When do you start decorating for Christmas?
When do you start listening to Christmas music?
It seems that there exists a wide range of opinions on these “important” matters.
Personally, I try to get the Christmas decorations up before kids and grands arrive for Christmas and get them down before Valentines Day and I listen to Christmas music whenever I want to.
But that’s just me.
People have been asking me for over a month if I’ve finished my Christmas shopping.
The checks are in the mail, so, yeah.
But that’s just me.
Right now I’m focusing on Thanksgiving, dadgummit!
Thanksgiving: The neglected step-child of holidays between Halloween and Christmas.
Thanksgiving is hard to commercialize, so we just make it about food and football.
If words on a page could reflect my facial expression and tone of voice, it would be much easier for you to understand that I’m not criticizing or complaining.
I’m just being silly.
One thing is true—Thanksgiving is my favorite.
But I’m not talking about the holiday per-se; I’m talking about the mindset.
It’s one thing to take a pause on a particular day and consider what we are thankful for.
It’s a whole other ball-game (pun intended) to simply adopt a consistent mindset and identity of thankfulness—to approach every day as a thankful person.
It's one thing to take a pause on a particular day and consider what we are thankful for. It's a whole other ball-game to simply adopt a consistent mindset and identity of thankfulness–to approach every day as a thankful person. Share on XThere’s an old hymn that says,
“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost; Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”
In my humble-but-accurate opinion, one of the best things I can do for my own well-being, as well as the well-being of those around me, is to be a thankful person.
In my humble-but-accurate opinion, one of the best things I can do for my own well-being, as well as the well-being of those around me, is to be a thankful person. Share on XBoth thankfulness and discontent are contagious. I prefer to infect people with thankfulness.
Both thankfulness and discontent are contagious. I prefer to infect people with thankfulness. Share on XAn identity of thankfulness is not dependent on circumstances. We can be thankful IN a situation that we’re not thankful FOR.
Thankfulness motivates us to see the opportunities that exist even in the challenges. It’s virtually impossible to be thankful and feel hopeless at the same time.
Thankfulness reminds us that failure is not final because of the lessons learned through the failure.
Thankfulness reminds us that everything is not broken beyond repair. The thankful person will see possibilities.
Thankfulness allows us to grieve deeply our losses, but not without hope.
Thankfulness allows us to live without a sense of entitlement. Being thankful reminds me that I haven’t earned every blessing I’ve already received.
Thankfulness allows us to laugh when things don’t go as planned. The more thankful we are, the sooner we will see the humor in the situation.
Thankfulness frees us from the tyranny of judgment. I can be thankful for the joy people get from putting up their Christmas decorations even if they are doing it ridiculously early!
Thankfulness reminds me to keep moving forward in the journey of amazingness because an amazing God has inviting me to join Him in His amazing story.
And that’s not just me.
Be thankful and be amazing today, my friend.
