THANKSGIVING TO THANKSLIVING

November 21 , 2022 /

THANKSGIVING TO THANKSLIVING

Making a transition from giving thanks to living thanks is a short walk across the bridge.  On one side is where we give thanks, say thanks, and show gratitude for that which has been given to us whether material gifts that can be seen and felt, or friendships and love, which we cannot hold in our hands, but which we hold in our hearts.

 

On the other side is where we live thanks, how we approach each new day with that attitude of gratitude that we have yet another day.  When we see each new day as a gift, one that we receive, open, embrace and celebrate, the question is how will we spend this day in a spirit of gratitude?  Every breath we take in is a gift to exhale gratitude.  It is that small and it is that large.  What that means is that we look at what lies before us as an opportunity to be grateful in what we are doing and to choose what kinds of feelings accompany us along the way.  We have a choice to be conscious and intentional or to focus on the external without much attention to the internal.

 

Here are some suggestions for your consideration, a daily exercise.

 

  • Start the day with thanks for being alive.  It may be a few words or more, lifted up to your Creator Spirit whatever you might call it.

 

  • See what opportunities might be waiting for you to explore further during this day where you offer the best of who you are.

 

 

  • Be open to being surprised by grace, something or someone unexpected crossing your path that invites you to be an active participant.

 

 

  • As the day moves on, take time to stop for a few moments and reflect where you have been, what you have done, the kinds of tracks you have left behind.

 

 

  • Listen to what someone says and then listen for what they might not be saying. Similar to reading between the lines, listen beyond the words.

 

 

  • Consider a task or job that has to be done an invitation, not an imperative demand.

 

 

  • Choose how you might look at the most mundane from a different perspective, one of gratitude for being given the opportunity.

 

 

  • As the day comes to a close, end it the same way you began, by saying, giving, breathing thanks, a day wrapped in the arms of gratitude.

 

Life is, after all, one day at a time and one day after another.  All we know for sure is that thus far, we have today.  Tell yourself that you will make the most and best of it that you can.

 

Gratitude provides more fuel for the journey, infusing our lives with energy to move forward to embrace new opportunities for growth.  As we become more grateful human beings, we evolve more into our humanity, with more capacity for caring, compassion and community.

 

Margaret Mead had it right, ““Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.

Comments (4)

  1. “As we become more grateful human beings, we evolve more into our humanity”. Yes. A beautiful reminder. Thank you. This awareness of our humanness is a beautiful gift that we give ourselves, isn’t it? And what are we living for anyway, if we don’t at least occasionally remember to evolve, to give thanks for the ‘small’ things like breath itself?

    1. The wonder of being created, one of Creator’s creatures and how we are to live fully up to that. Is that not what life is about?
      What is our highest purpose in being human? Is it not to continue to evolve and expand our qualities of love and compassion?
      Remembering our origins, how we got here and why. We are neither accidental nor coincidental, we are here to contribute what we can to make life better, to make the world a better place for other human beings regardless of who or where they are.

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