Thanksgiving Living

We've been doing a series at church about Thanksgiving Living and the idea of living with an attitude of gratitude every single day.  On this Thanksgiving Day, I was a little overwhelmed by how true the need for this is.  I logged onto Facebook this morning and was bombarded with a newsfeed full of thanksgiving.  What a great thing to read!  Each status was an outpouring of thanks rather than the usual complaining and smack talk I usually see.  I will admit I am guilty of this as well.  I often share with the Facebook world when I am having a frustrating day, or when my head is hurting, or when something bad is going on.  I try to refrain from complaining about every little thing thats going on in my life because I find that utterly annoying-but sometimes I fall into the trend.

But, what if we didn't do that every single day of our lives?  

What if we just had one day full of complaining, and all the other days were just like Thanksgiving?

In the morning, we all woke up and immediately started feeling thankful for things.  Throughout the day we took time out to remind others of why we were thankful for them.  And at night before we went to bed, we didn't lay down and recall all the bad, annoying, frustrating things of the day, but instead we reminisced on all the good things of the day...all the many little things we have to be thankful for.
This will be a challenge for me.  I tend to live a little more glass half empty than full.  But I truly don't want to continue that kind of thinking.  I want to be the type of person who celebrates Thanksgiving Living every single day.  It's a habit that must be practiced and learned, but I plan to try.
And what better time to start than on the Thanksgiving day we celebrate with the rest of the world?

So, Today,
I am thankful for my God-who is there for me and loves me-all of the time-no matter what.
I am thankful for my family-who has stood by me every step of my journey and continues to help me grow and learn every day-God has truly blessed me with such a wonderful family.
I am thankful for my boyfriend-who encourages me and loves me at my worst-who looks at me and tells me how beautiful I am when I feel like crap-and who I cannot imagine going through life without.
I am thankful for the friends in my life who let me be me and love me despite my faults and shortcomings.
I am thankful for the freedom and security that this country provides for us-I know its not perfect, and I know people are often upset by how things are run-but when you REALLY think about it, and you really get down to it, all of us who live in this free place, are extremely lucky.
I am thankful that even though I may not always do the right things, and I may not always respond the right way, there is always room for growth and opportunity in another day.
I am thankful for today, and everyday that I am alive.
And Im thankful that this thankful list could go on for many more "Im thankful for's".  That feels like a good start to Thanksgiving Living.


Happy Thanksgiving everyone....and remember there is always, always, ALWAYS, something to be thankful for.