Being Thankful

   Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, and for many people there is a shift now into shopping for those perfect gifts...and the expectation of what they will be receiving.  The act of thankfulness gets lost in the hustle and bustle of the next holiday. 
     Thankfulness is a state of the heart that should be maintained every day of the year.  It is a way of being that must be practiced - consciously - with every breath we take.  Being thankful keeps us humble.  It 

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makes us aware of all those things we take for granted...the ability to simply breathe, to feel, to love and be loved, a warm place to live, food in the cupboard, clean clothes to wear, friends and family, and a purpose in life.  If you have any or all of those things, you have something to be thankful for. 
     Someone close to me is very ill, and I had the opportunity to spend time with him on several occasions during the week before Thanksgiving.  I am thankful for those times.  We were able to laugh and cry - let our guards down and be very real.  I will cherish those memories.  Sometimes the things we are thankful for are not easy.   They aren't meant to be.  
     It's easy to be thankful for the big and special events in our lives.  It takes a conscious effort to be truly thankful for the little things we experience everyday.  I make it a point, everyday when I wake up and every night before I go to sleep, to take an inventory of all the things I am thankful for.  Many times I speak it out loud.  There are so many things on my list that I could just take for granted, but I choose to be thankful.  By being thankful, my heart feels full and I have a larger capacity to love and be compassionate.
     Sometimes I look at other people and wonder what they are thankful for in their lives.  I wonder if they know they are blessed.  Sometimes I can see it in their faces and even feel it in their energy.  Other times I wonder if they are aware of any of their blessings, or if they see their life as some sort of punishment. 
     I choose to be thankful.  Even when life gets difficult and it seems that people are treating me unfairly, I look for the gift or the lesson.  In every situation, every interaction, there is either a gift or a lesson.  The person who treats me unkindly may be sent to show me part of my shadow side...they show me the part of myself that I want to hide.  This is a lesson that is also a gift, but we have to be willing to experience it with gratitude and humbleness.   I choose to be thankful when my beliefs are challenged.  It gives me the opportunity to examine what I believe, why I believe it, and where the belief came from.  I choose to be thankful when I am forced to face a fear...and live through it.  Sometimes it seems that dramatic.  I choose to be thankful when I wake up and look outside and see a beautiful sunrise. 
     There are so many things to be thankful for.  I suggest taking the time to make a list of all the things you are thankful for.  Start with the obvious and work through to all those little things you take for granted, all those things you thought were bad experiences.  When you look at things through the eyes of thankfulness, they can take on a whole different meaning.
     I am thankful for every person who reads this blog post.  I am thankful that perhaps someone will discover more beauty and goodness in their life.  
                                                I AM THANKFUL!