Gratitude is not only for Thanksgiving.

Feeling grateful or thankful is something that should be shared multiple times throughout every single day of our lives.  From the moment our feet touch the ground to the moment me lay our head on the pillow. Finding the time throughout our hectic days to give thanks is something we have to learn to do.  Not for others – but for ourselves. 

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy

As we think about what we are thankful for, I suggest thinking outside the gracious thanks we have for family and friends; think past the good things that happen and reach into our hearts to find thanks we owe strangers who have touched our lives. 

“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”  Lao Tzu

Think about guidance that has been given, ideas that have been planted as seeds of creativity, strength that has been found when there seemed to be nothing but obstacles. Even the events in our lives that are closed doors are acts of kindness meant to push us to our greatest success.

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”  Mark Twain

Be thankful for the obstacles for they made you persevere. Be thankful for the challenges as it led you to think and strategize in ways you didn’t know you could.  Be thankful for the mountain for you learned to marvel in its majestic beauty and to find a path which was new and undiscovered.

“We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good, if bad, because it works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.”  C.S. Lewis
Be thankful for the rainstorm as it washes away the dirt from the path. It brings life and builds strong roots.  We may not always see the roots growing and becoming the strength that keeps our home from washing away but we should still be thankful.

“Gratitude doesn’t change the scenery. It merely washes clean the glass you look through so you can clearly see the colors.” Richelle E. Goodrich

Be thankful for the path – not the one well traveled but the one you will pave yourself as you discover where you are meant to go. Give thanks for the ability to see beauty where others only see despair. For the ability to find as much  joy in a cloudy day as you do one with rainbows.

“It’s one thing to be grateful. It’s another to give thanks. Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do.”  Tim Keller

But remember, gratitude is what you give without any strings attached. It is gracious, loving and exempt from all manipulation. Being thankful is a present that you don’t need to wait to see opened. It is one that warms your heart from the act of sharing.

“Gratitude is a duty which ought to be paid, but which none have a right to expect.” Jean-Jaques Rousseau