All I have to do is open my eyes in the morning, slip quietly out of bed, pad to the bathroom, wash my face, brush my teeth, then head down the hallway to our kitchen, flick on the kettle, open the blinds, and look out at the dawning day to remind myself of how truly blessed I am. I have everything I want, and more so, everything I need.
With Thanksgiving just a few days away, my thoughts are centered around gratitude.
From my journal: November 26, 2015, Newbury Park, California
“…Gobble! Gobble! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Family, Friends, & Football Day! I am thankful for so much…my health, life, family, friends, our home, our experiences, my job…we have everything we need, so grateful…”
Not everyone is as fortunate, that, I know. Lately, I’ve noticed more non-profit and charity requests in our mailbox and I’ve gladly opened my checkbook to help. Thankfully the government shutdown has ended, and hopefully all the people affected will experience brighter days ahead, especially during the upcoming holidays.
As this is the time for giving thanks and counting blessings, I want to share some thoughts on gratitude with you.
“Give thanks for a little, and you will find a lot.” – Hausa Proverb
“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.” – Maya Angelou
“I started out giving thanks for small things, and the more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased.” – Oprah Winfrey
“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Gratitude, helps us to see what is, instead of what isn’t.” – Annette Bridges
“If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” – Gerald Good
“Thankfulness is the quickest path to joy.”- Jefferson Bethke
“Appreciation can change a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” – Margaret Cousins
“I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire
“When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. – Tecumseh
“When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” – Vietnamese Proverb
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” – Douglas Wood
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.” – A.A. Milne
“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. – Maya Angelou
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Aesop
“Gratitude lifts our eyes off the things we lack so we might see the blessing we possess.” – Max Lucado
“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.” – Mary Davis
“No duty is more urgent than giving thanks.” – James Allen
“Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.” – Rumi
Best wishes for a Thanksgiving filled with the laughter of friends, love of family, and many blessings of gratitude.
A Journal Journey 