Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving.

The time of year that we gather together to celebrate the "crops" that have been "harvested."

To be thankful for all that has been accomplished.

To be thankful for our families and loved ones.

To be thankful for our lives and the country that we live in.

To have hearts of gratefulness.

Frank A. Clark said, “If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.”

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the criticism of our society.  Negativity is a poison, a contagion that can spread quickly through a word spoken out loud or written in the social media.   

It is difficult to have a heart that houses both criticism and gratefulness.   A critical heart and a grateful heart are in opposition to each other.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  A day we choose to celebrate being grateful for all we have been given.  The key is to not focus on what we do not have or what we have lost this year but what we have or have gained.  It is the time to gear our hearts towards gratefulness and to show gratitude.

Some think of Thanksgiving as just a day off work.  Some think of it as the time they begin decorating for Christmas.  For some, it is a day to shop.  For others, a day of feasting.  For some here in Arlington, it’s Dallas Cowboys football day.  Not that any of that is wrong, especially the Dallas Cowboys, but Thanksgiving is our day to give thanks.

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”  Albert Schweitzer

So, here’s your call to action.  Make an intentional effort this Thanksgiving holiday weekend to express your gratitude toward one another.  Pay it forward, give to the Salvation Army kettle, volunteer at a mission.  Give hugs freely.  Play with all the kids.  Be a breath of fresh air and show a heart of gratefulness.

Don’t get me wrong.  Life is not perfect.  There has been much heartache this year but there have been many more blessings.  We are to wear a heart of gratefulness all the yearlong.  But this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for so very much!  I am truly blessed beyond measure.  

Have a heart of gratefulness.