It’s Thanksgiving, and the highest travel, Week in America! The time for family gatherings with lots to eat and enjoy together. Happy Thanksgiving Week to all in America, and globally.

I am thankful for …

Personally, thanksgiving is daily. I’m thankful for you, my readers and blog friends, for waking up everyday. I’m thankful for my daughters, great health, sound mind, roof over my head (I’ll be honest though that at times I wish it’d be a different kind of roof) – don’t get me wrong, still I’m very grateful for what I have, what/who I am, and life generally. Above all, I will not trade my parents. I am thankful for them. They were not perfect; neither am I and neither is any one. They brought me to the planet and I bear their DNA. Of course, with God and them, they are the reason I am who I am.

Those are most of the things that I’m thankful for. What are you thankful for?

Lately however I noticed a new me. I’ve always been a blunt, black-or-white personality. But with the gift of wisdom and tact (for me, it came with maturity), I began to choose my words carefully without “damaging” the receiver’s ego. Like I said, a new me has emerged for which I am thankful for.

A new version of “Biting My Tongue”

Lately, I find myself smiling or laughing out loud when faced with a response that I know would either get me in trouble, end a relationship, and/or leave both the receiver and I undignified. It’s a reflex action; kinda Holy-Spirit-takeover (that sounds like a great blog page!). I am grateful for smiling instead of lashing out, but I often wonder why I laugh; sometimes so hard. Either way, I am thankful for those actions than the opposites. Though I wonder what the perception would be in a business or corporate environment 🤔🧐

What are you thankful for?

Be thankful despite

There’s a song that goes:
“Count your blessings; list them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

When life feels so hard, when you’re lonely and sad and the bills are due and finances is low or not forthcoming, when the children’s school/college fees go unpaid and you don’t know how you’ll eat the next meal, and the spouse walks away, and family and friends also dessert you, it’s a good time to take your eyes and hands off yourself to help another less fortunate than you; one who can never repay you. Then you’ll emerge with renewed gratitude and be able to say that “it’s not as bad as I had thought.” That my friend is thankfulness from a pure heart.

Those hard times are pruning times, which nay turn to years depending on how it’s handled. Pause to ask God (or the universe or even yourself) “what lessons are in these for me?” Once embraced with corresponding actions, you will emerge a better version of yourself and thus be thankful for it.

Let’s not get so deep into what hasn’t happened yet or not going right like we want it to. Being grateful/thankful often opens doors to more and better. While complaining and being bitter closes doors.

I am thankful today, this week, and always. What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving Week to you.