It's official: Thanksgiving week, and we are now barreling down the holiday highway at great speed. Before we know it, the calendar pages will turn twice, and 2024 will be here. Where does the time go?
This, as we Americans know, is the week we celebrate Thanksgiving. To me, it represents universal love and gratitude. It is a time to be grateful as we reflect on the bounties we have received in the past year in kind and viscerally.
Did you know gratitude is a virtue in all major religions and modern cultures? Ancient philosophers thought it to be the foundation of a flourishing civilization.
Psychologists say that it is more than feeling thankful for something. It's a more profound emotional appreciation from the heart for something or someone that will produce lasting positivity and happiness.
There are two stages of gratitude, according to Positivepsjchology.com; "The two stages of gratitude comprise the recognition first of all the goodness in our lives, and then of the source of that goodness that lies outside of ourselves. By this process, we recognize everything and everyone that makes us who we are in our best moments".
Genuine gratitude is a selfless act. It is NOT a give-to-get as we often see in business and, lately, in politics. It is done unconditionally with no expectation from the receiver. However, it is not to say the receiver may choose to return the favor. Gratitude can be contagious and thus result in inner happiness.
Think about the last time you received an unexpected benefit or gift from someone that touched your heart.
What are you celebrating in gratitude this Thanksgiving?
I pause with gratitude for all the many gifts I've been blessed with in 2023; first and foremost, the gift of health so that I can be strong for myself and others. Secondly, my wonderful husband and family bless me with much happiness and love as I marvel at their growth, the unity of all the generations, and, most importantly, my beautiful friends. Without them in my life daily, the branches of my tree would be lop-sided and unbalanced. Friends are necessary for a happy life.
I believe that health, family, and friends are why I am always happy and cheerful.
This season, collectively, let us celebrate the energies of change around us with a peaceful heart in gratitude, blessing others with healing and connectedness.
I am truly grateful and thank every person who has joined me on my path and particularly touched my life. While we can't walk together daily, know you have made a difference in my life as I know you have in others, and I thank you all and hold you in my heart.
Blessings to you and yours for a safe holiday season.
Happy Thanksgiving!
"One of the sanest, surest, and most generous joys of life comes from being happy over the good fortune of others."
~Archibald Rutledge
