Happy Thanksgiving Week!
Happy first day of Thanksgiving week to you and yours! I know that this is “game-on” week for all the culinary chefs out there – from young, first-time Thanksgiving cooks who are entertaining their families and friends to those well-seasoned cooks who carry on their annual family traditions of tasteful food favorites. There is so much to do that it leaves little time to be in an attitude of gratitude. But gratitude is what causes us to get our recipes front and center while we gather all the ingredients together for that yummy Thanksgiving meal. In fact, I’ve been working on some of mine to take to Rusk, TX where our family is converging this year!
Thank you to those of you who have been expressing 30 days of gratitude on social media during this month of Thanksgiving. I know I am sensing that attitude of gratitude myself. I see those of you who are randomly posting how grateful you are for your faith, God’s love, and life’s sweetest blessings — your family, friends, your health, your times of making memories together — all those things that money can’t buy.
Actually, Thanks-giving should be thanks-living every day. I desire to have that attitude of gratitude as the most tried and true component of my life! If we have let the attitude of gratitude slip us by, then maybe this first day of Thanksgiving week we can get this party started with simple words of prayer and thoughts of gratitude! Lord, please give us hearts of gratitude! “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Zig Ziglar was a very dear friend who had a tremendous influence in our family’s lives. First, we followed his positive, optimistic, faith-filled, and gratitude-filled teachings and approach to living life. It served our family well. Our daughter was blessed to travel with him and the Get-Motivated Seminars Team as a speaker and singer. Zig was “Pops” to her on the tours, gleaning from his wisdom and tender heart. Ron and I joined Zig as speakers and team members. We carry his mantel because we adapted our lives to his way of Godly thinking. It served us well. Besides our personal faith, Zig’s books and teachings deserve so much credit for the life, business, and ministry success of our family.
You could tell where Zig came from and that an attitude of gratitude was right up there in his values. What was Zig’s secret? Zig’s widowed mother of eleven raised her children alone. Though extremely poor, Mrs. Ziglar instilled a strong work ethic in her children and raised them to believe that both she and God loved them. She also taught her children to practice saying “please” and “thank you.” Those lessons stuck. Her formula of work, love and faith made their difficult lives easier and enjoyable.
Zig said, “When we neglect to require our children to say `thank you’ when someone gives them a gift or does something for them, we raise ungrateful children who are highly unlikely to be content. Without gratitude, happiness is rare. With gratitude, the odds for happiness go up dramatically.”
And even more so, how much our Father God wants to bless His kids as He sees our attitudes of gratitude! To acknowledge Him for not just the big things, but all the daily blessings in each and every day. So, today, I’m starting with saying “Dear God. Today I woke up. I am healthy. I am alive. I am blessed beyond what I deserve. I have loving and devoted friends and family. I have YOU! Thank you.”
#attitudeofgratitude