It's Thanksgiving week here in the United States. It’s the time we gather with our families to give thanks for many things. The Thanksgiving season is reputed to be the busiest travel season in the U.S. as millions of people get together with friends and family.
Since it also unofficially signals the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, all kinds of deals and sales discounts are been pitched to us.
I've always marveled at how the very next thing we do after getting together to give thanks for what we have, is to go out and buy more things. We're thankful for what we have and we celebrate it by rushing to go buy more stuff that we don't need.
But that's not my topic for this newsletter. Maybe another time.
Usually with my family, when we sit together for Thanksgiving dinner, we go around the table to share at least one thing for which we're thankful. But lately, I've been wondering about what could happen if we treat every single day of the year this way.
Yes, there are many of us who may have developed a consistent attitude of gratitude. I just wonder what the difference would be if we do this daily with friends and family the same way some of us do during our Thanksgiving dinners.
How would this change our relationships with those closest to us? I think it would deepen them and help us to be closer to those we love the most.
You may be wondering how this could play out in practical terms. How can you daily share what you're thankful for with family members without repeating stuff?
I think we can easily answer these questions when we look beyond the obvious and are not limited in our thinking about what deserves our thanks. When it comes to gratitude, most of us usually think of the big stuff - life, food, family, jobs, health, etc. But when we look a little deeper, we'll discover that we're missing out on a whole range of things for which we can be thankful.
In most cases, our life experiences cause us to take some things for granted. It was G. K. Chesterton who said, “When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” I have heard of people who, after going on a short-term mission trip to an impoverished part of the world, returned with a strong appreciation for the things they've taken for granted most of their lives.
For example, most of us in North America take electricity and potable, pipe-borne water for granted. We never think about how privileged we are to have such easy access to these essentials of life until a tornado or hurricane comes to town and deprives us of them.
But when you have experienced living without access to regular electricity, even for a couple of weeks, it's unlikely you'll ever forget it. You get a new appreciation each time you walk into a dark room, flip a switch and the light comes on.
A few other things that we take for granted come to mind - breathing easily (some can't take a breath without the help of a machine), our mistakes (they sometimes help shape our path in life), and the people who care about us but we take their advice and wisdom for granted.
I'm sure there are a few of these which are unique to you and your life experience. You only need to pause and reflect on your existence to see other things that you may have taken for granted but for which you could be thankful. List them and begin to see a positive change in your life as you express gratitude for these on a daily basis with those closest to you
I recommend you begin this Thanksgiving.