Let every day be Thanksgiving Day

Let every day be a thanksgiving day
 By Terri Andersen
We all know that Thanksgiving Day is not the only time of the year to be thankful, but how many of us are aware that there is a spiritual law of nature regarding gratitude? It asserts that appreciating the good in life leads to attracting more good into that life. As the Positive Thinking author Norman Vincent Peale put it in a Plus magazine article, “In some unfathomable way, the acknowledgment of past blessings seems to be the activator of new blessings.” He also said that if we focus on the adversities in our life, we'll attract more adversity, but if we look for and are grateful for the good things that come our way, we'll attract more to be thankful for. So it seems evident that what we should strive for is an attitude of gratitude, since “the thankful person is aligning himself with the most powerful force in the universe and is drawing strength from it,” according to Dr. Peale. TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey also subscribes to that idea. A while back she advocated that her viewers keep a gratitude journal and each night write down five things they were grateful for that day. Then she had people who followed her advice come on her show to tell what a difference it made in their attitudes and in their lives. It was very uplifting. Even William Shakespeare had something to say about the subject, namely, “O Lord, that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.” On a closer to home level, I would say my father was a man who appreciated what life offered him, and while he never achieved the world's idea of wealth, it can be said that he was a rich man because he was content with what he had and didn't dwell on what he didn't have. He was always aware that there were those who had so much less than he did. One of the things he liked to say was, “If I can't have what I want, I want what I have.” When I first heard that, I considered it strange and didn't see the sense of it. But as I got older I realized what he meant. An example in my own life is the house I live in. In 1969 when my husband and I were looking for a house for our family of seven, I wanted a 5-bedroom modern ranch, all on one floor. What we got was an older home with four stories (from walk-out basement to full attic) because it was in our price range and the ranch wasn't. At first I was disappointed, but my father was quick to point out the big windows that would allow our home to be filled with sunshine, the beautiful view of the hills and the sunsets from our kitchen window, and the spaciousness of the rooms in general to accommodate our family. Over the years I realized that I honestly love this house. It turned out to be perfectly suitable for our lifestyle and all those stairs give me plenty of exercise. (I don't need a Stairstepper.) I even love the lone bathroom that forced us all to get organized enough to schedule shower time every morning. (The bathroom is 7x13 with a double sink and has room for my own little vanity table and chair.) Another example of learning to appreciate what I was given applies to a job I once had. The company I worked for was moving to another town and I didn't want to commute, so I settled for a lesser paying job within walking distance from my home. At first I felt bad about having to start over, but as I told myself to appreciate the fact that at least I had a job and gave it my all, one thing after another fell into place, and with raises and promotions that job turned out to be the best I ever had. (And believe it or not, the first company landed up going out of business.) It's been said that happiness comes from less complaining and more thanksgiving. So I believe Dr. Peale was right when he wrote, “If you affirm thankfulness, blessings will flow.”