A Word of Thanks for Every Day

Each year, the fourth Thursday of November is set aside as a day of giving. As we give our dishes, give our time, and give our thoughts, we come together on this day to give our love to our closest family and friends. If only once a year, we become aware of just how significant these people have been in co-creating our life story.  By giving our love, we become grateful of the love that has been given to us.  For the essence of this day, Thanksgiving Day, is the expression of gratitude.

As we express our gratitude, we slowly begin to understand the Bigger Picture.  When we are grateful for all the little moments, with friends, with family, with ourselves, we begin to understand how each of these moments, occurring at exactly the same moment and instant of time, transformed our very definition of Who We Were into Who We Are.  By taking a single moment of gratitude for these moments, we are inspired by the incredible awe of how every decision, every occurrence, every conversation led us to become the very being we are today.  By taking an entire day of gratitude for these interactions, we are the source of ever-constant awareness that only seeks to expand love and compassion in everyone that crosses our path.  Within just this one day, we spread our gratitude into a world that needs further compassion.

Within understanding the feeling and energy behind gratitude, we can’t help but to wonder about our time frame for giving the gift of gratitude.  Why can’t we nationally recognize gratitude on more than just one day in the year?  Why can’t our thankfulness for our family, friends, and community last longer than the second course of the dinner?  We can extend our gratitude beyond the calendar day and into every day and continue to feel that awe and wonder in every breath of life.  Loving another, or even loving yourself, has NO limitations in its magnitude or its duration.  Within our generation of teens, the gift of gratitude is one that is felt far beyond one day, but extends itself into lifetimes.  We, as the new generation, will decide our choice of expression.  Live the word.  The Word of Gratitude.

(Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com.)