If you are reading this, then you already have a lot to be grateful for every day, not just on
Thanksgiving!
First of all, you have survived almost two dreadful fear filled and gut-wrenching years living with Covid, even though it’s not over with!
I write this knowing that some of you have lost loved ones, income, or health.
You might be wrought with despair, grief, and concerns for your future; feeling generally depressed and hopeless.
You can find at any time in your life something you don’t have, never achieved, or lost. There may be sorrow and grief in your life right now and that is understandable.
During those darkest days, you might find it impossible to feel any gratitude. That is ok and to be expected.
It is pointless and seen as just another undue burden to ask a person suffering from acute grief or major depression to find something to give thanks to. They need time to get to gratefulness.
Hopefully, after some healing, they will find the gift of gratitude.
Sorrow and gratitude make for odd bedfellows, but you can practice gratefulness even though there is also sorrow in your life.
Being grateful for the little and big things in your life is a choice. I choose to do it every day because it makes me redirect my attention.
Basically, it is choosing to turn your mental focus as you would turn the lens of a camera.
It’s like reframing your thoughts in a more positive way. Implanting gratitude into your daily routine has a boosting effect on your mood.
By doing so, you are focusing on being grateful for what you do have!
Gratitude doesn’t deny or dismiss your worries and sorrow but helps remind yourself what positive things you have now.
Gratitude becomes a cornerstone of rebuilding your life!
There is nothing like sickness to remind us how wonderful a blessing to have a healthy body, where everything works!
After recently undergoing eye surgery, I am grateful to have had clear vision afterward, that didn’t happen to someone I know.
Yesterday, once again I saw a blind man courageously navigating the busy streets of Paris with his white cane. Though I can marvel at how in the world he can do it, there is obvious sadness for his difficult plight.
Now I have the return of tendonitis, though in a different area, to the same foot afflicted a year ago. An unfortunate reminder of how easy it is to take walking pain-free for granted.
One of my gratitude practices I like to do when walking around Paris, is to say: “Thank you God for my eyes to see, my ears to hear, my nose to smell flowers, my mouth to taste, my hands to touch, and for these legs that carry me along.”
Every night before dinner, I have my ritual of lighting candles and offering prayers to give thanks for my blessings of food and wine, my grandchildren, my friends, and prayers for those in need.
Gratitude rituals can be simple to do however you prefer to do them. It is not how or where you do them, but that they are verbalized often.
Saying them out loud is more effective because you hear the resonating sounds in your ears. The more positive input your brain takes in, the more powerful mood boosting impact it has.
Gratitude attracts more events in your life to be grateful for! It magnifies your energy fields to bring in more physical reflections of your positive thoughts.
You can even give thanks for things in your life that have not yet occurred. This practice can help bring them into your reality!
Thank you dear friends and readers who have so graciously supported my little blog with your kind comments. They provide much encouragement and I am very grateful to all of you!
Blessings and hugs to those of you who are reading this! Happy Thanksgiving with your beloved family and friends!
P.S. Having just finished writing this has already boosted my mood!
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Cherry you are such a inspirational writer.I always get a mood boost after reading your blogs.
I wish that everyone in the world had this God given sense of gratitude but sadly they don’t.
What a more wonderful world this world be if this was so.
As for me my sense of gratitude has been greatly heighten after my medical issues and retirement has forced me to slow down. I’m am so much more appreciative of the little thing around me than before. I’v notice that people in a hurry have little or no gratitude at all how sad that they are missing that mood boosting feeling just by simply not doing little acts of kindness.
And if you really wont to get a mood booster besides acts of gratitude simply choose to BELIEVE “don’t worry be happy because every little thing is going to be alright”.
Hugs to you .
Thank you Isham for your sweet comments and please know that they are a mood booster for me!
Happy to hear that you can slow down and appreciate the little things in life.
You have a big heart and are a model of optimistic focusing with gratitude!
Hugs and a Happy Thanksgiving feast to you.
Thank you Cherry, I needed this. Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving my friend of 70 years !
Happy Thanksgiving to you too KK and thank you for your kind comment. I hope that you are able to enjoy your Thanksgiving feast despite whatever difficulties you are confronting. Not always easy to do when our life presents worries or sadness.
I write from my own experience and find it helpful for me. Hugs
I am thankful for your blog which always connects me to my favorite city of Paris then further inspires and challenges me to think, reflect, grow and flourish more fully and happily in my life. Thank you so much and Happy Thanksgiving (albeit belatedly), Cherry!
Thank you Sining for your complimentary comment! You are not late in Thanksgiving wishes, as we will have my modest Thanksgiving this weekend. It will be full of gratitude, but will sadly miss family around the table.
Hugs
I must tell you how much I look forward to and enjoy your posts. I’m sorry for not commenting and letting you know how enriching they are! My husband and I have spent many weeks over the years in Pari, and on one of those trips I met your daughter Garance at an “Eye Contact Event” she made quite an impression on me with her confidence, and grace. She told me about your blog, and I have been following it for 6 years. Thank you for generously sharing your wisdom and compassion.
Thank you Gayle for your very kind comment! I am happy to know that you have enjoyed my posts over the last 6 years. I will pass along to my daughter your sweet words!
Wise suggestions, Cherry. Thanks for sharing them.
Thank you Gary for your appreciative comment! It was written from my own experience!