]

We can always find something to be thankful for, and there may be reasons why we ought to be thankful for even those dispensations which appear dark and frowning.  [Albert Barnes]

Seeing a glass half empty is resentment; seeing it half full is gratitude.  [Anonymous]

What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets.  I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?  [Erma Bombeck]