It seems logical that November would be called “Gratitude Month.” After all, that’s when we celebrate the most American of all holidays — Thanksgiving.
It’s a very good time to count our blessings and to express appreciation for the good things in our lives. Even in this “time of Covid,” there are good things.
Identifying the good may take a bit of effort as we fret about ongoing tensions and uncertainty, and it requires that we focus outward instead of inward. Doing so can help each of us develop a “thankful heart,” what Cicero proclaimed to be the greatest of virtues. I think of that process as “thinking to thank” and believe it to be important in my own life. Perhaps it can be relevant to your own.
We come into this world self-centered and impatient, wanting what we want immediately. That’s normal for babies but is wearing as we grow older. Hopefully, someone along our life journeys has taught us to express appreciation and to say “thank you.” It’s a sign of maturity lacking in those who continue through life crying “what’s in it for me?” or “that should be mine!” They are the tense, anxious and frightened. We don’t have to be.
Life is easier when we accept the good things as “gifts bestowed and not owed.” I like the truth of the grade-school poster that defines gratitude as “thankfulness for the gift OF life and the gifts IN life.” That points us away from the belief that life owes us.
The Pilgrims had a practice of placing five kernels of corn on each plate before a thanksgiving meal was to be served. Each person would pick up one of those kernels and tell of something for which he was thankful. That custom reminded them of the first Pilgrims, the Separatists of the Plymouth Colony, who were in such straits that their food allowance was only five kernels of corn per person each day.
Thinking of such need can surely help us be more grateful for what we have. We can practice saying aloud what we are grateful for. When we do this over time, we see even the commonplace in a more positive light. When, instead of dreading the time and energy spent cleaning house, I can express thanks for our home, for running water, for electricity and indoor plumbing, my spirits are lighter and the task is eased. When I want to complain about aching back and knees and choose to say thanks that I can walk, the negative goes away.
Gratitude is the basic theme of the life we are each called to live. At least that’s what I was taught so many years ago. It will surely resound in heaven in the canticles of the blessed. The ability to express gratitude is a mark of humanity.
So, as we prepare to celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow, let’s vow to thank God for what He and others have done for us and to vow to do for others in return. Let’s add acts of “thanksliving” to our prayers of thanksgiving and put gratitude into action.
We can begin by remembering five kernels of corn.
The Link LonkNovember 26, 2020 at 09:00PM
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Five kernels of corn can teach us a lot about gratitude - Miami County Republic
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