A Different Kind of Thanks

I have problems, stresses, things that just don’t seem to be going my way.
I have worries that wake me from my sleep and moments in the course of the day when I need to inhale deeply and exhale slowly just to maintain some sense of sanity.
I’m guessing each of have a similar story in some shape or form.
Unfortunately, this appears to be the norm as the world seems to be turning faster and faster, forcing each of us to hold on for dear life or get tossed off the ride.
We’re already getting ambushed by television, newspaper and internet ads for Black Friday sales and must-have items for the holidays.
We switch on the news and an onslaught of struggle, strife and crisis spills out from the screen and into our collective mind.
There is no shortage of things and circumstances that can cause us to lose a perspective that should be natural to all of us — gratitude.

Wants and needs
Ours has become a culture of wants instead of one of needs.
I have three nephews and two nieces, ranging from 3 months to 10 years old, who have already pointed out, at those who can talk, just what it is they want for Christmas.
From My Little Ponies to drum sets and American Girl dolls, the list is comprehensive if nothing else.
Of course, I would like to be the uncle that gets everything on their list, but reality quickly creeps in and squashes that idea.
But I’m not sure this is a bad thing, really.
Creating a society of children getting all they want only yields adults who lost sight of the things in life we really need — friendships, honor, self-worth, love, compassion and independence, to name just a few.

Don’t knock it until you try it

I have a house that needs a lot of work, a stack of bills that need to be paid and the list goes on.

But this Thanksgiving I’m going to encourage myself, and each of you, to take a second to slow the world down.
Try and put life in to a different perspective, one with a foundation of gratitude and blessing.
And no, I’m not going to sit here and tell you to be thankful for family and friends and good health. These are all cliched concepts and something we should certainly all be thankful for, but honestly, they can become mindless words repeated over and over for years and years, losing more and more meaning every time its repeated.
And more than that, I’ve always felt this to be a somewhat self-centered idea.
Instead, I ask that each of you put your gratitude in motion.
Buy a coffee for the person in line behind you at Biggby or Starbucks.
Make a donation to a local charity on giving Tuesday or as soon as possible.
Volunteer your time with an organization helping a cause that strikes a chord in your heart.
Offer a few words of encouragement to someone you’ve never spoken to before.
Tell someone how nice they look in line at the grocery store.
Pray for someone’s needs other than your own.
I’m sure you’re getting the point here by now.
Simply put, show your gratitude through action and let it be a seed to others.
It’s amazing how much we get out of giving to others, and how contagious this attitude can be once we strike the flint and spark this notion.
Be the person that ignites this flame, and let it begin on Thanksgiving.
Will people think your strange?
Maybe.
Will everyone do this?
Probably not.
Does that matter at all?
Not one bit.
This Thanksgiving... don’t express your thanks, give it away.