I’ve certainly had my share of life’s “ups and downs,” and more than once I’ve cried that “life isn’t fair,” but, when it comes to the month of November, I’m always thankful.
Having grown up in central Florida long before the days of air-conditioning, I always enjoyed the cooler weather that this month brought. And who could forget that Sear’s Christmas Wish Book arrived early in November? My brother and I intensely studied each page and “dog eared” the ones we wanted Mom and Dad to especially notice (like the one displaying the Daisy BB pellet rifle)!
Mom fixed our finest meal of the year on Thanksgiving Day – turkey with dressing and all the sides! Wahoo! She even used “The Good Stuff,” her special china and silver which only graced our table for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Perhaps because of that family tradition, Thanksgiving weekend has remained very special to me and has become a time of quiet reflection of the events and blessings of the previous months.
As I reflect upon this year, my heart is filled with both gratitude and anguish; gratitude for each new day and the hope that it offers, but anguish for those who have lost so much. I think it’s important to “give thanks” and look to the future with a positive attitude, but it’s also a great time to do something for others.
Consider committing “random acts of kindness” to bring someone joy. Send a note or small gift to a friend and let them know how much you appreciate them. Deliver lunch to a small business that you frequent or run an errand for someone who is unable to. Help a friend or neighbor who is a caregiver and give them the gift of a few hours of personal time. And, simply, be kind to others.
In this “season of thankfulness,” be thankful. Start each day with an attitude of gratitude and look for ways to serve others. 2020 has been a year like no other for most, if not all, of us. But that doesn’t mean we should abandon our values. Bring what it may, we should cherish each day. I, for one, will always be thankful.
“The stories we tell ourselves become the life we live.”
~~Judy Kay Mausolf
