Living with a thankful heart is a choice.
Last night I had the opportunity to open my door to the cutest little trick-or-treaters ever. There’s been a lot of turn over on my street over the past couple of years and some new young families have moved in. It seems like only yesterday when I was trick-or-treating with my own children and I hold those memories very close to my heart.
I have always enjoyed Halloween with the carving of jack o’lanterns, all of the candy, and the dressing up in fun and creative costumes. For me, it represents fall and my community at its best. It’s people opening their doors to complete strangers and sharing whatever unique treat they have.
It’s asking and receiving in its simplest form.
It seems kind of appropriate that when we wake up the next morning, we find ourselves thrust into the season of Thanksgiving followed closely by the Christmas season.
November often signals the beginning of a very hectic and often stressful season for many of us, whether it be dealing with uncomfortable family situations, or dealing with the loss of a loved one, or trying to create the Pinterest perfect home and table.
We tend to focus on the physical realm during the holiday season. What will we serve? What will we eat? What will we purchase? How will we decorate? Who will we invite? I won’t even begin to talk about the comparison games that we can find ourselves playing.
But, perhaps the wiser path would be to focus on the spiritual aspect of the holiday season. Maybe we could intentionally make November the month that we actually give thanks for the many blessings we have been given. We could even commit to write down at least one each day. We could commit to more thankful prayers and less asking prayers.
Most of us have far more than we need and have a tendency to take a lot for granted. I know I do.
Perhaps we could spend more time thinking about who were serve than what we will serve. That concept alone, should bring some much needed peace and maybe even joy. Who doesn’t need more of both?
Living with a thankful heart is a conscious choice. It’s choosing to prioritize the spiritual over the physical. It’s choosing to see each day as a gift.
The retailers would like for us to forget Thanksgiving altogether. There’s not much money in it for them. But, there’s something beautiful and deeply spiritual about living with a thankful heart.
Perhaps we should all give it a try.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