Thanksgiving is the holiday when we give thanks for our blessings.  A time to reflect and be grateful.  A time to spend with family and friends and focus on what is truly important.  But the benefits of being grateful can reach far beyond the season of Thanksgiving.

I started this blog with the idea I would walk through life looking through a lens of gratitude, seeing value in my everyday life and in everything around me.  I’ve written in my gratitude journal almost every day this year.  And I can always find something for which I am grateful, even if some days it is just the basics – family, food, shelter, and health.   But I usually find something throughout the day that sparks gratitude – time with family or a friend, a leisurely walk in the park, the beauty and awe of nature, kind words from a friend, the opportunity to try something new, Sam’s daily hugs, completing a project, or even a good coffee.

Practicing gratitude brings about a shift in perception.  Giving thanks for our blessings shifts our focus from the negative to the positive. It helps us shift our thoughts from a place of lack to a place of contentment. When we shift our thinking from what we think we need or want to what we already have, and when we reaffirm our accomplishments instead of focusing on our shortcomings, we become content. Gratitude helps us to realize that what we have, and who we are, is enough. When we realize we are enough, we begin to sow the seeds of joy and abundance. Simply put, practicing gratitude makes us happy and abundant.

Melodie Beattie wrote this about gratitude and her perspective has stuck with me:

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.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

~ Melodie Beattie

Today is Thanksgiving Day. And I can say I am truly thankful for the many blessings in my life. Today I am most grateful for my family and friends, and for all those who have come into my life and touched it in some way. They say you can’t choose your family, so I guess I’m fortunate I have one I love and one that loves me.  And to my friends – I couldn’t imagine my life without any of you. If you’re reading this (and you know me personally) know that you’ve touched my life and my heart.  And I am grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Lori