Why Should We Give Thanks Only On Thanksgiving?
Photo: thanksgivingwallpapers.blogspot.com
Why is there only one day out of the year that is dedicated to verbalizing how thankful we are? Same thought with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, Secretary’s Day, or Veterans Day. What good is acknowledging someone or something one day and leaving to chance the other 364 days of the year?
Don’t get me wrong. I love holidays and all of those special days that are set aside to showcase a certain someone or something in our lives. It’s a great reason to hug each other and have parties and buy cool stuff for others.
But what has always bothered me was that the specialness of it all was confined to 24 hours. For example, the day before Mother’s Day my boys would be in their usual form of…well, being themselves. Then on Mother’s Day, they’d turn into perfect little angels the one day that all mothers get the day off from chores, cooking, cleaning, and if lucky, get taken out to dinner, only to find that it’s business as usual the next day. It’s a great big bone thrown to us mothers just to keep us going until the next year. Personally, I’d like to see Mother’s Day be celebrated everyday, but I would settle for once a week.
Now from November 1, when the stores start filling their aisles with Christmas stuff, when most of us get warm fuzzies and show extra love to our family and hug our neighbors, until the evening of December 25, the feeling of gratitude does prevail. It’s a beautiful and uplifting experience. I only wish that the feeling would go beyond the holiday season.
And I’m thinking Hallmark and boxed chocolate companies would make a hell of a lot more money if they would promote this idea of gratitude and giving all year round.
Photo: thenibble.com
I must say, though, that there are a lot of people who already put this into practice – I see it all the time on social sites such as Facebook, and that’s awesome! They are all way ahead of the game. They know that giving gratitude every day (or at least the majority of the time) only brings on more people, places, and situations for which to feel grateful for.
It’s easy to forget this in the face of life’s issues, but if we can remember to be grateful for at least one thing, one person, one experience every single day, it would be my guess the world would be a better place. I know the effort that something like that takes better than anyone. My days tend to pass in a blur and my head hits the pillow at the end of the day without an utterance of thanks, but it’s something I strive to remember every day.
Gratitude.
So, like everyone else, I’m being swept up in the season love. I’m grateful for the events that have brought me back in touch with high school friends. I’m eternally grateful for whatever inspired me to take Kristen Lamb’s blogging workshop which in turn gave me new friends from her classes (WANA sisters and big bro!) and new friends whose light I soak up in Twitterverse. I’m grateful for my family, embracing cousins, aunts, and uncles, neighbors, and friends I have known since moving to this town.
My list of gratitude is long, as I’m sure yours is as well, so I’ll leave it at that for today. Starting tomorrow, I’ll begin the list of 364 more.
Global Gratitude - Thank you, Universe
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!
Posted on November 23, 2011, in Family, Friendships, Holidays, Tattoo, Uncategorized and tagged Diana Murdock, Diana Murdock's blog, Facebook, Father's Day, giving thanks, Kristen Lamb, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, twitter, Twitterverse gratitude, Veteran's Day. Bookmark the permalink. 17 Comments.
Diana Murdock, Author 
Beautiful post Diana! I agree, we could all stand to be more “grateful” for the blessings in our life every single day. I used to keep a Gratitude Journal by my bedside to write in every single night which helped me keep a spirit of gratefulness every day. I loved it. I think I’ll get back into it.
I think people love it when you periodically think to tell them how wonderful and special they are and how grateful you are for them in your life. Whether it’s a family member, friend, or coworker!
Happy Thanksgiving Diana! I agree with your thoughts here- everyday is an opportunity to express appreciation.
One of my prayers is to learn to live thankful. I want every utterance to reflect my gratitude to God and the life I’ve been given.
Right on Diana! Expressing gratitude should be a part of everyone’s day. It should begin the moment we wake up – every day is a gift – and feeling grateful before you fall asleep just might guarantee a peaceful sleep. When my children were young, at bedtime I would ask them what the best part of their day had been. It’s never too soon or too late to put expressing gratitude into practice. Happy Thanksgiving – today and every day!
Love and gratitude, a great recipe for every day indeed. Right on, Diana. Patricia, wish I had thought of something so wonderful to ask my children at bedtime! What a great anchor for them, ending the day with a positive thought.
