Gratitude: The Take-Home Assignment …
Nov 01, 2016 01:16PM ● By Annette Briggs (Owner/Publisher)
With just the mention of the month of November, most of our minds (and stomachs) quickly gravitate and start to salivate to memories of past Thanksgivings and begin eagerly anticipating the one to come. It is certainly one of my favorite holidays, and based upon research data and the tremendous revenue generated by its arrival, I am not the only one that feels this way. Millions of Americans, like myself (and you too), look forward to the most popular Thursday on our nation’s calendar. There’s little doubt that food product companies also love the “binge fest” that inevitably will ensue as cash registers sing in unison to the tune of billions of revenue dollars generated!
Yes, Thanksgiving has evolved into many things: sofa-surfing time for traditional NFL games; a time to catch up on much-needed rest; Facebook, Twitter and Instagram “best Thanksgiving picture” contests; and, of course, the usual entranced and frozen looks on the faces of those lost in love with their smartphones. Sadly, what was created as a time set aside to reflect upon and articulate one’s gratitude for one another, God and the blessings received, has, for far too many, turned into nothing more than another excuse to overindulge and underappreciate.
I agree with American novelist and short story writer Alice Walker, who was quoted as saying: “'Thank you' is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility and understanding.” Like an endangered species, gratitude has almost become extinct—killed by an ever-growing attitude of “me, my and mine” driven by self-absorption and apathy. I know that I am not alone in recognizing this troubling trend. Inevitably, the questions that should arise are: What can we do about it, and how in the world do we find our way back to the words “thank you” again?
Well, my food-loving friends … it starts with the person that you see in the mirror every day. It starts with you and me. Gratitude is founded in positive thinking and nurtured by humility, love and appreciation for the people that give us the many reasons to be thankful and the circumstances that we successfully navigate through (good and bad). Unfortunately, these things remain out of sight when blinded by a predominating selfish nature. Can we all receive these words written in this letter as a take-home assignment to be completed and evaluated? Let’s shift our thinking, which controls our moods, actions and feelings, to make room for the lost words “thank you” in our vocabulary. Cultivate seeds of gratitude in your heart. Your take-home assignment is due on “Thanks”giving day. Make sure to complete it successfully!
On assignment,
