Miss Becky's Blog

LIVE IN THANKSGIVING DAILY . . .

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Think for a moment of someone you know who is truly happy. We’ve all met people who seem to radiate happiness. They seem to smile more than others; they laugh more and just being around them makes us happier as well.

One quality that seems to be found in every happy person I know is the attitude of GRATITUDE. Gratitude is a mark of a person of good character. These kinds of people tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable.

A great American Church leaders once said, “The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love over-powers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to develop a thankful attitude toward God and man!”

I believe that many people are unhappy because they have not learned to be grateful. Some carry the burden of bitterness and resentfulness for many years. Some pass their days as though suffering a deep sadness they cannot name. Others are unhappy because life didn’t turn out the way they thought it would. If only we look around us, there are a thousand reasons for us not to be happy . . . if we focus on the things we don’t have, the more unhappy and more resentful we become.

However, one thing is for certain, happiness does not depend on the amount of money, fame, or power a person has. These outside conditions do not necessarily make a person happy. THOSE WHO LIVE WITH A GRATEFUL HEART ARE USUALLY AMONG THE WORLD’S HAPPIEST PEOPLE AND THEY MAKE OTHERS HAPPY AS WELL.

We develop a “grateful heart” by being “thankful” everyday for the good things in our lives. This habit will enrich our lives and the lives of those we love. Here are three suggestions to help us “Live in Thanksgiving Daily”:

OPEN YOUR EYES: Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote, “The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.”

“Our minds have a marvelous capacity to notice the unusual. However, the opposite is true as well: The more often we see the things around us—even the beautiful and wonderful things—the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted (“take for granted” is an idiom which means to ignore or not recognize) the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds and even the people we love. Because we see these things so often, we see them less and less.” When we open our eyes and give thanks for all the beautiful things in our life, we are “living Thanksgiving daily.”

The second thing we can do is OPEN OUR HEARTS. We must let go of the negative emotions that bind our hearts and instead fill our souls with love, faith and thanksgiving.

Anger, resentment, and bitterness hurt or cut down the growth of our soul or character. “Would you bathe in impure water? Then why do we bathe our souls with negative and bitter thoughts and feelings.?

“Forgive others who have offended you. Don’t waste another moment feeling self-pity. Every day drain from your heart the feelings of resentment, rage, and defeat that do nothing but discourage and destroy. FILL YOUR HEART with love and those things that encourage and inspire.

The third thing we can do to live in thanksgiving daily is OPEN OUR ARMS. One of the best ways we show our gratitude is by blessing the lives of those around us. When was the last time you told someone you love how much he or she means to you? When was the last time you expressed your gratitude to someone who has always been there for you, someone who has sacrificed for you, someone whose heart has always been filled with hopes and dreams for you? When was the last time you unselfishly reached out to help another in need.

Every time we cheer another’s heart, every time we help someone in need, every time we lift a weary hand, we show our gratitude. The blessings that come from opening our arms to others are among the choicest this earth has to offer. When we serve and help others, we are most happy - - a Chinese student told of using his time at noon to get some things to help his girlfriend. There was no time for a nap, but he felt so good that he was not tried during the afternoon classes.

As we OPEN OUR EYES, HEARTS AND ARMS, our step will become a little lighter, our smile will become a little brighter and the darkness that sometimes broods over our lives will become a little lighter.

Be grateful. Every day is a new opportunity for us to be grateful and happy. One of the great leaders of our time, who I respect and admire, Gordon B. Hinkley, has said, “My plea is that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life, we ‘accentuate the positive.’ I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment and endorse virtue and effort.”

Don’t wait to start. Open your eyes, open your hearts, and open your arms. I promise that as you do so, you will feel greater joy and happiness. Your life will have a new level of meaning.

Remember these BE ATTITUDES: BE THANKFUL . . . . BE GRATEFUL . . . . BE HAPPY!! That’s how we LIVE IN THANKSGIVING EVERY DAY!