Here are some tips for Thanksgiving.
Be thankful.
Thanksgiving season is a good time to say thanks, but we need to make it a lifestyle.
An attitude of thanksgiving is a good way to live. When you are daily thankful for your food, shelter and the simplest things, it elevates your sense of well-being. We devalue our well-being when we spend all our time looking at what others seem to have. Others may seem to have such great lives that we start missing our own blessings.
The greatest blessings in life are the ability to walk across the floor, take yourself to the bathroom, enjoy a car ride, feed yourself, have meaningful conversations with other people, enjoy whatever income you have, walk through the grocery store, go to church or enjoy watching television.
Too often we get depressed and bogged down with worries and cares that are not worth worrying about.
Give thanks today for everything and anything. Say thank you often. They are good words to say. Teach your children and grandchildren to say thank you and to say it often.
Be helpful. Thank all the cooks several times. Help out in any way you can. Cleaning up is a big job. Be active in clearing the table and offering to wash dishes and put stuff away. An ounce of effort goes a long way. Don’t eat two plates of food and then go into a hypnotic state staring at the football game. Don’t leave all the mess for the person who spent days cooking your meal.
Be wise. Don’t kill yourself eating. If you gain 10 pounds in November and December then it will take you two to three months to lose the weight, if you are lucky. It’s tough to lose a pound a week. Do you want to be fat all the way into April? If you can’t wear your clothes now, then adding 10 more pounds will not do anything to enhance your mood and sense of well-being.
Be safe. Millions of people are traveling. If you have to travel don’t push it. Slow down and enjoy the drive. Leave an hour early and take your time. If you don’t have to go anywhere, then be glad and relax.
Jesus healed 10 men with leprosy, as described in Luke 17: 11-19. Only one of the healed men returned to Jesus to say thanks. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? But only this one has returned to say thank you? Jesus said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’” This scripture demonstrates the power of a thankful spirit. This man’s life was changed even more because he was thankful.
It’s easy to see ungratefulness all around us. The vast majority of those healed were ungrateful. Let’s not live like the majority. Let’s be like the winner of this story. He was the person who gave thanks.
Find books by Glenn Mollette at amazon.com. Learn more about his books, columns and music at glennmollette.com.