Seasonal Gratitude
Today I am grateful to be part of the "Voices of Hope" DVD project and to know that it has made a difference in the lives of breast cancer patients and their loved ones.
I am also grateful for the faith I have in God, in my Higher Power. I am still a work in progress when it comes to my faith, but it is growing and I am feeling it. Faith helps me see that I am never alone and that I don't have to have all the answers.
I do have a question today though. Why does gratitude become a more common topic only in November? I get that Thanksgiving, the gratitude holiday, falls in November and that makes this month "gratitude month" to many. And to others it just makes Thanksgiving "gratitude day." And to still others, the gratitude gets lost in the busy pace, the stress of day-to-day stuff, the disappointments and the lack of hope.
Gratitude should not be seasonal, should not be the focus of one holiday. Gratitude should be DAILY. The only way we can truly change our perception of self and surrounding world is through regular practice of gratitude. I love Thanksgiving. It has always been a favorite holiday for me. But I get frustrated when there is so much talk of gratitude for a few weeks and then it just falls by the wayside again. It gets lost in the next holiday-Christmas-which is really about gratitude too, but you sure wouldn't know it with the way it is marketed and given such high expectations. (Not to mention the real meaning of the holiday being lost on many. The birth of a savior. The hope of redemption. Whatever your religious beliefs are, I think we can all agree that Christmas has lost much of its original meaning. I would argue that gratitude was lost along with it, replaced with expectations and a sense of entitlement.)
For gratitude to work in one's life, it must be more than seasonal. This is the driving force behind this blog. The substantial dividends only come with habitual gratitude.
If you don't already practice regular gratitude, use this month, this holiday, as a springboard to get you there. Keep on keeping on!
I am also grateful for the faith I have in God, in my Higher Power. I am still a work in progress when it comes to my faith, but it is growing and I am feeling it. Faith helps me see that I am never alone and that I don't have to have all the answers.
I do have a question today though. Why does gratitude become a more common topic only in November? I get that Thanksgiving, the gratitude holiday, falls in November and that makes this month "gratitude month" to many. And to others it just makes Thanksgiving "gratitude day." And to still others, the gratitude gets lost in the busy pace, the stress of day-to-day stuff, the disappointments and the lack of hope.
Gratitude should not be seasonal, should not be the focus of one holiday. Gratitude should be DAILY. The only way we can truly change our perception of self and surrounding world is through regular practice of gratitude. I love Thanksgiving. It has always been a favorite holiday for me. But I get frustrated when there is so much talk of gratitude for a few weeks and then it just falls by the wayside again. It gets lost in the next holiday-Christmas-which is really about gratitude too, but you sure wouldn't know it with the way it is marketed and given such high expectations. (Not to mention the real meaning of the holiday being lost on many. The birth of a savior. The hope of redemption. Whatever your religious beliefs are, I think we can all agree that Christmas has lost much of its original meaning. I would argue that gratitude was lost along with it, replaced with expectations and a sense of entitlement.)
For gratitude to work in one's life, it must be more than seasonal. This is the driving force behind this blog. The substantial dividends only come with habitual gratitude.
If you don't already practice regular gratitude, use this month, this holiday, as a springboard to get you there. Keep on keeping on!
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