This is the time of year where we are especially inundated with unrealistic images of perfection. Families are depicted gathered around the Thanksgiving table with gleaming smiles, adolescents are without acne or attitudes and Grandpa, sharp as ever, carves the golden brown turkey. Life is portrayed as a Norman Rockwell magazine cover. No one is hungry, no one is tired, love and thankfulness abound.
As I approached writing this entry I thought about my readers and concluded that most were the thoughtful and introspective kind who do not need to be reminded to be thankful during the holiday season. They were in tune with thankfulness even as they braced themselves for the Madison Avenue version. I ditched gratitude as a topic for my blog and focused my thoughts elsewhere. But all that changed last Saturday when a woman driving an SUV ran a stop sign.
It happened in an instant. In an instant our car was totaled, airbags deployed and seat belts put to the test. All functioned as expected and we miraculously walked away with minor bruises and scrapes.
Suddenly writing about thankfulness and gratitude seemed exactly what I needed to do. I now find myself in a celebration of gratitude for my body, my mind, my spirit. I am filled with thankfulness for my family and the love I feel for them, for my husband and the children he brought into my life. I am grateful for my legs, my arms, my brain and for the sky above and the eyes to see it. I am rejoicing in happiness for my business and my clients. I am eternally thankful that "What could have happened" did not. I am thankful that I walked away from the accident and that the people I love so dearly did as well. Thankful that all immediate logistical problems could be solved with a little creativity and a bit of cash.
This Thanksgiving take some time to be grateful for what you have and be in appreciation of how precious this fragile life really is. Skip the sap if you will but spend some time with the message. Carve out some time to celebrate some aspect of life daily, I am.
I am deeply thankful for all that I have in this world, all that I share and all that has been given me. I rejoice in the abundance of life.
As I approached writing this entry I thought about my readers and concluded that most were the thoughtful and introspective kind who do not need to be reminded to be thankful during the holiday season. They were in tune with thankfulness even as they braced themselves for the Madison Avenue version. I ditched gratitude as a topic for my blog and focused my thoughts elsewhere. But all that changed last Saturday when a woman driving an SUV ran a stop sign.
It happened in an instant. In an instant our car was totaled, airbags deployed and seat belts put to the test. All functioned as expected and we miraculously walked away with minor bruises and scrapes.
Suddenly writing about thankfulness and gratitude seemed exactly what I needed to do. I now find myself in a celebration of gratitude for my body, my mind, my spirit. I am filled with thankfulness for my family and the love I feel for them, for my husband and the children he brought into my life. I am grateful for my legs, my arms, my brain and for the sky above and the eyes to see it. I am rejoicing in happiness for my business and my clients. I am eternally thankful that "What could have happened" did not. I am thankful that I walked away from the accident and that the people I love so dearly did as well. Thankful that all immediate logistical problems could be solved with a little creativity and a bit of cash.
This Thanksgiving take some time to be grateful for what you have and be in appreciation of how precious this fragile life really is. Skip the sap if you will but spend some time with the message. Carve out some time to celebrate some aspect of life daily, I am.
I am deeply thankful for all that I have in this world, all that I share and all that has been given me. I rejoice in the abundance of life.
2 comments:
I'm in the process of moving. The new house is filled with boxes, and can't find thing. I am not ready for Thanksgiving at all... then I read your blog this morning. It reminded me to slow down, or stop what I was doing, think. Thanksgiving is not about Turkey and Pumpkin Pie. I don't know about other people.... but YES I surely needed it to be reminded.
Wow! It's so easy to forget to be thankful for the little things. I'm thankful that my car transports me safely during my 2 hour commute every day! And thankful that Nora was not hurt and thankful she reminded me of what we should really be grateful for. Thanks!
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