Most of the time I do try to find the good, be present and stay grateful, but it’s alwyas a work in progress.
As we were driving and I was scrolling my Facebook feed, I came across a post that broke my heart in half. A friend from grad school was in an accident due to the snow and ice last week. He and his son were on their way to celebrate his 17th birthday. He lost his son, and is in ICU, himself.
Instantly, I became most thankful for those screechy screams and hollers from the backseat.
I’m not writing this to be a “Debbie downer” today, but am writing it because thankfulness and gratitude as a mindset and way of life, together with brokeness for this family have weighed heavily on my heart this week.
It should never take a moment so sobering to bring about thankfulness, but so often it does.
That moment of realization of all that I have to be grateful for, set the tone for the whole trip for me. When you approach situations with gratitude, even with kids arguing or babies not napping, you feel differently. Thoughts effect feelings, feelings determine behavior (CBT 101 for all my therapist friends). Also, in changing your mindset and thus, your actions, it effects other people. I noticed over the weekend, the way I interacted with my kids, changed the way they behaved. Y’all, our kids were next to perfect. Hotel rooms, close quarters, having to be quiet during naps with itty bitties in the house, long car rides.... they were a dream. We had such a great trip, fun, enjoyable...
God knew these things when he inspired all the scriptures on Thanksgiving...
He created us. He obviously knows the power of a thankful mindset.
So often we look at scripture as a “to do list,” but we need to recognize the things the Lord says are most often for our benefit. Be thankful because it’s good for you, and others.
Dr. Caroline Leaf said,
But did you know that gratitude is essential to success? If you can’t appreciate what you have to be thankful for right now, it is harder to achieve what you desire in the future.
In fact, gratitude changes the brain and body for the better! Research on the effects gratitude has on our biology shows how being thankful increases our longevity, our ability to use our imagination, and our ability to problem-solve.
Gratitude makes us feel that life is worth living, which brings mental health benefits in a positive feedback loop that leads to more resilience—the ability to bounce back quicker during hard times. Gratitude is therefore essential to overcoming difficult circumstances and achieving success in all areas of your life!
If you guys would, please pray for my friend and his family. I haven’t seen or spoken to him in almost two years, but he is a good man and he does so much good for others. Pray for physical healing, and also peace in his heart for when he wakes up to the most devastating news.
Today and always, be thankful. Make it a mindset. I would love if you’d start by commenting a quote or scripture about thanksgiving, or just something you’re grateful for!
Happy Thanksgiving!
