Make Time to be Thankful

Sometimes in life, it is easy to take many things for granted. We do it every day without thinking about it. We come to expect things from people and places that have always done what they do for us without ever considering that those things are not a given. They don’t have to be there or do what they do.

There are so many times we exhaust ourselves trying to do for others until we get burnt out. The fuel to keeping us going isn’t always rest or monetary value. It can be as simple as words of appreciation and gratitude.

The other day, I had too many places to be and things to do. One of my children stepped up and took care of preparing supper. They didn’t ask if I wanted help, they asked where to find what they needed and did what was needed to make a meal. That child told me that I go out of my way so much to make sure they get where they need to go and they wanted to show their appreciation by helping me out. Otherwise, supper would have been late and rushed and I appreciated that extra hand of help immensely.

How many times have you told someone thank you for doing what they do every day? How many times have you done something that needs to be done on your spouse’s or family or friend’s list to be a blessing in their day? Could they have done it, of course, but doing it would give them one less thing on their list or an extra five minutes to be still.

We try to teach our kids grace and appreciation at the same time as teaching them not to allow someone to take advantage of them or vise versa. In our busy world, it is easy to go along our day without noticing others or the little details that are combined for the bigger picture.

This time of year we get plenty of reminders to counting our blessings. We start gratitude journals, and like New Year’s resolutions, they get put to the wayside as other things overtake the priority of our mindfulness.

Taking the time to be thankful shouldn’t go to the wayside after November. What if we all try to be mindful of the little things and take the time to be thankful every day rather than just for the holiday? I’m cutting down on my schedule to take it slower and notice more things around my world.

How about you? How will you make time to be thankful for this day forward?

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Don’t forget to tell someone Thank You today. @susanlower (Click to Tweet)