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Thursday, November 23, 2006

Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

In this country, every year we celebrate the fourth Thursday of November as a time to commemorate our country's beginnings and be thankful for all we have been given. When I was a girl, it was all about Pilgrims, Native Americans, sharing, family, and turkeys. The negative side to some of our history was not part of the mix.

It's easy for me, from the perspective of having lived over 60 years, to think maybe things were simpler back then, but that might be more a product of losing childlike qualities than the times they be-a changing. Perhaps whether we are a person who lives in gratitude or complaint is a habit-- one we can change.

I don't think we have to live in a state of denial to look for the positive in everything that happens.We often get stuck in the negative because it's what we need to do something to fix. The problem is if we aren't careful, we end up pulling more and more negative to us by our attitude of bitterness or complaint.

Maybe not surprisingly, you often find those who possess the least with the most capacity for finding gratitude in small things. It could simply be because it is the small things that in the end, for us all, mean the most.

Now and then, it's a good thing to stop, think of all the positive things in our lives, and do a happy dance, like the above seagull looked like he was doing. Maybe he was just celebrating not being a turkey.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photo and profound thoughts. I have a feeling you're surrounded by positive energy. Happy Thanksgiving.

Suzann said...

Happy Thanksgiving Rain. Happy dance all around - we are blessed.

Diane Widler Wenzel said...

I get a kick out of your sea gull. Great picture. Happy Thanksgiving

Diane Widler Wenzel said...

Hi, Did you memtion the movie " The Secret" as one I might enjoy? This is for enterpreneurial types? We started it but I thought it was not the same as the one you mentioned. We settled on watching the "DaVinci Code".

Anonymous said...

Elisson (first entry on my blog list under DailyBread) had a thought that is still rattling in my head. As he was enumerating things he was thankful for today, he included "...thanks for everyday miracles."

I believe in the context he used it, that is the same thing you are saying. The big stuff is so obvious. It's the little, too often taken for granted things, that make our lives tolerable and worth living.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friend!

Joy Des Jardins said...

I love that picture Rain. Your optimism and tendency toward the positive is always refreshing...Happy blessed day to you Rain.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

I agree my dear Rain...it is sometimes easier to see the 'not so good' in our lives....BUT, Thanksgiving certainly is an opportunity to look at all the very very good things in our lives, and I know there are many in my own life...!

Anonymous said...

Hope you had a happy thanksgiving, Rain. It really is about the small things or at least that is what I have learned in my own 69 years. Were you with family today?

robin andrea said...

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Rain. One of the many things I am grateful for is having your blog to read. Thanks for being there.

Dick said...

Too many people today keep wanting more and more. I gave up the idea of chasing the almighty buck and decided to retire. You reach a time when the time that is left to you becomes far more valuable than having a few more dollars. Of course it is good if you have done some planning so there are enough of those dollars to be comfortable in retirement. We have two types of luxeries in life, those you can buy with money and those you can do with your time. Most of us don't have a surplus of both so we need to come up with a balance that works for us.