Now is the time of year when we think of all the turkey we will be eating and the great desserts to follow. We make decisions on who will be hosting the celebration this year (if you are lucky enough to have family and friends to share with, the money to have a feast and the job to feel good about so you can spend that money). What about the families who have none of these? What about the struggling families? If they do not have a big feast but celebrate what they do have and are together? Are they any less thankful? Or maybe even more? Something to think about.
This Thanksgiving gives us a reminder and an opportunity to step back and take inventory. We in our society are so quick to look at what we don’t have, what other people do have or what we “should” have but don’t. In this economy with so many people in trouble financially, losing there homes and there life savings – it is even more important to look at the people who make a difference in our lives!
We become jealous of people who have more then us, who have the toys we want or have what is in vogue this year. Who is doing what and who is not. How can we possibly be happy if we are always looking outward from our selves in order to feel fulfilled?
Thanksgiving is a reminder to each and every one of us – time to take account of what we do have! What do we really have in our lives to be grateful for? What are we taking for granted and who? When is the last time you said thank you to someone who has made or does make a difference in your life? When is the last time you looked at what you do have and were thankful that you have it in your life?
I think all we really need to do is watch the news and see the starving children who have no food and are so thin you can see their ribs,as well as the rest of their bones! How about the pictures of people after 9-11 who lost loved ones – spouses, parents and children! Or the families of members in the military who will be spending this holiday season without their spouse / parent? How lucky are we to still have our family and friends in our lives! What good are material things when they become what defines who and what we are?
How often have you said to yourself if I only had this I would be happy? Once this happens I will feel better? How long have you been waiting to be happy and to feel better? When we are happy at where we are now, then anything else we receive is an added blessing. When we live for things we don’t possess then we are creating our feelings and thoughts based on what is out of our control.
I am thankful for so many things in my life – my son, my family, my wife,my friends, what I do and the opportunity I have to help both Single Parent Families and Military Families, as well as so many more things I am grateful for! What are you thankful for in your life – right now?
We at Single Parent Power wish you and the people who mean so much to you a happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving!
And let’s not forget the usual holiday quotes!!
“Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow.” ~ Edward Sandford Martin
He who thanks but with the lips
Thanks but in part;
The full, the true Thanksgiving
Comes from the heart.
J.A. Shedd
Thanks but in part;
The full, the true Thanksgiving
Comes from the heart.
J.A. Shedd
“Thanksgiving is possible only for those who take time to remember; no one can give thanks who has a short memory.” ~ Author Unknown
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it” ~ William Arthur Ward
“G-d gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?” ~ William A. Ward
“Some people complain because G-d put thorns on roses,
while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns.” ~ Anonymous
while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns.” ~ Anonymous
“We can always find something to be thankful for, and there may be reasons why we ought to be thankful for even those dispensations which appear dark and frowning.” ~ Albert Barnes
“Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.” ~ Estonian Proverb
“You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.” ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon
And lastly … “An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.” ~ Irv Kupcinet
With Love, Peace and Power,
Ron Dilbert
Single Parent Power, Inc. – “Helping Reconnect Families”
www.SingleParentPower.com
www.SingleParentPower.com/Blog
rdilbert@SingleParentPower.com
516-355-1552
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” – Albert Einstein
