Be Thankful

 Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
 Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

      Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
 because it means you've made a difference.

 It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
 Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
  Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

Author-unknown

Those who celebrated the first Thanksgiving were isolated, needy people who barely had a toehold in a strange land. They knew that the battle was just beginning, that they were looking down the long barrel of a bitter winter. They didn't wait to give thanks until they had won. They gave thanks for the success of survival--they were still alive. They gave thanks for the possibility of what could be, not that they had been spared enormous suffering and effort--because they hadn't. As we sit in our easy chairs, smell the turkey roasting in our self-cleaning ovens, and wait for the football game on television, we might meditate for a few minutes on the original thanksgiving. It may put us in touch with the true spirit of the day. Today, I give thanks for the chance to give thanks.

Days of Healing, Days of Joy by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty copyright 1987 available through our online bookstore at: http://www.hazelden.org/bookstore/

O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen