Giving Thanks
This post seemed only natural since we are just a couple days from Thanksgiving. I don't know where I want to go with this, so I am just going to type as I think.
For me, Thanksgiving has never been a *big deal*.
When I was growing up, it was a BIG deal. I come from an enormous family. My dad is 1 of 8, I am 1 of 4.... this makes for lots of siblings and more importantly, cousins! I am 1 of (I think) 36 FIRST cousins!!!! What what?! The range of age spans more than 20 years from the oldest first cousin to the youngest. It is crazy! And even crazier... we all grew up on the same plot of 3600 acres. Thanksgiving day was spent at Grandma and Grandpa's house. There was a buffet of food. Never a sit at the dining room table kind of holiday, more like "get your butt in line before the green bean casserole was gone" kind of holiday! I always sat at the "kids table", even when I was a teenager. We would all go around the room and say one thing we were thankful for. Looking back, I am not sure if that "exercise" was enough. Why are we only thankful on this one day of the year?! I never understood the concept of spending this one solitary day giving thanks. Why can't we give thanks every single day of every single year?
I don't need Thanksgiving to be thankful. I am reminded every day that I am tremendously lucky to have the life I have. I am rich in family and love. I am blessed to be financially stable. And I get to live in such a beautiful place, where being close to God is as close as a drive to the beach. I am thankful for healthy children, a healthy marriage and simply put.... my physical health!
Even in trying times like these past two weeks, I am thankful. I am thankful that my youngest didn't pass pink eye around his preschool class. Thankful that my oldest was able to get Tamiflu for this NASTY flu going around, before it was too late. Thankful that I was able to afford Tamiflu (dang that stuff is expensive!). Thankful for bleach and lysol and my own ability to disinfect this house, not once... not twice... but THREE times in the past 5 days! Thankful that I am able to be home with my babies when they wanted and needed to be held, and cared for. Thankful for brothers.... though they may want to kill each other after being cooped up in this house for the past 2 weeks!! Goodness, I could go on. It has been a long 2 weeks.
What I am trying to say, is even when times are tough (and yes, I understand my "tough" is different than someone else's "tough) that there are still reasons to be thankful. It is important, for me at least, to give thanks daily. Thankful people are happy and content people.
So give it a try, what are you thankful for? It doesn't have to be something big. Getting out of bed every day is something to be thankful for! I want to see you as a happy and content person! I am taking a pledge right now, starting on Thanksgiving day I will be keeping a Grateful Diary. Every day for the next year, I will write one thing per day that I am thankful for. I would love if you would do it too. Wouldn't it be great to look back at it next year and reflect on all the wonderful things in your life? Life doesn't have to be filled with darkness, sadness, hatred, guilt, and anger. Be grateful with me. Do you accept the challenge?
I am starting early. Today, I am thankful for this blog. My thoughts seems jumbled and half the time I don't know why people read it... but you do. And I am thankful, so thankful for that. I may not always know the right thing to say, or have the right wording or proper grammar... but I feel like this is right.
Be grateful for where you are in your life, right now. It may not be what it once was, it may be better than it once was... the past is the past. Be grateful for your past and look to the future, because tomorrow is up to you. Look to the days to come with an open and grateful heart. I bet you will find happiness and peace where you least expected it.
Thank you for stopping by. This is a busy time of the year, so taking a couple minutes out of your day to come here and read means a lot to me. Happy Thanksgiving! ~Joslin
For me, Thanksgiving has never been a *big deal*.
When I was growing up, it was a BIG deal. I come from an enormous family. My dad is 1 of 8, I am 1 of 4.... this makes for lots of siblings and more importantly, cousins! I am 1 of (I think) 36 FIRST cousins!!!! What what?! The range of age spans more than 20 years from the oldest first cousin to the youngest. It is crazy! And even crazier... we all grew up on the same plot of 3600 acres. Thanksgiving day was spent at Grandma and Grandpa's house. There was a buffet of food. Never a sit at the dining room table kind of holiday, more like "get your butt in line before the green bean casserole was gone" kind of holiday! I always sat at the "kids table", even when I was a teenager. We would all go around the room and say one thing we were thankful for. Looking back, I am not sure if that "exercise" was enough. Why are we only thankful on this one day of the year?! I never understood the concept of spending this one solitary day giving thanks. Why can't we give thanks every single day of every single year?
I don't need Thanksgiving to be thankful. I am reminded every day that I am tremendously lucky to have the life I have. I am rich in family and love. I am blessed to be financially stable. And I get to live in such a beautiful place, where being close to God is as close as a drive to the beach. I am thankful for healthy children, a healthy marriage and simply put.... my physical health!
Even in trying times like these past two weeks, I am thankful. I am thankful that my youngest didn't pass pink eye around his preschool class. Thankful that my oldest was able to get Tamiflu for this NASTY flu going around, before it was too late. Thankful that I was able to afford Tamiflu (dang that stuff is expensive!). Thankful for bleach and lysol and my own ability to disinfect this house, not once... not twice... but THREE times in the past 5 days! Thankful that I am able to be home with my babies when they wanted and needed to be held, and cared for. Thankful for brothers.... though they may want to kill each other after being cooped up in this house for the past 2 weeks!! Goodness, I could go on. It has been a long 2 weeks.
What I am trying to say, is even when times are tough (and yes, I understand my "tough" is different than someone else's "tough) that there are still reasons to be thankful. It is important, for me at least, to give thanks daily. Thankful people are happy and content people.
So give it a try, what are you thankful for? It doesn't have to be something big. Getting out of bed every day is something to be thankful for! I want to see you as a happy and content person! I am taking a pledge right now, starting on Thanksgiving day I will be keeping a Grateful Diary. Every day for the next year, I will write one thing per day that I am thankful for. I would love if you would do it too. Wouldn't it be great to look back at it next year and reflect on all the wonderful things in your life? Life doesn't have to be filled with darkness, sadness, hatred, guilt, and anger. Be grateful with me. Do you accept the challenge?
I am starting early. Today, I am thankful for this blog. My thoughts seems jumbled and half the time I don't know why people read it... but you do. And I am thankful, so thankful for that. I may not always know the right thing to say, or have the right wording or proper grammar... but I feel like this is right.
Be grateful for where you are in your life, right now. It may not be what it once was, it may be better than it once was... the past is the past. Be grateful for your past and look to the future, because tomorrow is up to you. Look to the days to come with an open and grateful heart. I bet you will find happiness and peace where you least expected it.
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