Walking in the Valley A bi-weekly column, featuring one Silicon Valley Christian's (a)musings on life's journey by Barbara Dahlgren

Season of Thankfulness Column for the weeks of November 1-15, 2009

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Although Thanksgiving falls towards the end of November I like to think of the whole month as a season of thankfulness.  Actually it’s a good practice to find something to be thankful for every day, but each November I try to rekindle the thankful spirit that is so easily lost amid the hustle and bustle of daily activity. 

There are benefits from being thankful.  Scientific studies show that people who express daily gratitude are 25% happier and healthier than those who don’t.  A University of California long-term study on gratitude found that being grateful promotes good health, contributes to becoming successful, aids better sleep patterns, and just overall makes one more generous and helpful to others. 

Oprah Winfrey says, “The single greatest thing you can do to change your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have right now.”

So the world has come to know what the Bible told us all along:  “It is good to give thanks unto the Lord…” (Psalm 92:1) 1 Thessalonians goes so far as to say, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances…” Can you find something to be thankful for even in dire circumstances?  What about sunshine, flowers, a smile from someone, a child’s laughter, or even finding a good parking space?

If you struggle with being thankful why not do one of the following just for the month of November:

• Keep a daily gratitude journal. The Internet has tons of ideas on starting and keeping these journals. One way is to spend each day making mental notes on what you experience focusing just on the positive things. Write about it.
• Maybe you’d rather keep a running list rather than a journal. It takes less time. Each day list three things you are grateful for. Try not to repeat anything the whole month of November.
• Each week in November think of a person still living whom you are grateful for. Write each a detailed thank you note for influencing your life in a positive way. That would only be four thank you notes.
• Maybe you don’t want to write anything down. Why not just practice saying, “Thank you” to each and every person who does something for you? Everyone! This includes the waiter who takes your order or the guy who bags your groceries. Sure they are getting paid to do it, but a “thank you” from you can make their jobs a little more tolerable.
• Perhaps you could try positive meditation. When most people snuggle into bed at night they mentally rehash every bad thing that happened to them all day long. Why not focus on everything that went right, no matter how small?
• Why not spend November giving God prayers of thanks rather than the usual gimme, gimme, gimme? Ask God to bring back to mind all the wonderful things he’s done for you in the past and thank him. One of the sweetest prayers God can hear from your lips is a heartfelt “Thank You, Lord!”
  
  

		Daily Things Thank You, Lord, for daily things Which mean so much to me For the majesty of morning sun And moonlight on the sea Thank You for a job to do For a home filled with love And thanks for the trials too And faith in things above Thank You, Lord, for daily prayer And friends who come to call For the budding rose of Spring And golden leaves of Fall We praise You, Lord, for eyes that see When snow begins to fall Thank You, Lord, for daily things Which bless us one and all
		Clay Harrison

            

 

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