Thanksgiving!  My most favorite of holidays.  I see it as more of a state of being than a holiday though.  I thinking everyday should be thanksgiving.  But as the holiday goes, it’s my favorite.  No pressure, just relaxed time, a lot of laughter, family, friends, and LOTS food.  What could be better?

In our home as we gather around the table every year, we have a tradition of going around and saying what we are thankful for.  What brought us joy.  What grew us. Each of us taking time to remember the past year, and give a little slice of what we loved!

I try to live out almost every single day in a state of joy-full-ness and thank-full-ness.  I am just a person that sees something great in everything.  In every circumstance.  If not, I have the wonderful choice of changing it….if by nothing more than changing my attitude about it.  I’m not saying everyday is peachy and full of roses, but it’s how I decide to go about my day, my life, that changes things for me.  I’m joyful!  JOY-FULL!  This little nugget of joy is in my DNA.  I am positive all the time that something wonderful is going to happen.  I am thankful, for things that go well, and also the parts of life that do not go so well, because that’s what grows me as a person.  It’s what allows me to know what I like and want… and what I choose to pass on.  <We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.> -Abraham Lincoln  I always see the roses!

These things I am thankful for right now:

~My relationship with God.  And the fact that I live in a country that I am able to have said relationship.

~My husband.  He is always at the top of my list because….yes, he is that extraordinary!

~My kids.  They are by far the BEST thing I ever did in my life.

~My extended family.  Near and far, they ROCK!  They are all so special, and I think about them everyday.

~My friends.  It always amazes me the fun times, laughter, and adventures we share.  Through the good times and bad, we are there for one another in love, in solidarity, surrounding one another and lifting one another up.  They truly are, like family to us.  I think good, true, loyal friends sometimes, are hard to come by…and honestly, I think we may have scooped them all up!

~Travel.  A lot of that this year.  All for fun!  Can’t beat that!

~Our dogs.  There is something about dogs.  No matter what kind of day I have…even if it is gloomy and I have had a hard day, you cannot help but be happy in their presence.  They make me smile every single day.  (They are both currently curled around my feet snoring LOUDLY)  I always wonder about people that do not like dogs….

~Summer.  This has by far been one of the best summers ever (other than the summer I met my hubs)  This one, definitely in the record books.

~Our home. I have always said, that is doesn’t matter the size or shape of your home.  If it is a house, a condo, an apartment, a cabina or a tiki-hut.  It’s what dwells inside the house that makes it a home.  I could find just as much pleasure living in a tent.  Home is what you make it.  Find joy in your space.

~The snow.  YES, I am ready for it.

~My health. I am always amazed and overwhelmed that God has given me this body to use.  My ability, my heart, my lungs, my muscles, my limbs to train and run and race without a lot of ailments and issues.

~Laughter.  This is absolutely the best noise in the World to me.

~Books.  If I could ever live in a library…

~Sunshine.

~And rain….especially on a day like today.  Rain…that I can go puddle jumping in with my sweet new rain boots!

~Running.  I know this could go in the health line, but it deserves its own shout-out.  Its own place.  For me, it is the ONE thing I do for myself that I adore.  To clear my head, to clear my heart.  It is my passion, my therapy, my life-force.  There is nothing that cannot be solved with a nice long, sweaty, run.  I solve most of the World’s problems when I run.  😉

~My  job.  The ability to have a job that my soul purpose is to motivate those around me!!  I get to do what I love every single day!!

~Popcorn.  And movie nights, cuddled on the couch with my family.  Or my girlfriends.  Yes, I am thankful for popcorn.

~Red wine.

~Music.  Music has the way to transform any situation.  At home, I listen while cooking.  I do the occasional (ok maybe more than occasional) dance party.  My hubs, often turns on music and finds me wherever I am, and pulls me onto a “dance-floor for two” And I love all types of music.  It can motivate, allow me to contemplate, or just celebrate!

~Cooking.  There is nothing better than cooking a meal, and having my family or friends gathered around my table.  It’s intimate, and loaded with laughter and sometimes tears, but it is always so soul-satisfying to me.

~Laughter.  Did I already say laughter?  Well, it deserves another place in the list.

~I could really go on and on.

**1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “ give thanks in all circumstances.”  I love the way The Message says it,  ^“Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens.”

Living in a constant state of thankfulness is easy.  It truly is.  Every single day there is reason for joy and thanksgiving.  You are not your circumstances, or your surroundings.  You have the right to change your life and journey at any moment.  If it is not bringing you pleasure…move on, mix it up, or just be thankful where you are.  There can always be negative things that happen, it’s how you handle the negative that makes the difference.  Chose to look beyond your circumstance and look up. UP!  Choose an attitude of gratitude.  Choose to be thankful for all things.

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” – W. T. Purkiser

“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

“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” -Robert Caspar Lintner

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving

“Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck…we should just be thankful for being together.”
–Marci