Gratitude Perspective
November, 2009
by Angelique Devost
I love Thanksgiving! It is by far my favorite holiday of the year. What could be more wonderful than a holiday devoted solely to being grateful?
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. Melodie Beattie
Wow! That's a lot!
There are so many things that can disconnect us from the flow of life - the loss of a job, death of a loved one, loneliness, illness, divorce, the list can go on and on. For many, the holiday season is a very difficult time.
Reconnecting ourselves with the genuine feeling of gratitude helps us put the more trying circumstances in our life in perspective. What are the things that help you get in touch with all you have to be thankful for?
Here are some of mine:
- Thinking of my two wonderful sons
- Knowing that I get to live in my favorite town in the whole world
- Getting outside in nature and taking in the beauty around me
- Looking at my life experiences from the perspective of how much they have taught me, and acknowledging how much I've grown.
A Fun Holiday Tip...
One of my favorite things to do on Thanksgiving is to give everyone a small piece of paper to anonymously write down something they are thankful for. I collect these little notes of gratitude and place them in a basket. Before we begin eating, the basket is passed around the table for everyone to pick a note. One by one, we read the expression of gratitude we've selected. It's so wonderful to begin the meal with a feast for the heart!
Make a conscious effort to reconnect with gratitude this week and throughout the holiday season. Doing so will give you a feeling of hopefulness that will enable you to be more open to the solutions to the circumstances in your life that may be troubling you.
We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of loved ones and surrounded by gratitude!