For some, the holiday season beginning with Thanksgiving magnifies the kernels of goals and plants seeds in our hearts, seeds toward which we can strive for the rest of the year, and the rest of our lives. Digging beneath the tinsel surrounding the hubbub, we can reach into our hearts for the depth behind the celebrations. Hopefully, like you said, Diana, we can keep the candle burning for 365 days every year. Unfortunately the celebrations for some magnify the sufferings of many, but perhaps the message of hope can make it through to those less fortunate. Here’s to raising a cup of love in a toast to embracing gratitude, every day.
We forget to be grateful for the simplest things that we actually have in our lives, maybe because we get used to having a warm house, clothes to wear, food to eat, and a freedom to live the way we choose. It’s hard to remember that so many people in this world live in poverty and/or injustice just because we don’t experience it ourselves.
You are so right: celebrating just one day of the year is hardly a representation of gratitude. We hear “my life is so hectic and busy” more often than a simple “thank you for being in my life”.
When I first arrived in this country I had a hard time adjusting to this kind of attitude. I’m used to celebrating friendships and simple things in life and not concentrating on material stuff too much (well, maybe with the exception of cool clothes and shoes). I strive to acknowledge and be grateful for everyone in my life, my family and all my friends — those who are close to my heart and those who need time to open up.
Have a wonderful, filled with joy and gratitude Thanksgiving, and every day after that too 🙂
I feel the same about holidays. Valentine’s Day always bugged me because love is definitely something people in relationships should show more than once a year.
I try to maintain the habit of giving thanks to God every time I feel a sense of relief, whether it’s over a problem that’s been solved, or an issue I was worrying over that has a happy ending. I know that it wasn’t through any power of mine that things worked out.
Great blog! Love your tattoo!
I am grateful for Esther and Jerry Hicks (Hicks/Abraham), who came into my life at just the perfect time. They remind us to enjoy the daily contrast we experience because it helps us decide what we want and don’t want in life. Rest in Peace Jerry…you’ll be missed!
I was thinking this same question last night when I was trying to get the darn pictures to load into my post. Thanksgiving should really be an all year concept. Wonderful post Diana. I am so grateful to have met you.
You are quite a woman, Diana. Saying things we all should be thinking and it gives me a spark to think of all the things I have to be thankful for. Not stuff, but people in my life and the wonders of this beautiful world.
Friends and family can help anyone overcome the biggest obstacles that invade our lives. It would be nice to practice this love each day.
Thanksgiving is not a special day here in Thailand but I have seen in recent events the kindness of strangers and friends and it touches me to the core.
Great post and a big hug for you!
You nailed it. I try very hard to be grateful every day. A practice I started years ago (which I’m not 100% consistent at doing) was every night before bed, I’d write down 3-4 things I was grateful for from that day. Sounds silly but as I went through each day, I’d appreciate things I never would have paid attention to before because I knew that night I’d have to write my list. Obviously there are the biggies, my kids smiles, my family’s health, some days it was that we had leftovers and I didn’t have to cook. Often though, I’d feel a breeze with a fresh scent on it and I’d stop and experience it and recognize that I was thankful for that moment.
And for the record, I think every day should be Mother’s day too — but at the very least, can we have … like Fridays or something? 😉
Cheers, Diana; I totally agree. I have a hard time with Thanksgiving for a number of reasons, including the idea that we have only set aside one day on which to be thankful/grateful. For myself, I’m working on figuring out the meaning of the holiday season and how to celebrate it in a meaningFUL way.
I’m so with you on this, Diana. I’ve been trying to remember on a day to day, moment to moment basis to be grateful for my blessing (and they are so many)! It’s hard, especially when (ironically) stressed by the holidays.
The WANA group has been such a big inspiration. Thanks for today’s reminder!
I give thanks everyday of my life, for waking, seeing,hearing, smelling, tasting, to feel the wind, and the sun on my face. To be able to walk, and bend, and reason. To tell my family each and every day, how much I love them, to feel their hugs, see their faces, to have a wonderful warm comfortable home, to be able to cook, each and every day, as we sit as a family to eat, and laugh, and converse, to see the sky and clouds, the stars and the moon, for our health and strength each and every day, thanksgiving to me is each and every day.Blessings to all..pat.r.
Thank you, Pat for stopping by my blog. You’ve shared very thoughtful and meaningful words.
Thank you Diana, for reading, and responding to my thoughts, I appreciate it very much, hope to be involved more, all the best to you and yours, I look forward to following you, pat rego.
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