November 18, 2018: Giving Thanks
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” -Thorton Wilder
Thankful for the beauty found in nature
We have a giveaway each month on our social media platforms. While I was contemplating the theme for November’s, I was once again struck by the sheer amount of negativity and tragedies happening in our country and across the world. One way I counteract the conflicting emotions these events trigger in my heart, is to focus on the realities of my own gratitudes: my family, friends, good health and benefits of modern medicine, meaningful work, beauty in nature, and so much more. It helps to counteract feelings of despair, frustration and sadness. I also thought about the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving. It inspired me to create a contest theme of asking my Facebook community to share “what they were truly thankful for”.
The results poured in with a thankfulness for, like me, family, friends, health and work. The gratitudes also included warm homes, food on the table, and lessons taught from elders. They were a celebration of what’s important in our lives. Reading them was a gift of positivity.
Two posts in particular resonated with both Ron and me.
One woman had received a heart transplant 9 years ago from an anonymous donor. She eloquently wrote about being thankful for every day of life; to be able to be present and celebrate special events with family and friends. She was thankful to be able to hike up mountains and ski down, to kayak on beautiful lakes…and thankful to be able to walk and to breathe.
The second post was from a close friend, who’s granddaughter was born three months early at 1.4 pounds and was airlifted to Dartmouth Medical Center where she and her mom spent the next three months. The precious little girl, Etta, is now six months old and thriving in a family and community of friends who treasure this little miracle.
Both of these women’s “being thankful” posts reflected the precious gift of life that too often we take for granted.
They reminded me, especially on those days when I’m feeling discouraged or frustrated over events I have no control over, to stop, and using an old fashioned term, count my blessings.
Giving thanks to what we have can turn our days around. Ron and I are thankful for many things, We are especially grateful for the encouragement and support we’ve received from our family, friends and customers in building our dream of a jewelry business into making it a reality.
Like Melody Beattie so beautifully wrote:
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. “l
Thankful for time with my family
What are you truly thankful for? Share your thoughts in the comments below. I’d love to continue spreading thoughts of gratitude and positivity out into our world.
With a heartfelt thank you,
Wendy