Giving Thanks! Shannon

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was,

"thank you,"

that would suffice.  ~Meister Eckhart

It's Thanksgiving tomorrow so I thought I would talk about it.  What is Thanksgiving?  What does it mean to you?

There is a lot of history regarding Thanksgiving.  We believe that the first thanksgiving was between the Pilgrims and the Indians, however, there is much controversary about that.  However, there is no contreversary as to what the purpose was for Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving was/is about giving thanks for what we have.

In 1621 it was the Pilgrims and the Indians giving thanks for the bountiful Autumn harvest.   The Pilgrims then didn't have another Thanksgiving celebration until 1623, to which they celebrated the end of a long drought.  In 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country’s war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution.  Then in 1863, Abraham Lincoln, at the height of the Civil War, in a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.”

Today, in America, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance; instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends.
Thanksgiving for me is very much about spending time with family.  For most of the year we see each other here and there, but usually never all together.  But the holidays "force" us to come together on a special day each year to share time with each other.

This year I started thinking, after feeling sorry for myself because of this and that, that it's time to stop thinking about what I'm unhappy about and think about what I am happy about and thankful for.

So, what am I thankful for?

1.  My family - I have a very close-knit family that I am extremely thankful for.  No matter what crisis someone is facing, we stick together knowing that that crisis too shall pass and everything will be ok, as long as we stick together.
2.  My health - even though I'm dealing with some aches that are preventing me from doing what I want to do, I'm still extremely healthy.  I honestly believe that I am healthier in my 40s than I have ever been.
3.  My job - I may moan, groan, complain, whine, etc, etc. about what goes on at my job, but I am extremely thankful that I have a job, therefore, I have a home with food in the fridge.
4.  My freedom - I am thankful that I live in a country where I have the right to speak my mind, to work, to vote, to live a life of a queen (by the standards of many other countries), and to have people (soldiers) willing to sacrifice their lives for me.

5.  My life - It's not been an easy life, nor has it been an rough life, but it's been a life full of hard work and love, and I wouldn't change a thing about it.  I was brought up with much love and taught that nothing comes easy and with hard work and determination you will survive and even though you may never be rich, you will have EARNED everything you've gotten and you will be LOVED.

As I count my blessings, consider yourself counted!

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,

but to live by them.  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

What are you thankful for??

Click HERE to see where I got my info on Thanksgiving, if you're interested.