"Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns." (Anonymous)
It’s always a matter of perspective – isn’t it; another way of either seeing the glass half full or half empty. I don’t know about you but my perspective often changes depending on many things including the amount of stress I’m under or the number of fires I’m trying to put out all in one day! Perhaps one thing that should not change is being thankful - even in the midst of crisis we can find something to be thankful for and someone to thank.
Like many American holidays – the meaning of Thanksgiving may often get lost somewhere between Halloween and Christmas. If not for the turkey, dressing, pumpkin pies and football, it would not make much of an impact especially commercially since it doesn’t have the financial punch of those other holidays. What Thanksgiving does do is provide us with a wonderful opportunity to stop and reflect on all the goodness that surrounds us, the beauty of nature, the love of family and support of friends and to do so with a thankful heart.
The beauty of thanksgiving is that it can be practiced every single day of our lives and it doesn’t cost a penny! We certainly don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving Day every year to pour out our hearts in grateful prose, but making a conscious effort to seek out those often forgotten places where a heartfelt “Thank you for your kindness” may bring a smile to someone’s day.
mmLearn.org provides over 300 free online videos for caregivers of older adults.
