It is Thanksgiving once again, and across our country, millions of people are preparing for a week of celebration surrounded by family and friends. Arguably more important, however, is that Thanksgiving provides a perfect opportunity for us to reflect on how grateful we are for the many blessings in our lives.
I suggest the notion that feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it is spot on! Therefore, the primary purpose for this dispatch is to say: You = awesome. Me = grateful! If you could see me right now, you would be watching me do my happy dance, as I am so appreciative for the Ponte Vedra Recorder staff for allowing me to come into your home a few times a month with what I would like to hope is an informative and thought-provoking narrative. Of course, I am exceedingly grateful for the Recorder’s incredibly loyal readers and their faithful advertisers.
At the risk of putting a negative connotation to this otherwise upbeat Thanksgiving narrative, many folks are facing tremendous adversity in their lives right now. Akin to the author, I submit that one’s current problems make it amazingly difficult to be grateful, as we attach ourselves to the way we think things should be going instead of focusing on our blessings. A wise man once told me that it is not what we don’t know that gets us into trouble. Instead, it is what we know but don’t do. In other words, although most of us know that being grateful with what we have instead of what we don’t makes us much happier, many (your truly) repeatedly fall prey to the “woe is me” phenomenon, as we concentrate more on our life’s potholes, ice storms and high winds instead of focusing on the many things we should be grateful for.
I do not profess any special wisdom in dealing with misfortune, and I am certainly not qualified to give advice based on the trials that I have endured. Like most people, I have had my fair share of difficulties. For instance, after 29 years of marriage, my wife and I divorced 18 months ago. I was sad. I was frustrated. It was painful. It was hard. I repeatedly reminded myself, however, that difficult times are gonna come, but they have not come to stay, they have come to pass!
The late Wayne Dyer, an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development once said, “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” I am also reminded of the wisdom from arguably the greatest teacher of life lessons, Dr Seuss, who probably would tell me: “Harry, don’t cry because your marriage is over, smile because you were married for 29 years!” The wisdom is so simple, but yet so profound! Yes indeed, let us change the way we look at things and perhaps the things that we look at will change. Stated perhaps more simply, let us be grateful in spite of our adversities.In closing, it is my hope that none of us will allow Black Friday to overpower gratitude Thursday!
Happy Thanksgiving!
“If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.” - Dr. Seuss
“You oughta be thankful, a whole heaping lot. For the people and places, you’re lucky you’re not.” - Dr. Seuss
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.” - Dr. Seuss
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” - Dr. Seuss
