November is here and with the turning of the calendar page come thoughts of the impending Holiday Season. Even before the Halloween candy was off the shelves, the retailers thought it helpful to remind us that Thanksgiving and Christmas were right around the proverbial corner by turning on the Christmas music and stocking the shelves with all kinds of things that we don’t need, but want. I am really not OK with that as I believe we should savor each event by celebrating it and not have it be forced upon us. Even before Tom turkey becomes the centerpiece, it is important to stop and ponder our freedoms and think about all those who have gone before us to pave the way. Veteran’s Day is such a day – a day to thank a military veteran for what they did while we were busy living life. For that I am thankful with a capital T.
Thanksgiving evokes such beautiful traditions of faith, family, football and food. As our family gathers around the feast laden table, each one declares what they are most thankful for. There are usually not many surprises as we speak of family members, who are now precious memories, gratitude for our comforts of home, jobs, health and laughter. Wouldn’t this be a great tradition to uphold every day?
One daily practice that I have incorporated is a Gratitude Journal. I believe Oprah was the one who got this “aha” moment and then suggested that we all get on board. At first, I resisted because I didn’t want to be an Oprahite, but then, my life shifted in a way that made me ‘sit up and take notice’ so to speak. My husband had a heart attack and subsequent quintuple bypass surgery. He almost died. It made me seriously think about what my life would be like without him and the reality of my situation. I started getting very fearful; all the scenarios going through my mind were about what would I do, how would I make it, what would happen to me, etc. Everything seemed to be spiraling downward at one time.
As a person of faith, I was fast losing sight of all the good things in my life, the many blessings and I sank into season where fear had a grip on me. During prayer one day when I was particularly discouraged, I felt the Lord saying: “Count your blessings.” It sounded so simple at the time, but that’s exactly what I started to do. I begin to list every single thing I was thankful for; beginning with heart-felt gratitude to God for ALL the good days with my husband. The next day I did this again…the next day again. Soon, I bought a journal and began a daily discipline every morning of writing down at least five things every day that I am thankful for. I have been doing this now for over six years. My husband has since recovered from THAT surgery along with cancer surgery and treatment. I am thankful for that a thousand times over.
This “attitude of gratitude” has since become a way of life for me. I am so thankful for the many things I used to take for granted. Things like clean water, a warm comfy home, a car, a television, a computer, a fridge stocked with food and my faithful furry dog, named Zoe. There are so many folks around the globe that don’t have the gift of these everyday treasures. Poverty, disease and hopelessness abound in their lives, while we live out the great American dream.
Relationships too can be challenging, but not to appreciate family or friends is to miss out on one of life’s greatest blessings. Life is difficult and we need people in our lives to encourage us and help us when times are tough. If we have that, we need to be grateful for it. If we don’t have it, we can be THAT person and model that kind of lifestyle for others.
To have no gratitude in your life is a life without happiness. If you look a little deeper in the heart, I am sure you would see shades of bitterness, regret, grief and disappointment. As humans we all have been through tough life changing experiences and it is up to us to choose if we will allow them to make us better or bitter. Anytime is a good time to decide live a no regrets life…a life full of gratitude for what we do have. We might not have everything we want, but we probably have everything we need. Appreciate it. The Bible, one of my favorite companions, states in Ephesians “do not cease giving thanks.” Every day is a good day to find a reason to be thankful. The good news is that we don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to be grateful. We can daily celebrate a life of ThanksLiving. Counting our blessings produces a deep joy that is contagious. That is something you do want to spread around, but that is just me thinking out loud.
Connie Schaeffer is a resident of Kutztown and enjoys reading, writing, but not arithmetic.
