Offering Gratitude this Thanksgiving

God’s Blessings Are Ours to Cherish

There is so much to be thankful for in this world –
the love of our family,
a warm home, good friends,
our health and happiness,
the beauty that surrounds us.

Yet when things aren’t going our way,
when sorrow enters our lives
or dreams seem out of reach,
we too quickly forget how fortunate
we really are.

When difficulties occur,
we must learn to rise above the
feelings of sadness and despair.
We must accept the wisdom of God’s plan
and go on with our lives,
grateful for His many blessings,
secure in His love.

By – Anna Marie Edwards

"Offering Gratitude this Thanksgiving"

Gratitude takes practice because we inhabit a culture where millions of advertising dollars a day go into making us feel that who we are and what we have is not good enough. Gratitude takes practice, because like the Pilgrims, life does not always treat us gently. Sometimes we find ourselves weathering one storm after another, facing one failure after another, until we are left with the feeling that there is very little to be grateful for.

Practicing gratitude, ironically, is often the one thing that can lift us out of that place of depletion and despair. Try it sometime when you are feeling desperately bad - try thinking of even just one good thing in your life - perhaps even something relatively trivial. Having a spirit of gratitude will help rescue us from the pit of despair, as will begin to shift our thinking from all that we lack to a more realistic and hopeful place.

That's the magic of practicing gratitude - that shift in awareness from how bad things are to a place where we can gain a toehold to lift ourselves out of the pit. I'm not saying that this shift is easy, or instant. It requires that we take the time - over and over -- to pause, to open our eyes, and to notice what is good. But with patience and practice, we become more open and more aware; and our hearts fill more with the blessings from the Lord than with what we perceive as curses in our lives.

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, God Almighty I come to You dear Lord to offer my prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving. Please forgive me for the times that I have been so selfish in not being grateful for all of the wonderful blessings in my life. Most Holy Father I honor You today as I come to You Lord, Jesus with my praise and adoration. In Jesus’ name I pray today. Amen