While “Thankfulness” certainly counts as an unoriginal theme for the month of November, I am choosing to accept “unoriginal” because it’s simply impossible to be overly grateful.
I don’t know what life is hurling your direction, but I bet it’s not all great. Some parts of your life – like mine – likely include some really tough and sobering realities alongside the joys. But the hard parts are real, so what do we do during this season of “Thanksgiving”? Do we pretend like the hard stuff isn’t real – like it doesn’t exist for a few days? Probably not. But we can remember that we do have choices: choices about how we will respond with gratitude in our circumstances, whether good or bad/happy or sad.
Several years ago, I read a book by Ann Voskamp: One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. Inside the front cover of the book, we read, “How do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties? What does a life of gratitude look like when your days are gritty, long, and sometimes dark?” I don’t know about you, but on a small scale, this is where I find myself today . . . as I enter into the month of “Thanksgiving”.
So I’m getting ready. Choosing my focus. Looking past circumstances. Remembering God continues to send blessings to me every day . . . even if in little, often overlooked ways, like the dish soap bubbles Anne writes about. I tell myself the truth: “You are not alone.” And I begin to imagine how to put my gratitude into action:
Sharing some baked goods with my neighbors
Sending a “Thinking of you” note to a loved one
Facetiming my grandchildren and hearing their little voices as they share their day with me
Taking time to journal my blessings
Coloring a page in my “grown up coloring book” – just to enjoy a quiet, creative moment
Taking a walk in nature to enjoy the sights and sounds of a new season
Sending a child a book on “Thankfulness” for their home library
So whether life feels very hard right now or very calm and peaceful, choosing gratitude is one way to speak life over your circumstances and your heart. I hope you choose to lead your family on a “Thankfulness Journey” again this year.
Blessings,
Kris