Thankful November
November is here and along with that comes Thanksgiving Day. Of course we all know what Thanksgiving Day is all about and it is much more than just turkey and football. We learned in our school days about the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts and about their devastating winter. We learned about an unlikely friendship between them and the natives around them. We learned about how that friendship resulted in the Pilgrims learning to hunt and farm here in America. However, as much as I love history, I have something else in mind to write about this time.
A friend of mine, several years ago decided to post every day on Facebook during the month of November something she was thankful for. I loved the idea so much that I joined in and did it as well. Over the last few years several other people have joined us. November, on my Facebook feed, has become a true month of thankfulness! I love it! Thankful November gives us more time to process all the good stuff!
Why do I participate in Thankful November? I participate because it really clears up my mind and helps me refocus my thinking process. Everytime I make a post I spend time thinking about what is good in my life. Sometimes it amazes me how much good there really is around me. It's easy to fall victim to negative thoughts but it is just as easy to pick up the positive thoughts! Positives don't seem to be handed out as much as the negatives so sometimes we need to seek them out ourselves. Participating in Thankful November does that for me. I learn to think differently and by the end of the month I am doing it without having to sit down and think about it. It changes me and the change lasts!
Here is a list of the top five things I am thankful for. I can't really put them in order because I am so thankful for each of them - it's hard enough just listing five things.
1. - I am thankful for my children!! They are my everything - my reason to try harder, my reason to smile, my reason for breathing. I could not imagine life without any of them. They are also my future - my continuation of me. Every time I look into their faces I feel joy - and that alone is worth feeling thankful for.
2. I am thankful for my walk with God!! I believe God has sustained me throughout my entire life. He is my creator and loves me dearly. He gave his son's life so that I can live eternally in heaven with Him. He NEVER fails me and loves me unconditionally. When I stumble He is there and helps me back to where I should be.
3. I am thankful for being content with simplistic pleasures!! There are so many things in life that make me smile. A ray of sunshine peeking through a cloud, a kitten's purr, a baby's giggle, a raindrop on my cheek... the list doesn't end because I love so many things. It doesn't take lots of money or big fancy events to make my day - just something little that catches my attention.
4. I am thankful for the people in my life that love and care about me!! I have so many people that really care about me. I wouldn't be where I am in life if I wasn't loved by so many poeple. I can not easily count the number of people that have helped me out during my life's journey. They all have a place in my heart that will never be budged.
5. I am thankful that I live in the United States of America!! In our blessed and wonderful nation I have freedoms and protections that I am more than grateful to have. I can put my children to bed at night without fear. I know they will have clean water to drink and plenty of food. I don't have to worry about disease or famine. I can write this blog without fear of persecution and practice my religious beliefs openly. The reasons I am thankful for being a US citizen are many and hard to narrow down for this short list.
I challange each of you to take a moment and think about what you are thankful for. You might surprised about just how good you have it! :)
Have a blessed and Thankful November.
